IDIOMS RELATED TO COMMUNICATION AND THE MEDIA

How are you today?

I felt like writing about some typical idioms in English and on this post, specifically, there are idioms related to communication and the media. I hope you like them.

1. TO BE A BIG MOUTH: Someone is a big mouth when they say things they should not.

2. COME CLEAN (ABOUT sth): It means telling the truth about something that you have kept secret

3. GET/ CATCH sb’s DRIFT: Understand the basic meaning

4. GET THE WRONG END OF THE STICK: Understand something completely wrong

5. HEAR sth ON/THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE: The way in which information spreads quickly from one person to another through conversation

6. KEEP sb POSTED: Regularly give someone information about something they are interested in, how a situation is changing or developing

7. LAY/ PUT YOUR CARDS ON THE TABLE: tell people exactly what you are thinking or what you are intending to do

8. SPEAK VOLUMES: to provide a lot of information in an indirect way.

Which one is your favourite? Comment below.

In case you need an example just to see the context in which the idiom is used, visit: http://www.macmillandictionary.com/

A new language, a new world

It’s just amazing how many people want to learn English nowadays for different reasons: jobs prospects, as an education requirement, living in an English-speaking country… The reasons are various. Personally, learning English has been an important aspect of my life because it made me appreciate languages in general and see how important they are.

My mother tongue is Portuguese, then, I moved to Spain and learnt both Spanish and Catalan, which are the co-official languages in the area I live in the country. We studied English at school, however, I wanted to go to a language school so that I could learn more and develop my skills. It turned out quite well, otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to write this post… I definitely fell in love with English and I wanted to learn another language, so I chose German due to the origin that both languages shared. Not to mention that it was a requirement to pursue future studies since in Spain you need to have an upper-intermediate certificate of a foreign language in order to get your university diploma.

Learning a new language also shaped the career I want to be involved in: Translation and Interpretation. I’m not telling you this just owing to my interest in languages, also, I definitely think a new language, a new way of communicating with other people, will enrich you so much. Therefore, don’t give up learning a new language since you will feel so fulfilled when you achieve speaking and writing it fluently. I wanted to give up German but I didn’t eventually, and I’m incredibly happy!. So, whatever language you are trying to learn, please don’t quit and do the best you can to command it. It’s a process that requires a great deal of determination and effort just like working out at the gym.

Use of prepositions

These are some general rules for the proper use of prepositions.

Prepositions at, in and on are used in expressions of time:

at 4.30, at Christmas, at night, on Monday, on 4th July, on Jane’s birthday, in the morning/afternoon/evening, in April, in 1982, in (the) spring, winter…

and in some expressions of place:

at home, at 16 Queen Street, in New York, in Asia, on the beach

2. Both arrive in and arrive at are correct, but not arrive to

3. Some adjectives and nouns have their own preposition and it cannot be changed by another one:

attitude towards, aware of, capable of, confident of, crowded with, difficulty in, envious/jealous of, fed up with, intention of, interested in, result of, solution to, suspicious of, surprised at, typical of…

4. The same thing happens to some verbs:

accuse someone of, apologise for, blame someone for, concentrate on, congratulate someone on, depend on, forgive someone for, insist on, object to (+ ing), prevent someone/something from, succeed in, thank someone for…

5. After a preposition the -ing form is used:

She succeeded in passing her examinations.

Inside out: Just spectacular!

Pixar’s Inside Out is breathtaking. Not only is it funny and extremely touching but also it is sophistically intelligent. Who wondered that our mind was so complex, controlled by humorous characters like Anger, Sadness or Joy, and had such fantastic places such as an imaginary Hollywood that instead of producing movies, produces our own dreams? All this and more can be found on Inside Out.

Pete Docter both writer and director of this 3D animation has impressed many viewers with the story about a girl, Riley, who has feelings in accordance with they way Joy, Anger, Sadness, Fear or Disgust acts. She will have to face moments that some of us have probably lived in our lives like moving to a new place, making new friends, getting used to new things… Her emotions try to make these changes become positive memories but something gets out of hand and they will have to solve some problems so that everything can be the way it was.

The movie grossed 856,1 million dollars approximately and it’s no wonder. So if you have free time to watch a movie and you don’t know which one, don’t even hesitate and watch Inside Out. You’ll get carried away with this exciting and tender story.

Kudos to you if you’re reading this.

The word kudos [ˈkjuːdɒs], kudo in singular, comes from the Ancient Greek κῦδος. It means acclaim or praise.

This word is used as an expression to congratulate people for their achievements.

You’ve done such an extraordinary work, kudos to you!

Inverted conditionals (formal conditional structures)

You probably know the usual 1st 2nd and 3rd type conditional structures. However, there are other conditional forms which are a little bit more formal and they would enhance your writing compositions and make them look way more advanced. These conditionals are called inverted conditionals.

The structures for inverted conditionals are the following ones:

FIRST CONDITIONAL: Should + Subject + Bare infinitive , Subject+ future simple (will)
SECOND CONDITIONAL: Were + Subject + Full infinitive, Subject + conditional simple
THIRD CONDITONAL: Had+ Subject + Past Participle, Subject + conditional perfect

There isn’t a structure for 0 conditional or mixed conditional.

Examples:

1st conditional:

If you study hard, you’ll pass

Shall you study hard, you’ll pass

2nd conditional:

If she was rich, she would buy a convertible.

Were she to be rich, she would buy a convertible.

3rd conditional:

If they had taken care of the baby, that wouldn’t have happened.

Had they taken care of the baby, that wouldn’t have happened.

THE 1913 CPE EXAM

Cambridge English Language Assessment or previously known as Cambridge Esol Examinations is recognised worldwide as many non-native English speakers take its exams so that they can test their English level. Certificate of Proficiency in English or CPE is the highest qualification offered. But how did things go the first time the candidates took CPE? I guess not so well…

In 1913, the university developed what would be the current CPE exam for foreign students who wanted to show their knowledge of English language. The exam had such a peculiar format then and it lasted twelve hours. The exam had the following tasks: Translation from English into French or German, Translation from French or German into English, and English Grammar, English Essay, English Literature, English Phonetics and an oral test which contained a dictation, an aloud reading and a conversation.

The exam was only taken by three candidates who all failed. Despite the failure, the candidates could speak English fluently but they were not awarded a certificate. A year later, another examination was held and five out of eighteen candidates passed the exam.

WELCOME TO ENGLISH ESSENCE!

Dear reader,

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