Angela Leuice's TEFL English Tutoring Blog

Have You Ever Heard of Palindromes?

angelaleuice — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 20:47:27 +0000

A palindrome is a word that is the same whether it is read from right to left or left to right. Two examples of palindromes in English are the words “racecar” and “kayak.” Can you think of other English words that are also palindromes? Post them here!

Valentine’s Day

angelaleuice — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 21:06:29 +0000

Do you know the origin and history of Valentine’s Day? If you think you know, share it with us here. Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!

Check out ClearPlay – Friends and Family Offer

angelaleuice — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 23:45:42 +0000

Are you sick and tired of English movies that look interesting but are full of cuss words, extreme violence, sex, and blasphemy? I know I sure am! That’s why our family has used a ClearPlay DVD player from ClearPlay.com for several years. Get rid of the stuff that bothers you without affecting the movie’s content at all! Check out ClearPlay – Friends and Family Offer

Hyphenation Is Rather Tricky in English

angelaleuice — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:36:56 +0000

2-year education
5-minute speech
10-year-olds
one-week vacation
A-frame
African American
Air Force
all-city tournament
attorney general
blood pressure
blue-green dress
bull’s-eye
database
daughter-in-law
English-speaking person
ex-wife
first-rate accommodations
football
grandmother
grant-in-aid
great-aunt
half sister
high-level officials
I-beam
Italian-American
Italian-American club
jack-in-the-box
lifelike
light year
mayor-elect
salesperson
secretary-treasurer
sons-in-law
stockbroker
T-square
threefold
up-to-the-minute
V-formation
vice president
well-made clothes
worldwide inflation
X-ray

How to Hyphenate a Series of Nearly Alike Hyphenated Words:

* The third- and fourth-grade teachers met with the parents.
* Both full- and part-time employees will get raises this year.
* We don’t see many 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children around here.

Four Types of Hyphens in English

How Would You Feel and What Would You Do?

angelaleuice — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:33:48 +0000

What would you do if you lived in Pakistan and your entire family, property, and village were wiped out by horrendous floods? Where would you go from there? Would you try to find a way to get to another country where you could start all over? Would you feel like giving up on life? How would you feel and what would you do?

Write a few English sentences expressing your feelings and your answers to the questions above. I will offer comments on each legitimate English response.

Victims of the Gulf Oil Spill

angelaleuice — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 22:10:08 +0000

Bird Caught in Oily Mess in the Gulf of Mexico

Pelican Covered in Oil

What would your answer be to this oil leak disaster in the Gulf of Mexico? Would you blame the oil rig inspectors who didn’t do their job properly according to some in the news media? Would you blame BP as Obama and many others are doing? Would you blame Obama’s administration which Obama is not doing? Would you blame God (people love to do that even when He didn’t cause something to happen)? How about blaming the animals and birds for being in the wrong spot at the wrong time? What answer do you have (make it brief and civil) for this U.S. disaster?

Did You Know?

angelaleuice — Thu, 27 May 2010 23:06:33 +0000

Did you know that…

…no word in the English language rhymes with “month”?

…no word in the English language rhymes with “purple”?

…no word in the English language rhymes with “silver”?

…no word in the English language rhymes with “orange”?

Since English poetry and music uses rhyming most of the time, those words cannot be used at the end of lines that must rhyme with others. How do composers and poets get around the problem? They just use another word after the un-rhyming word or they use the words in lines that don’t have to rhyme with another.

English Idioms Again

angelaleuice — Fri, 21 May 2010 19:39:33 +0000

“Who has the strongest fingers in the world?”

If you think you know the answer, leave a comment. I’ll give the answer in a week or so. The answer contains an English idiom.

What’s the longest word in the English language?

angelaleuice — Wed, 19 May 2010 00:24:49 +0000

Do you know the answer to this question? It has changed through the years as new words are invented. English is an open language and tens of thousands of new words are created every year and put into dictionaries. Give this one a try. Leave me a comment with the word that you think is the longest English word. I’ll let you know the answer soon.

Riddles Containing English Idioms

angelaleuice — Sat, 08 May 2010 23:36:00 +0000

Why did the piano student put her head on the piano?

Leave a comment if you think you know the answer. I’ll give the answer to any responders.