Observations on the world, language, music, technology, communication, culture, and life.
I wrote this post to share a 4 page document on talking about the future. There are many ways to talk about the future in English depending on the purpose. In this document I give reasons for using the following forms, with examples of positive and negative sentences, and questions.
Continue reading “Talking about the future in English”
This blog post is for sharing a short video about six words which have different meanings in Australian and American English. Enjoy!
Continue reading to see the video on YouTube and a transcript of the video.
Continue reading “Australian and American English – 6 Confusing Words”
Here is a video about how Australia got its name and why it is called Down Under.
Continue reading “Where did Australia get its name? (Video)”
This article is a summary of vocabulary I have taught on the topic of smart phones.
A mobile phone a telephone with access to a cellular network system so it can be used over a wide area, without a physical connection to a network. Before mobile phones there were land-line phones. In Australia we call it a “mobile” and in America they call them cell-phones.
A smart phone is a mobile phone that performs many of the functions of a computer, typically having a touchscreen interface, Internet access, camera, and an operating system capable of running downloaded apps (programs downloaded from the Apple iStore or Google Play). A user needs to find a service provider and a plan of which there are many kinds – prepaid, SIM Only, or a monthly plan. Often there is a contract which includes the purchase of the phone.
The main service providers in Australia are Telstra, Optus, Virgin and Vodaphone . Do you use another provider? Let me know in the comments.
What do you call smart phone in other languages? keita-denwa (Japanese), handphone 핸드폰 Handeupon (Korean), teléfono móvil (Spanish), cellular (Portuguese).
The name Australia comes from the Latin word Australis which means Southern.
As far back as the 2nd century there were legends of an unknown southern land – Terra Australis Incognita (Latin). It was believed there had to be a large land mass in the south to balance the Northern land mass of Europe.
Are you a fan of Aussie Rules? Do you follow the “footy”?
I showed the following video to my class to help them understand the rules. Try the quick quiz after the video then look at the attached worksheet and answers to learn more.
Continue reading “What is Australian (Aussie) Rules Football?”
I teach English to overseas students, and I prepared this article to explain the many kinds of nouns. Native English speakers should also find this article interesting.
