FREE DAILY ENGLISH LESSONS!
In time, these lessons and "stubs" will be migrated to the Buzzwords site.
Until then, consider them historical.


Mini-Lessons from Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011

These Mini-Lessons are posted on Twitter, and in China on Weibo, throughout the day. You can follow them there!

To get the most from them, you should try to use them in sentences, or discuss them with friends. Writing something on Twitter or Weibo is a great way to practice!
  • Sci [Science]: The planets, from the sun: ☿ Mercury, ♀ Venus, ⊕ Earth, ♂ Mars, ♃ Jupiter, ♄ Saturn, ♅ Uranus, ♆ Neptune (and formerly Pluto)
  • Eng [Language Study]: malapropism: humorous confusing of two words, like "secret urgent" for "secret agent," or "a blessing in the skies" for "in disguise."
  • Biz [Business]: compliance: following the laws and regulations of business. "We will protect our workers in compliance with safety laws."
  • Lit [Literature]: "The Pied Piper of Hamelin": German legend about a flute-player who leads away the children of a town.
  • New [New Words]: fashionista: someone who tries to wear the latest fashions; also, one who works in the fashion industry.
  • Slang: to be seeing someone: to be dating someone. "Are you seeing anyone?" "Yes, I'm seeing this great new guy."
  • Hist [History]: Mahatma Gandhi: 20th-century leader who used non-violence to help India become independent from Britain. "Mahatma" means "great soul."

NOTES:
  1. Except for the Slang words, all the words in these Mini-Lessons came from lists either on the Oxford University Press site or in the Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. I wrote the definitions and examples myself.
  2. The Slang words are from my own list, and I wrote the definitions and examples myself.

This lesson is ©2011 by James Baquet. You may share this work freely. Teachers may use it in the classroom, as long as students are told the source (URL). You may not publish this material or sell it. Please write to me if you have any questions about "fair use"

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