WORD of the Day. Floccinaucinihilipilification. Is that REALLY a word...?

Yes, it's a word, one of the longest in the English language.

What does it mean?

It means something that is valueless, or of no value.

What is floccinaucinihilipilification's etymology (word origin or meaning) of the word?

Well, here I refer to www.dictionary.com, a great website for learning new words:

"Origin

Floccinaucinihilipilification is a combination of the Latin words floccī+naucī+nihilī+pilīeach of which refer to something of little or no value. These terms appeared next to one another in a widely used textbook called The Eton Latin Grammar, and were combined in this facetious construction, which is first attested in the 1700s."

5 more (American) IDIOMS and their Origins.

Idioms are the heart of languages because they are expressive and reveal the nature of the people who speak the language.

Here are five of my favorite IDIOMS in English:

• "Close but no Cigar":  This idiom means that you've almost accomplished something or guessed something.  

Example:
--"Where are you from?" 
--"Guess!"
--"England?"
--"Close but no cigar...I'm from the United States."

Origins:  This expression is from the end of the 19th century when fairs were very popular.  Kids and their parents would go to play games and win prizes, except back in those days, the prizes weren't stuffed animals (as is the case today.)  Rather than giving a prize to the kids, the carnival workers would give the parents a cigar.  Thus the expression was born when somebody almost won the prize: a cigar!

• "A New York Minute": This idiom means a minute that passes very quickly!

Example:
--"When will you arrive?...I've been waiting for a half-hour!"
--"Don't worry...I'm on my way...I'll be there in a  New York minute."

Origin:  Obviously this idiom lends itself to the fast-paced atmosphere and life style of New York City.

• "In the Same Boat":  This idiom means that we're all in the same situation or facing the same challenges. It's a great idiom to express solidarity.

Example:

--"Have you finished your evaluations yet?"

--"No,...I have to write 207, and I've only written 24!"

--"Oh my goodness!  Well, I'm in the same boat...I have to write 150, and I've only finished 4!"

Origin: As I'm sure you know, this expression owes itself to traveling by boat upon dangerous open seas and oceans.  In the old days, people traveled by boat instead of planes, so this expression was born then. 

• "Backseat Driver":  This idiom is funny...It describes a person who, as a passenger in a car, tells the driver exactly what to do and when.  These people are annoying!

Example:

--"Don't drive so fast!"

--"You're going to hit the wall if you don't turn sharply right now!"

--"You have to turn wider around the corners otherwise you'll get in an accident!"

--"Please!  Enough of being the backseat driver!"

Origin:  This expression's origins are fairly obvious.  A person who isn't in the driving seat is usually riding shotgun (in the front) or he or she is in the backseat.

• "Bite my Tongue": To try very hard NOT to talk or say something explosive or rude.

Example:

--"Here are the final drafts...I spent the last two weeks working on this.  Isn't it great?"

--"Well, actually, I don't like the fact that there are no videos of monuments, just of the children."

--"Well, I think the children are more important than the monuments."

--"Well, I don't.  Do it over, now!"

--(Thinking: I have to bite my tongue...otherwise I will get in trouble with my boss!")

Origin: As with in the same boat, bite my tongue's origins are fairly obvious.  A synonym, hold your tongue, expresses the same idea: Don't speak!

I hope you like these expressions as much as I do...You will sound like a native speaker!

Gerund, Infinitive or EITHER?

I wrote a post about this topic two years ago, but I didn't use examples.  Here you will find examples for each verb.

In English when we use two verbs together, the second must be an infinitive, a gerund or sometimes, we can use either an infinitive or gerund.

But, wait!...What IS a gerund?

A gerund is a verb+ing.  (walking, going, doing, seeing...)

And WHAT is an infinitive?

An infinitive is to+the simple verb. (to walk, to go, to do, to see...)

And what about using both with the same verb? 

Like is an example of a verb in which you can use either the infinitive or the gerund:

Ex. She likes to swim at night.
OR
Ex. She likes swimming at night.

Remember: You can never have two simple verbs next to one another (like go).  You must have either (like going) or (like to go).

Ex. I like go going to the beach on the weekends.
Ex. I like go to go to the beach on the weekends.

Here is a short list of verbs that you can ONLY use with GERUNDS...

• don't mind: My Dad doesn't mind ironing; in fact, he likes it!
• enjoy: He enjoys staying home and watching a movie on Friday nights.
• keep: Keep going until you reach the stop sign, and then turn left!
• miss:  I miss watching the sunset in San Diego.
• practice:  We practice playing the piano on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
• recommend: She recommends going to bed early.
• understand: They understood quitting early, as it was the only option.

Here is a short list of verbs that you can ONLY use with INFINITIVES...

• agree: He wouldn't agree to work under our conditions.
• choose: She chose to do the right thing.
• decide: My sister decided to study Economics.
• learn: My students learned to speak English very well.
• need: I need to buy more laundry detergent.
• promise: He promised to buy more laundry detergent, but then forgot!
• want: I want to wash my clothes.

Here is a short list of verbs that you can use with BOTH GERUNDS & INFINITIVES:

• can't stand: I can't stand leaving/to leave work late.
• continue: The little boy continued to talk/talking during the entire class.
• like: I like to swim/swimming at the cliffs.
• love: I love to get/getting a massage.
• neglect: Her daughter neglected to warn/warning her of the new rules.
• prefer: I prefer to walk/walking instead of driving.
• propose: The teacher proposed to do/doing a project instead of reading the textbook.

Now, remember: after practicing all of these expressions over and over, it will become easier, but in the meantime, use this list as a reference.

How to write GOOD...(shouldn't that be well...?!)

DEAR READERS,

This is a joke, so don't take any notes.  Of course, you all know, first of all...we don't say "how to write GOOD..."  We say "how to write WELL."  This is the difference between an adjective (GOOD) and an adverb (WELL)...which I will explain in detail at a later post.

For now, if you don't get the jokes, don't worry, just leave a comment or ask a native English speaking friend.

Native Speakers: You should get this!

HOW TO WRITE GOOD

1. Avoid alliteration. Always.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. Avoid clichés like the plague. (They're an old hat.)
4. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
5. One should never generalize.
6. Comparisons are as bad as clichés.
7. Be more or less specific.
8. Sentence fragments?  Eliminate.
9. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
10. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
11. Who needs rhetorical questions?

Taken from the metapicture.com.

When do I use DO/DOES/DID? (Continued...making NEGATIVE statements)

In a previous post I reviewed using DO/DOES/DID in questions, and here, we will take a look at using this auxiliary verb in negative statements.

Again, remember that the structure of questions and statements in English vary depending on the verb.  Verbs are divided into two categories:

1. to be
2. ALL other verbs 

If the verb is (to be), then the grammatical structure will be different. If the verb is any other verb except (to be), then we use DO/DOES/DID as the helping or auxiliary verb.  Let's take a closer look at ALL other verbs in the negative:

Remember!  do+not=don't / does+not=doesn't / did+not=didn't

PRESENT: NEGATIVE USING DO & DOES.

I/You/We/They (DO)

I do not (don't) like vegetables.
You do not (don't) get up early.
We do not (don't) leave work early!
They do not (don't) play soccer on the weekend.

He/She/It (DOES)

He does not (doesn't) listen during class.
She does not (doesn't) get her nails done.
It does not (doesn't) work.

PAST: NEGATIVE USING DID.

I/You/He/She/It/We/They (DID) (Can't you see how easy English is!  ...It's all the same conjugation in the past!)

I did not (didn't) go to school today.
You did not (didn't) do your homework.
He did not (didn't) win the soccer game.
She did not (didn't) celebrate the victory!
It did not (didn't) work out...
We did not (didn't) remember to buy olives.
They did not (didn't) take the test.

Remember!  We use the simple verb (go, be, do, take, walk...) rather than the past tense verb when making statements.  Take a look at these examples:

I didn't went to the movies last night.
I didn't GO (simple verb) to the movies last night.

She didn't liked her old job.
She didn't LIKE (simple verb) her old job.

I tell my students that the "ED" is already found in "DID.  Or in other words, we already know it is in the past because we have the auxiliary "DID".  We then, don't need another verb in the past tense.  This is a bit confusing...but with practice, it becomes second nature ;)

The PAST PERFECT: The past before the past.

The past perfect grammar structure is as follows:

HAD + past participle

Remember:  Regular verbs have the same past participle as the past tense:
        Ex. walk/walked/walked, talk/talked/talked, create/created/created
                     Irregular verbs have a different past participle than their past tense:
        Ex. go/went/gone, do/did/done, eat/ate/eaten

We use the past perfect to express an action that happened in the past before another action that happened in the past.  Imagine the two events happening in time:

Alice broke up with her boyfriend Christopher.
Alice kissed Mason.

Isn't it important to know which happened first?  Let's imagine both scenarios and the implications using the past perfect:

        Alice had kissed Mason before she broke up with Christopher.  (Alice cheated on her boyfriend.)

        Alice had broken up with her boyfriend Christopher before she kissed Mason.  (Alice did not cheat on her boyfriend.)

The past perfect can clarify the order of events in the past tense.  This is why we use this grammar structure.

5 More (American) Idioms in Numbers

On second thoughts

• Meaning: After thinking about something, I've made a different decision
• Synonym: to change one's mind
• Example: "On second thoughts, I will join you after dinner tonight at the movies because I don't have to work early tomorrow.

Sixth sense

• Meaning: A keen intuitive perception or insight, an extension of the five senses.
• Synonym: instinct, "I've got the feeling that..."
• Example: "My sixth sense tells me that she wasn't upset about her grade...I think she was upset about something else..."

The whole nine yards

• Meaning: everything, all of it
• Synonym: the works
• Example: "We received the best of treatment on our business trip to New York, a driver, expensive restaurants and theatre tickets, the whole nine yards!

Twenty-four seven (24-7)

• Meaning: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• Synonym: day and night
• Example: Denny's all around the United States are open 24/7

Two-faced

• Meaning: Somebody who says or does one thing, but then says the opposite to someone else, untrustworthy, deceiving. 
• Synonym:double dealing
• Example: She's a two-faced woman.  She told you one thing, and then turned around and lied to my face!