Baburra

I think the best way would be to clear your mind first. I know I drift off whenever I am preoccupied before trying to listen or learn, so it probably helps if you are able to clear everything out in your mind first before your lesson. As for the types of programs to listen to, I believe that you should just find one that interests and appeals to you so you don't end up being bored, then just listen to it once over and you find that isn't enough then listen to it as many times over as you'd like, which is why it would help if you are actually interested in the content to begin with.

I think it's necessary just for the use of knowing when someone is cursing at you, but overall I don't think it's entirely necessary to learn as you could convey or express your thoughts just as well without them. I think it might be odd to only learn about the proper structure without learning a more modern or conversational way to speak, though.

I like these types of questions because they are fairly easy for me to answer. I prefer it much more than solving math equations, that's for sure. The only thing I dislike about these is sometimes having to go back and re-read the paragraph because I've missed or forgotten something, but in general I kind of enjoy it.

I chuckled at this one! I think I'd probably even make that mistake myself if I were in that type of mood or state, but well at least it's an amusing enough mistake and good for a laugh, and still fairly understandable. Also to be fair I heard that I think I'd be able to discern it much quicker than I would something more proper but a bit more confusing like xylophone.

This is so interesting, thanks for sharing. The one I was really surprised by was dude. I honestly never have thought about where that word came from but I guess now I have the answer. Although, I guess the meaning has slightly changed these days from what they were used for back in the day, but it still seems somewhat similar in some ways.

I think they should be in fiction section in general since they are not proven. Some may have a bit more credibility than others that just prefer to treat theories as fact, but it's still holy impractical to have to separate then all according to quality since there is no standard measure for it.

Sweating like a pig is one, which from what I understand is ironic because pigs don't sweat at all. I may be wrong though. My personal favorite, however, is crazy like a fox, and I don't understand it at all since I don't know what it is about foxes that are crazy, but I just like the way the phrase sounds in general.

I've tried this before but I didn't ask for payment because I'm not a professional. Instead I just tried to work out an agreement wherein I would be taught the native language of whomever I was teaching. Unfortunately, it's not that easy to do since there are scheduling conflicts left and right and the motivation is lacking if no money is being exchanged since you aren't pressured to take full advantage. It was very fun to make foreign friends though.

Psychological thrillers make for the best horror experience for me. I never really found gory films all that scary. It is scary to see a killer chase the victim, but I think it's way scarier if you don't even know who or what is chasing you. I find the unseen a lot more unsettling than the visible, but I suppose slasher movies have their merits as well.

I'm totally not against a cheesy story. I think it's good to allow ourselves to get engrossed in these types of stories once in a while, or risk becoming too cynical and jaded. I love reading about or watching inspirational stories, regardless if they are biographical or fictional. I find myself getting uplifted either way.

I think it should only be brought up if it would affect the story. Otherwise, in my opinion, it should be left out as much as possible as it would be better if the reader could identify more with a more universal trait than just his or her own race. Although, I do agree that it is always best to write what you know most about.

This has never happened to me before as I always have been conscious of the language I use, but for some of my foreign friends it happens from time to time, especially if we are all different nationalities in a room wherein they would be forced to speak in multiple languages alternately. It also sometimes takes them a while to choose which language to use when searching on Google which I always found amusing.

Backseat driver refers to someone who can't help himself or herself from meddling with the leaders' methods via instruction, as if he or she could do a better job at it, while never being able to prove it since he or she is not in a position to do so. My way or the highway is something a dictator would say to his or her subjects because it suggests that the only options available to the followers are either to follow and listen or else get out of the car and start walking on the road.

Just found a new one and thought this would be a more appropriate place to post it than starting a new thread. I'll be posting here as well as I find more. Anyway, on to my new discovery... I was curious about the term "pipe dream" which means to have a dream that will never bear fruit for one reason or another. so I looked it up and found out that it was used first back in the 19th century when opium was more prevalent, and apparently this idiom pertains to the dreams of a person when high on opium which I assume you use a pipe for.

Which English words do you find to have the weirdest spellings? My pick would be colonel, for example. Whenever I come across it, I can't help but mistakenly reading it as ko-lo-nel first before realizing it and correcting it, and this really does happen to me often as I always try and remind myself not to make the same mistake next time but it always does. It really makes me wish they would just correct it but of course I'm not too serious about that. Anyone else have some other examples?

I think movies are a great way to introduce audiences to the literature they are adapted from, and I've come across many but I'm looking for some lesser known ones. Of course the obvious and popular ones are movies like Harry Potter, To Kill a Mockingbird, but I'm sure there are lots more movies that people might not be aware of it coming from a book. Any suggestions? Also please share your opinion on which medium would be best to check out first on certain titles.

I am in favor of it because it enhances your experience in that country, meaning you wouldn't need to feel so much like a tourist and instead can immerse yourself as much as possible depending on how much you've learned. Though, I don't really consider it to be that much practical if you only plan on visiting the country once and only for a short time, since it takes years to study a language. It might be best to make an effort to learn the basics, though, just to be polite to the locals.

You're right. With the amount of free resources nowadays it's hardly practical to have to pay for it, especially since online resources even afford you the ability of accessing the lessons when you need it instead of having to follow a certain schedule that tv programming requires. Still, if it's just there along with the package you're already paying for then I guess that's a welcome added value.

I agree. The English language does tend to be a little bit expressive but I think that's a good thing, and also I think hyperboles exist in other languages as well. We have a similar one in our own language that translates to dying of starvation pertaining to when we are very hungry. I actually find it very whimsical and adorable whenever someone uses it.

I think Spanish is probably one of the easier languages to learn because the words aren't that hard to pronounce or memorize and for me it's especially easy to transition into it since my native language is fairly close to it. Also, having seen a lot of it being ingrained in American culture, I think a lot more people have grown to be familiar with it. Alternatively, I think English is also a bit easy to learn, though I might just be biased since I've been learning it for so long.

I started learning English and Chinese at around 5 years old, though English was more heavily focused on so it stuck with me a lot easier. These days I've already forgotten a good chunk of my Chinese vocabulary but since English is widely used I still am able to use it extensively and thus have only gotten better at it with time.

My teachers used to always correct us whenever we used "can" to ask for permission and always insisted that we use "may" instead, and I agree, because saying "can" connotes ability and you probably already have the ability to do so if you are asking permission and instead are merely just asking if you could be allowed to do so. For example, if you are going to ask if you could be allowed to go to the other room, you should say "May I go to the other room?" Instead of "Can I go to the other room?" Because you definitely can with your own two feet or you could even roll yourself there if you please, but the real question is if you would be permitted to do so.

I'd say one of the Arabic languages are probably very difficult to learn especially to those of us who use our own version of alphabet to spell out words, because if you had to learn their language then you'd have to start from scratch. I know Chinese is also different, but having grown up with it, I'm a bit biased in thinking that it's somewhat easy or at least somewhat similar to the English alphabet in some very subtle ways.

I think English should be taught to students from an early age, even if it's just the most basic. I know that some countries value their local culture very much and would rather keep English out or at a minimum, but il think these days it's a bit inescapable due to the internet, and the more people know about English, the more we could all talk with each other online and thus learn even more from one another exponentially.

I think English is still the most valuable language today. Even if Spanish is necessary for most jobs, I'd submit that English would be even more necessary for the deals made to make those jobs even exist. I'd also consider Chinese as somewhat being as important due to the sheer number of opportunities that could be opened up to you if you know how to speak it, not only in terms of employment but also in terms of trade and possibly export.