Wil's World of Words

Using the London Underground

Wil — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:17:29 +0000

I was discussing getting around London with some of my students last week and they all said they found it a little difficult when they first came here. To help them, I put together a little lesson on how to use the London Underground and I decided to share it.

If you are planning on visiting London or just interested in practising vocabulary to use on the subway, you can find it in the Free English Resources section of my website. I hope you find it useful.

Today’s image is by Christa Richert.

Words in the news: blood diamonds

Wil — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 04:26:33 +0000

I read a lot in the news about Naomi Campbell. She seemed to be in all the newspapers after her recent appearance in court. She was connected with an interesting piece of vocabulary.

The diamonds she was allegedly given as a present can be called ‘blood diamonds‘. ‘Blood diamonds‘ are diamonds that have been mined in a war zone and used to pay for equipment for the invading army.

English words in the news: moonshine

Wil — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 04:00:37 +0000

If you like a drink but don’t like paying tax, you might like this English word – ‘Moonshine‘ is an alcoholic drink made illegally at home. It is distilled and often contains more alcohol than hard liquor.

Moonshine is most commonly associated with America during the 1920s and early 1930s but this article on the BBC News website says it is becoming more common again nowadays.

The other interesting words I spotted in the article are ‘hipster‘ (a person who is keenly interested in the latest trends or fashions) and ‘booze‘ (a casual word for alcoholic drinks).

Today’s image is by Andrew Beierle.

English expressions and idioms with ‘beach’

Wil — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:05:07 +0000

life’s a beach
Meaning: life is good or easy
Example: I won the lottery last week and now life’s a beach for me

a beach bum
Meaning: someone who spends a lot of time at the beach (usually negative)
Example: He’s always surfing instead of doing his homework – what a beach bum!

not the only pebble on the beach
Meaning: not the only important person in a place or situation
Example: She’s a manager now but she’ll have to remember that she’s not the only pebble on this beach – there are lots of other managers in the company

take sand to the beach
Meaning: a pointless activity
Example: She has so much perfume, buying her another bottle would be like taking sand to the beach

English words in the news: marksman

Wil — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 19:33:43 +0000

A marksman is an person who is good at shooting. In this article on the BBC News website, we can see the word in context.

Marksmen are searching empty buildings, woods and fields in and around a town in north-east England in the hunt for suspected gunman Raoul Moat.

Let’s hope they can arrest him without needing to shoot.

39th English vocabulary quiz

Wil — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 04:00:07 +0000

I’ve got that Friday feeling. I’m looking forward to a great weekend and some really fun classes.

Before the weekend starts, it’s time for a quiz. Remember to let me know how you got on using the comments section at the bottom.

Have a great weekend!

39th English vocabulary quiz:

English picture idioms: to be all ears

Wil — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 04:00:11 +0000

to be all ears

Meaning: to be listening carefully / paying attention

Example: Please explain why this product would be useful to me. I’m all ears.

Many thanks to Brillo for today’s illustration.