Mini-Lessons from Wednesday, Apr. 25, 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!

• Science: Rachel Carson: (1907-1964) American author who fought against pollution. She wrote "Silent Spring" and "The Sea Around Us."
  
• Language Study: semicolon: a mark (;) used between two sentences, or between parts of a list. "I like cats and dogs; soda and tea; and pens and books."
  
• Business: assumption: the act of taking over a debt or obligation. "Upon assumption of the loan, we will double our monthly spending."
  
• Literature: "Rock-a-Bye, Baby": a "lullaby" (song to put a baby to sleep), first published around 1765. "Rock-a-bye, Baby, on the treetops..."
  
• New Words: foodies: people interested in food, especially professionals. "All the foodies say the new restaurant is great."
  
• Slang: Why not?: one way to say OK. A: "Hey, would you like to go to a movie with me?" B: "Why not? What time shall we meet?"
  
• Modern History: Al Capone: (1899-1947) powerful American gangster in Chicago, made money from selling illegal alcohol and other activities.
  

---

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 ©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."

---