If you’ve heard a friend, TV character, or musician use the term “yiy” and are wondering what they mean, you’ve come to the right place. “Yiy” is the Jamaican word for “eye.” The language spoken in Jamaica is known as Patois, which bears a strong resemblance to the Creole language that is spoken in parts …
Vocabulary
This movie is catering towards fans and leaving the rest of us out in the cold. The author’s latest book catered towards women and children. If you associate “catering” with food, you might be especially confused what food has to do with movies or books. But are the movie maker and author in question actually …
Regular readers of this blog know that there are plenty of weird English words. That’s because, like any language, English phrases are often metaphorical in nature. Some even have their origins in misunderstandings that have since become standard. Sometimes, though, English phrases are just what they seem. How do you use “attention to detail” …
Every time we confront problems concerning language, especially those that involve apostrophes, we feel like drifting out in a stormy, open sea. Desperately flailing our arms around, grasping for anything to help us breathe. It’s a case of swim or sink; we must learn in order to survive. But don’t despair, hope isn’t out of …
“Do” and “make” are two similar verbs in English, but they can cause so much confusion among students – sometimes, among teachers too. When do we use “do”? How about “make”? Can we use them interchangeably? These are but some of the most pressing questions asked about these words. As we explore this subject, we …
New Year is that particular time when people start using a new calendar and the present calendar’s year count increases by one. As soon as the countdown of the last seconds of the current year ticks off to zero, well-wishers greet their loved ones with “Happy New Year!” Yet, there are those who choose to …
Abbreviations related to eras like “BCE” and “BC” can be intimidating at first glance, leading us to want to skip them while reading. But is there really a difference between “BCE” and “CE”? And if there is, which should we choose? Let this article help you out of your confusion. What is the difference …
What makes the English language interesting and colorful is its use of idioms or idiomatic expressions. An idiomatic expression is a phrase whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meaning of its constituent elements. One of these idioms we aim to learn is “at its best.” So sit back, relax, and let’s start exploring …
The idea of of the expression “to walk a mile in someone’s shows” is that if you experience life as someone else does for a while, you’ll be more likely to understand them. In other words, to treat people well it’s important to understand their point of view. But what is a point of view, …