Useful Idioms: Contemporary - not that Edwardian English masquerade

As more Taiwanese students are learning, the base of their English education seems to be Edwardian or Victorian English masquerading as contemporary English.

Students speak of  junior and senior high English class time spent learning those scintillating idioms of "raining cats and dog" or "frog in the throat", rather than more useful and contemporary Anglo English. Reference to Google's ngram shows the utility of learning such arcane phrases of an early era. Perhaps it's an unreflective edutainment method to look at seeming out-group English language oddities to succor support to "conquer English" in the spirit of the China Youth Anti-Communism National Salvation Corps (中國青年反共救國團) being bandied about this week in Taipei.

An educated scholar knows that students can develop a love to learn without casting differences as oddities - rather it reveals the baseness of the educator/provocateur employing such techniques.

90 Idioms About Tools found in the subscribable blog Daily Writing Tips  provides a set of useful idioms associated with tools. These include:

1–5.       angry/mad enough to chew nails/spit nails or ready to eat nails:   enraged

10.         ax to grind: grudge or motive

65–66.    screw around/off: waste time or act aimlessly

83.            take a hammering: suffer a severe attack or loss

86.           tools of the trade: whatever is associated with, or required to do, a job

Take a look fellow student, as we all seek to learn and further enjoy our world :)

March 19, 2016 Notes: A Good Thesis Statement

I've added notes from my Saturday night Basic Writing Class @


https://goo.gl/uD7Gkm


A good thesis statement drives a good essay, or even speech.  Figure out your message, and then share the detailed components of that message in an organized and clear manner.

Be a Research Assistant to the Women's Equality Project - International Women's Day

Perhaps, unlike my wife, you failed to know that yesterday was International Women's Day.  Interestingly, reported in the news, including the UK's Guardian Newspaper, was the UNESCO report of rampant bias in student textbooks that portray women in dated stereotypical domestic roles.

The authors are recruiting all (including you and I) to assist their research by using your cellphone or camera to show good or bad examples in textbooks (or lesson material) in which women are portrayed in various roles.  The photos are shared via Instagram.       

Check it out and participate in ensuring Taiwan is in the 21st century .....

Invitation from the study:
We want you to help us with our investigation. Join us on Instagram where we have just launched (@GEMReport). Send us photos of your textbooks marked #betweenthelines that you feel are positive examples of the way education is promoting gender equality, and sustainable development more widely, and of those you feel are perpetuating traditional norms and biases.  

Listening Comprehension: Can you trust those numbers??

The BBC (British Broadcasting Company) has an interesting Program called More or Less.


A recent one -  Selfies, Sugar Daddies, and Dodgy Survey - is about dodgy surveys (invalid surveys, the results which would then be invalid).  Too many times, invalid results are highlighted publicly by dimwits or nefarious nitwits that lead people to wrongheaded conclusions.  

Listen up!

Retch vs. Wretch ( Why is wretch such a popular url in Taiwan ? )

A student has written about a New Year vacation cruise to China.  While it may have seemed enjoyable on the TV program, she writes that the trip was anything but enjoyable since so many people failed to take motion sickness medicine prior to leaving.  She wrote that it "was hard to deal with the noise from the" seasick passengers.  

As English has many specific words for different types of sounds, I have shared with her the word "retch", which should not be confused with the ubiquitously seen Taiwan url root, "wretch."

The Grammarist, a good reference tool for many different types of questions you may have about the English language, distinguishes the two well.    

Shirley, your final sentence summarizing the experience was well written:
"I swear that I'll never, ever go on a boat to China again."

How's your translation skills? Compare it to Ivy English. March 3, 2016

Ivy English.  March 3, 2016

Writing a letter: Ivy English Feb 18

The February 18 Ivy Academic English broadcast has a great lesson on writing letters. Check it out!

Listen to companies' intolerance for errors in correspondence beginning at the 8 minute mark in the broadcast.  Consider what changes you may need in your writing.

Perpetuating Victorian English into the 21st Century

An artifact of the powers which be that constrain the course for 21st century English users is identified in the February 16 Ivy League English lesson.   Due to overteaching structure, the structure "so... that" , " so many...", "not only, but also"  are often overused by Taiwanese English users, especially since it has an emphatic tone that is unlikely to be often used.

Check it out.  Also mention is found after 6 minutes into the program about a useful book that native Chinese speakers can learn about common listening errors.  The book is named 一本搞定英語常見錯誤：英文正誤辨析A到Z  and you can get more information by pressing the link associated with the name.

Again, Ivy Analytical English and its broadcast is a most worthwhile English resource for improving your English.

Simple English Videos

I've come across a series of Youtube videos you may enjoy.  The video channel is called Simple English videos .   Pressing on the name will take you to the videos.   Happy watching.... and speaking!!!