Mini-Lessons from Monday, Apr. 30, 2012

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!

• Link: How to write English essays: http://www.1-language.com/essayedge/index.html
  
• Ancient History: Hammurabi: died c. 1750 BC, first king of Babylonian Empire. Famous for one of first written law codes, called Hammurabi's Code.
  
• Irregular Verbs: I put my books on some bookshelves. I put three more there yesterday. I have put hundreds on the shelves in my room.
  
• Idiom: hold water: be logical. A: "Who did you vote for?" B: "Jones, because Smith's arguments didn't hold water."
  
• Pop Culture: George Gershwin: (1898-1937) American composer who used jazz in his classical works; also wrote popular songs with his brother Ira.
  
• Slang: Where are you off to?: "Where are you going?" informally. A: "Gotta run!" B: "Where are you off to?" A: "The bank." B: "See ya!"
  
• Government: attorney general: chief law officer of a country or state; in US, head of Department of Justice and member of president's cabinet.
  

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NOTES:

1. The Idiom, the History and Government words, and some of the Pop Culture words, are from lists in the Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. I wrote the definitions and examples myself.
2. The Link was found online; the Slang words, the Irregular Verbs, and some of the Pop Culture words are from my own lists, and I wrote the definitions and examples myself.

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This lesson is ©2012 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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