True English

An example of madlib?

Hi everyone,

Here's a pic displaying a list of expressions with to take and a list of expression with to get.

You may want to learn them by heart as these are expressions (ie you cannot change the verb or let's say you cannot translate from the French expression or chose by chance -except that there's sometimes an alternative, written in the pic)

(taken from EnglishIsFun)

Hi everyone,

Another pic taken from EnglishIsFun:

Hi everyone,

Short lesson of pronunciation (homophones):

Could be added:
- sheet / shit
- pear / pair
- bitch / beach / bit
- tail / tale
- bird / beard (for the French)

I don't understand...

Oh one of Muriel's beloved ones:

URL: https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=607926485893012&set=a.158139670871698.33824.139729956046003&type=1&theater

Hi everyone,

Some vocabulary for you to learn and practise in a rap song!

-> Learn ESL English Grammar TOEFL Vocabulary Rap Song Verb Infinitives with Fluency MC (3 mn 13 s)
Once again, take advantage of YouTube: from the right panel, you can get other records on simialr subject, meaning Learning English.

Thanks Monika and Fluency MC! Great to you!

Poor me indeed ....

(URL if unreadable: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=638398989506579&set=a.384715731541574.98999.384707561542391 )

Okay nice!

I had already read this but hadn't noticed "brethren": good to know and better late than never hey?

I checked in a dictionary and "brethren" is said "history, religion, humorous" so difficult to place in a daily conversation.
However, "siblings" is a common word...

Let's not forget...
- English language uses a plural when there are several persons even if one person has got one, hence "your minds".
French language doesn't follow the same logic: it needs the singular - here "votre cerveau" and would use a plural if there're several items per person - "leur chapeau", "leurs cheveux".
- similarly,
English language considers the plural begins beyond 1, hence 1 meter but 1,001 meters.
French language considers the plural begins from 2, hence "1 mètre, 1,001 mètre, 2 mètres".

Hi Gérard ! hi everyone !
"Put up your hands "when you speak to several people. The English language uses the plural whereas  in French they use the conceptual singular "Levez la main"

Hi Muriel,

I don't agree with your example.

> "Put up your hands "when you speak to several people.
If you are alone in front of several people, and if you raise one hand only, someone will say: "put up your hand!".
If several people are in front of people, raising one hand each, someone will say "put up your hands!".
The plural is not caused by the number of people in front but by the number of persons raising the hand.

~~ edit
> when you speak to several people
OK I misunderstood.
You're not speaking about someone making a speech in front of people... you're speaking about several people raising a hand...
You have to write "speaking about", not "speaking to".

Hi Gérard
I will try to express myself more clearly :  suppose i am addressing several people and asking them to put their hands up, I would say "please put your hands up"The English is concrete and expresses  the number of hands up. The French is more conceptual and translates that sentence into "Levez la main s'il vous plait" 
Note that the french doesn't use the possessive adjective either because he is so conceptual.
Thank you again for that example which made me use my grammar and check what I had forgotten.

Hi everyone,

As you probably know it, English is a weird language...

Thre're multiple sources of the language according to many invasions along history: many words were kept leading to pseudo-synonyms (never perfect synonyms though).
German has also two main roots.

Something strange in the English language is that in medecine, there're M. Doe's words and the words of doctors and nurses.

A few examples among the bones:
- shoulder blade for M. Doe / scapula for professionals
- collar bone / clavicle
- breastbone / sternum
- knee cap / patella
- skull / cranium
- etc.
M. Doe very rarely uses professional terms.
Could anyone explain to me why.

Regarding the bones above, there're no such couples in French.
But there're 2 series of words for sickness in French as well:
- (Fr) jaunisse / ictère // (En) jaundice
- (Fr) migraine / céphalée // (En) headache
- etc.
Weird isn't it?

As far as I know, the French know better the medical terms, the name of the bones, etc. the Brits usually don't know.

Hi everyone,

As I am at it, here are a few lines on the subject.

As I often write it here, if you want to be fluent at English, you must know the true language which is not what you learn in school books.

Today, I met 2 examples:

- reading an article written by James Cameron, I realized he used "mike". I guessed this was an Australian custom but Cameron is Canadian and also probably influenced by American English (due to his international career) - so, you must note this: "mike" is a shortcut for "microphone"

- watching an American film today, I heard something that I thought to be casual: no, it's not casual language as it was said by a witness to the police.
Like in French, in Am they say "five to" speaking about the time ("moins cinq") and not the complete schoolish expression "5 to 2".

That's it guys!

Hi guys,

Another thing I forgot to mention.

At school, I learn the word "noon" (Fr midi).
Strangely, though they tend to use the shortest words/expressions, I rather hear "12 midday". Strange, hey!

Do you confirm?

Hi everyone,

> protect yourself when behind the wheel.
Reading Protect your car tech privacy with these six simple tips, I got to think about writing a few words about wheel.

At school, you learned (Am spelling of the past) that the Fr volant was steering wheel, right?
This is just good at school in France or when you want to ask a policeman in London about your way to Piccadilly Circus or Trafalgar Square
You know and I often say it here, if you want to be fluent and speak with English speaking friends, you've to increase your level and learn casual/true language.

English speaking people do like short words. When in the context, you won't say steering wheel but simply wheel. Hence:
- to be at the wheel
- to take the wheel
- to get back behind the wheel
- to turn the wheel sharply
- etc.

Moreover, the word wheel will mean many things with wheels, for a car (Fr volant), for a boat (Fr barre - celle qui est ronde), for watches (old ones), for pottery (Fr tour), etc.
Other examples:
- are these your new wheels? = Fr c'est ta nouvelle bagnole ? (note the plural)
- have you got wheels? = Fr tu es motorisé ? (note the plural)
- to wheel a child in a pram = Fr promener un enfant dans sa poussette
- they wheeled me into the operating theater = Fr ils m'ont amené dans la salle d'opération sur un chariot (note the shorter En sentence)
- the birds wheeled over Marcel (in "Le château de ma mère" - Fr tournoyer)
- Left wheel! = Fr Demi-tour gauche !

Idioms:
- to wheel and deal magouiller[!]
- the wheel of fortune la roue de la fortune
- it's wheels within wheels l'affaire est plus compliquée qu'elle n'en a l'air
- to reinvent the wheel réinventer la roue
- to be fifth wheel US être la cinquième roue du carrosse
- (also to wheel in) wheel [sth] out, wheel out [sth] remettre [qch] sur le tapis [argument, story]; ressortir [excuse, statistics]

HTH

Thank you Gérard for these idioms. Here are some more.
The Wheel has come full circle (La boucle est bouclée)
It was hell on wheels (C'était l'enfer)
spokesmen were wheeled out to deny these rumours( on a fait venir des porte parole pour faire taire les rumeurs)

Hi everyone,

I need your help on that one.

Today I could read something that puzzled me.
Is it American lazyness? Is it a mistake?

Take a look at this -> Phone service without a landline: What’s easiest?
OK, it's a computing topic but that's not the point.
What puzzles me is What’s easiest?.
- why not What’s easier?
- why not What’s the easiest way? or - why not What’s the easiest?

I know American like simple sentences and tend to get rid of useless words; here "the" is not really usefull.
I guess it's the first time I meet this.

What d'you think? Are you surprised? Did you already meet this missing "the" in a superlative?
TA

gerardM a écrit: Did you already meet this missing "the" in a superlative?

Hi Gérard, everyone.
according to "La grammaire Anglaise de l'étudiant"there is no "the" when the superlative is used as an adverb. For instance : which do you like best ? or When they first met, he who laughs last laughs longest or with the expression : It is...to for instance It is wisest to wait.
What’s easiest?. easiest is an adverb isn't it ?

Muriel,

Thank you very much for teaching me this point of grammar.
Some expressions you wrote look familiar: however, I never notice till today  

Very good day!

Hi everyone,

Just a message posted on Facebook by my friend Susan:

Mushroom! I don't do wild simply because I don't know enough but oh for Alba Clamshell, Trumpet Royale, Forest Nameiko, Velvet Pioppini, Maiktakie Frondosa, Chanterelles, Lobster, Morels etc. Sometimes found in my local store.

Members interested in mushrooms will try to compare names.

Without a dictionary, I guess I'm recognizing Chanterelles, Morels.
I'm stunned by LObster which is a word I know in a completely different domain.
Trumpet thingy... it rings a bell.


Okay, after this minute writing, I can pick up my dictionary.

Hi everyone,

I don't know mushrooms well enough.
My dictionary is mute concerning the English names I read in Susan's message... The French part is better but as I know common mushrooms only, I don't get these strange English names.
I must ask Google which provides me with beautiful picture... but I don't recognize.

I'm hopeless!  

Hi everyone,

A few remarks to point out stuff I didn't know (maybe didn't you either):

- if, in French, we have a single way to write etc. ("et caetera" is really snobbish), English offers several:
--- etc
--- etcetera
--- et cetera
Pls note there's no "a" (Fr et caetera)
- unlike French, English doesn't place "." after etc

- etceteras (plural) exists: ir is translated by "extras" into French

- informally "et al" is a common expression standing for the Latin "et alii" - translations into French: "et le reste, et autres, et tutti quanti".

HTH