Dame6089

I am guilty of using bomb in both of the ways you mentioned. It does indeed become confusing. I can imagine that this particular idiom troubles foreign speakers of languages.

Does anyone know the origin of this? Is it recent aka 1900s or is it something that has been around for centuries.

My favorite would be "double edged sword". The whole idea of a sword that could hurt other people as well as yourself clearly paints the picture of what this idiom means.

I have learned that there are many misused idioms. Here are some of them:

Incorrect: "All intensive purposes"

Correct: "All intents and purposes"

Incorrect: "Tender loving care"

Correct: "Tender love and care"

Incorrect: "Wrecking havoc"

Correct: "Wreaking havoc"

Incorrect: "Free reign"

Correct: "Free rein"

Incorrect: "Chester drawers"

Correct: "Chest of drawers"

Incorrect: "I could care less"

Correct: "I couldn't care less"

Incorrect: "Use to"

Correct: "Used to"

Incorrect: "Suppose to"

Correct: "Supposed to"

I always use these right except for one, "free rein". I get why it is "rein" and not "reign", but I always assumed it was "reign" because of kings and queens reigning.

It is hard to say which one I learned first, but one of my favorites is "double edged sword". I think my inner little boy who loves swords and things like that make me love this idiom.

It is strange to me that I was taught cursive so much as a child, only to never use it as an adult. I remember having to write a paragraph on the SATs in cursive. It was the hardest part of the test because I hadn't used it in so long.

I'm a big supporter of flash cards. It is a old technique, but it is a technique that works. At the end of the day, repetition and practice is the best way to learn anything.

Thanks! I thought so but I also know a lot of work would have to go into that.

I know I have played said games before but I cannot remember where or why. Rosetta Stone has a great way of implementing what I am referring to but they do not do it with any style of Flash program. They use actual images to help you in the learning process.

Yeah I think that is the issue. Most people who make flash games aren't making them for educational purposes. I am not sure how many language flash games you will find out there for free.

I think it was fitting. I wanted him to live, but knew it couldn't end that way. It was really hinted at way back when Walt and Walt Jr were watching the end of Scarface. That is the way all drug dealing movies end. You get rich and die in a blaze of glory.

I had a Spanish professor in college who could speak English, Spanish, and French. She said she tried to learn German, but it was too difficult. Funny that someone who knows 3 languages would say anything was too hard.

I'm not sure I understand what you are saying here, but I will give it a go.

Ultimately words are just letters jumbled together. They only have meaning because we decided they have meaning. So it is all how you look at it. You can look at "Apple" and see a fruit. Or you can look at "Apple" and just see the letters A p p l e.

I can't see how a foreign speaker would say that if they are going to take classes in English. There are words specific to law that she may not understand. It is really a bad idea to ignore English. It will only hurt her down the road.

I can say that it only takes a few weeks to develop a new accent. I have developed a sort of Brooklyn accent from 2 months on New York. It is pretty funny. Can't wait to take it back home and hear what people think haha.

I believe that it is ok to do on occasion in formal writing. People seem to think that it is incorrect to start a sentence with And or But. However, it is actually not incorrect.

I have yet to go to the library in my new neighborhood. My old neighborhood didn't have much in the way of foreign language books. The are didn't have many non native english speakers, so it wasn't necessary.

I use Spanish Dictionary app to look up words. Every day, they send you a word of the day. This has helped me stay sharp and even learn a few new words.

Even as a native speaker, there are things that I don;t know. I have learned a few rules and tricks about English from reading these comments that I never learned in school.

F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of my favorites for a few reasons. Firstly, I of course love The Great Gatsby. It is one of the most brilliantly written novels ever.

Secondly, I am fascinated by his tragic personal life. The man died thinking he was a failure because Gatsby was not popular until 20 years down the line after he had already passed.

My favorite short story is the "Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe. It was the first horror story I ever read. It was so creepy to read it out lout in my 7th grade english class.

In my english class, we read "The Canterbury Tales". Well, truthfully we only read some of the stories. I enjoyed them, though some of the tales were more interesting than others.

Hmm, that is an interesting way to learn English. I imagine that comics would be an awesome resource for young non-native speakers. It doesn't matter how many years pass, kids still love Spiderman, Superman, and Batman.

What is the first novel you read in english. I am not talking about a Dr. Seuss book, I am talking about a full length novel.

For me, it was Charlotte's Web when I was very young. My dad helped me read through it.

This sounds fun! Is this available on Apple devices? I am always looking for something to pass the time.

I am an iPhone owner, so this confuses me. Do Android devices not automatically have a spell checker on them. I can't see this being useful unless there isn't already a spell checker on the device.

Hello, welcome to the forums. I'm sure you will have lots of great contributions. How far along are you with your Korean studies?