Litnax

I've read somewhere that 'learnt’ is more common in British English, and ‘learned’ in American English. So does that mean American English rarely use 'learnt' in writing?  :confused:

When I first learned Hiragana, it was fun. Then came Katakana, still fun. When I finally got to Kanji, I gave up  :cry:

Definitely grammar. I don't think I'll ever master it 100%.

Rhonda Byrne's "The Secret" and its sequels. The way she interpreted the Law of Attraction was so ridiculous that I couldn't believe that people actually believe this woman and keep buying her books.  :doubtful:

Nancy Drew 

As an adult, I still haven't find my favorite character(s), so Nancy Drew is still the one.

These two words always confuse me...  :confused:

Allusion - an indirect or casual reference.

Illusion - false idea or image.

How about: „I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse" from Godfather

Good one! I love The Godfather films 

I think it would an uphill task for Chinese to replace English has the international language. English is already deeply rooted in many societies and most businesses. While Chinese is the most spoken language, that is only because China is the most populous country.

I second this  :nerd:

I just don't see how Chinese could topple English as the most widely spoken language.  :confused:

Hi Litnax,

I think the book review is perfect! I didn't notice any awkward sentences or incorrect grammar. The only thing in your overall post I would maybe change, is I think you would say "on a site", not "in a site". I hope this helps you. I plan to check back to this thread sometimes and try to help, so please feel free to post anything else you want to have checked over by a native speaker!

Thank you so much  I'm glad that my first attempt to write a review in present tense is error-free.

"On a site" - got it. It was pretty confusing to me whether to use 'on' or 'in'.

Coffee break - a break from work to rest and drink coffee or tea

A cream puff - a person who is easily influenced or beaten

Cut the mustard - to succeed, to do adequately what needs to be done

And my favorite 

Done to a T - to be cooked just right

Shortcuts - always  I'm a slow 'texter' and if I used proper words, my sister and friends would always tease me 

I'm comfortable with both UK and US variations.

We used British English system in our education and are exposed to US English everyday through media (Hollywood, MTVs and the like  ).

All I need to be mind of is to use only one version in formal writings, although UK version is much preferred here in my country.

Hi all. Below is an excerpt of a book review that I intend to post in a site. I used present tense instead of past tense, so I'm hoping that native speaker members can look at it and tell me if it's good and free of grammar mistakes/awkward sentences.  :shy: (Oh and feel free to correct my post)

"I think Shaw successfully portrays Lily as more than your typical middle-aged wife in a life crisis, showing her to be a woman who is fighting her own demons mentally and physically. James, too, is not your typical charming man, as he comes across as a man who genuinely cares for Lily and seems to have a secret of his own."

Slang is a part of daily communication, part of your identity (it can show your culture, family background, your type of friends). For me, it is an easier, relaxing way to communicate with people you close with. Of course, slang won't be appropriate for formal situations. It's a matter of when to use it.

Thanks for sharing. Obviously a lot of hard work has been into this. Site still looks in its early phase though. Hopefully it will improve 

Interesting - those unimportant words won't last long. Belfie... ridiculous  :confused:

Confucius, the Chinese teacher and philosopher, had many good ones, but my favourite is:

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."

One of the best quotes out there 

Wow thanks for sharing.

Used to be a non-speaker and that was how English sounded to me  This brings back some funny memories  :grin:

"Man proposes, God disposes." is an example of a/an _____.

a) hypothesis

synthesis

c) antithesis

d) thesis

My first thought was antithesis but it might be hypothesis.

I always like Hope and Faith (but these are pretty common though).

Of course, look at actors! Some of them nail it perfectly to the point where you can't tell what their native language really is. A good example I know of is Hugh Laurie (Dr House from House MD). He's actually British

Many non-American actors easily nail the American accent 

Definitely Charles Dickens's Christmas Carol.  :santa:

I'm also a fan of Anne Rice's works - Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, Blackwood Farm and many more.  :emo:

:amazed: Wow...

And I thought it was just a recent internet slang. I never would have guess that Miley Cyrus would be mentioned in linguaholic.

I think I've heard this one before when I was a kid  :grin:

This old karaoke video is just too funny  Too much drama.

Sometimes. When I read and find a word that I don't know I would use the dictionary online (which is much more convenient and fast). I don't like to wait to know what certain words mean, drives me crazy  :grin: