…Or else!

Sometimes you need to know only one word to find a situation hilarious.  In this case, it is  universally understood (and strategically placed, I should add) “Stop”.  When your students understand a joke in a foreign language, even as simple as this one, they are empowered by this sensation: the English language is no longer just a theoretical construct but rather a practical tool for communication and enjoyment.  Do not forget to have fun in the new language to nurture this feeling of joyful discovery!

Here is another one for you: have fun!

Our restrooms suck :)

Would you complain after this warning?

Very funny

Vocabulary notes:

1)   to suck means to be horrible.

2) “Deal with it” here means “Just accept it, there is nothing you can do to change the situation.”

And I thought you get these questions  only if you speak with an accent…  Turns out you get them if you “look with an accent”, too!

Do you understand what’s funny here?  If you do, enjoy the joke.  If you don’t, read on.

There is a tradition for children to write letters to Santa Claus asking for certain gifts.  Millions of boys and girls pour their heart and soul on the paper expecting a desired present in return.  There is a catch, however.  As one of the Christmas songs has it, Santa knows “who’s naughty and who’s nice” and that’s how he decides who gets gifts and what kind of gifts.  So this particular cat has no illusions as to what category he’s in: naughty!  He has been misbehaving this year and he wants to get right to the point and explain what went wrong. He’s not wasting Santa’s time!

My guess is his letter will also have phrases like “It wasn’t my fault…”, “I didn’t do it…”, “He started it…”, “I had no idea…”, “The bird was already dead…”  Can you think of other excuses a pussycat might make?  Please share.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

For many of us, immigrants and English as a second language speakers, Thanksgiving  is not just a holiday.  It is also a word that is very difficult to pronounce.   I struggled with it for quite a while and couldn’t pronounce it clearly enough.  Then I tried something that helped me and now I’m sharing this trick with you.  I hope it  helps you as well.

Here it is: the word consists of two parts “thanks” and “giving” since the idea of the holiday is “giving thanks” for everything good that we have in our lives.  So if you have a hard time pronouncing this word, try reversing the parts and pronouncing “giving thanks” a few times, at first slowly, then gradually increasing the speed.  Giving thanks, giving thanks, giving thanks….I bet after that, you’ll find it easier to pronounce “Thanksgiving”.

Please let me know if it helped.

By the way, did you know that this year, Butterball -the largest  producer of turkey in the country- announced a shortage of the juicy birds?  What happens if you don’t find a fresh turkey in your store?  Follow the advice of this turkey in the picture and eat ham!