15 Great English Phrases For Valentine's Day

Hello everyone!

It's actually been a few months since my last post on this site, but I do have a good excuse. I've been trying to move Sitzman ABC to a different internet domain, but it's taken a lot more time than I imagined. When that is finished, I'll tell you, but I wanted to let everyone know I'm still alive by writing this post today.

Today is Valentine's Day. Love it or hate it, it's a very well-known holiday in many parts of the world. So I decided to talk about 5 good phrases that you can use today, even if you're not romantic.

1. to flirt

The verb "flirt" means to talk romantically to a person that you're interested in. It could be to start a relationship, or it could just be for fun. Sometimes this action is also called "hitting on." Note that "to hit on" is very different from "to hit"! For example, you can say:

"Tony got in trouble with his girlfriend Jenny last night. Jenny saw him talking to Sally, and Jenny thought he was flirting with her."

OR

"Maria doesn't like to go to bars because guys always try to hit on her, even when she's not interested in them."

2. to date, to go out, to ask out

The verb "date" indicates that two people are in a relationship. It usually indicates a longer period of time:

"Tommy and Gina have been dating (each other) for about a year."

"Date" can also be a noun, as in: 

"Tommy and Gina are going on a date tonight."

A very similar phrase is "to go out," as in: 

"Tommy and Gina are going out."

Finally, "to ask (out)" means that one person asks another to go on a romantic date, or to an event like a dance:

"Tommy met Gina at the gym. She was flirting with him, so he asked her out on a date."

3. to be in love

This phrase is usually used when two people love each other. For example:

"Romeo and Juliet just met each other last week, but they both already say they're in love."

If you start to love a person, you "fall in love." Fall is an irregular verb, conjugated fall-fell-fallen. If people fall in love immediately, it's called "love at first sight":

"Romeo and Juliet fell in love immediately. It was love at first sight."

OR 

"I don't really believe in love at first sight. I think people need to spend time together before falling in love."

If the romantic relationship is very short, not very serious, or immature for some reason, it's sometimes called "puppy love" (a puppy is a baby dog). For example, you can say:

"Romeo and Juliet say they're in love, but I think it's just puppy love. Both of them fall in love with new people all the time, so I don't think it's serious."

4. to break up, to dump

Sometimes love doesn't last forever. When that happens, here are some phrases to use when a relationship ends. If both people decide to stop the relationship, you can say that they "broke up" ("broke" is the past form of "break"):

"Did you hear the news? Melissa and her boyfriend John broke up last week."

However, if only one person makes the decision, you can say that he or she "dumped" the other person. With this phrase, one person dumps, the other person gets dumped. Note: "dump" is also a verb used with trash, so be careful using this phrase around a person with a broken heart! 

"Did you hear the news? John got dumped last week! Melissa said she saw him hitting on a girl in the park, so she dumped him!"

Well, that's a lot of vocabulary to remember, so let's list the words one more time just to review.

Can you explain what each of these phrases means and give an example of how to use them?

-love it or hate it

-to flirt (with someone)

-to hit on (someone)

-to be interested in (someone)

-to date, to be dating

-to go on a date

-to go out

-to ask (someone) out

-to be in love (with)

-to fall in love

-love at first sight

-puppy love

-to break up

-to dump

-to get/be dumped

That's all for today. If you're in a relationship, then have a happy Valentine's Day. If not, then you may enjoy this Queen song (turn the volume all the way up before starting the video):

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

Common Error: "Earn," "Win," and "Beat"

Good afternoon, and welcome again to Mistake Monday! I've been busy traveling the last few months, but I'm back in Costa Rica now, so I'll try to update the blog more frequently again. Today I want to look at another Common Error. If you're not sure what kinds of errors I'm talking about, look here for a list of previous errors we've looked at on the blog.

Monopoly (or "Monopolio," as it's called here in Costa Rica) is one of my favorite board games. I don't always win, but I often am able to beat my opponents by buying as many properties as possible. (Photo by Ryan Sitzman)

Today's error is found often when talking about sports or other types of contests. It's also confusing for Spanish speakers because one Spanish word (ganar) can mean all three of the English words. Let's have a closer look:

Common Error: Earn, Win, and Beat
DON’T say this:	"She wins a lot of money in her job." "Saprissa won La Liga in last night's soccer game."
WHY?	-Earn refers to the money a person receives for doing work or a job. For example, you can say: "Pablo earns 5,000 Colones per hour working for the phone company." "I'd like a job where I can earn enough money to support my family." In most cases, you can also use the word make instead of earn. ("Pablo makes 5,000 Colones..."). -Win (past tense: won) means that one person or team defeats or conquers another person or team. The opposite is lose (past tense: lost). When you use these words, you usually mention the competition or contest, but not the opponent: "Jenny was the winner of the poker tournament. She won $50,000!" "Spain won the World Cup in 2010." The team with the highest score is the winner, and the team with the lowest score is the loser. Also, you can win a contest or competition unexpectedly (like the lottery or a raffle, for example): "I hope I win a free car in the supermarket raffle!" -Beat: Finally, beat is similar to win, but it's used a little differently in a sentence. You have to indicate both the winner and the loser (opponent) when you use the word beat: "Terry beat Tommy in the video game, but Tommy beat Terry playing soccer."
INSTEAD, SAY THIS:	-"She earns a lot of money in her job." -"Saprissa beat La Liga in last night's soccer game." OR -"Saprissa won last night's soccer game."

Hopefully you understand. If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment or contact me. Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

False Friend: Groserías vs. Groceries

Good evening, and welcome to Word Wednesday! Today we'll look at another False Friend. If you're not sure what a False Friend is, check out this post (and go here for a list of the False Friends we've already talked about). Today we'll look at the difference between groserías in Spanish and groceries in English. 

This is our refrigerator right now. I'd say it's about time we bought some groceries!

False Friend: groserías vs. groceries
This SPANISH word...	Looks like this ENGLISH word...	...but they are DIFFERENT because...
groserías	groceries	In Spanish, groserías are bad words: "No me digas groserías!" ("Don't say bad words to me!") In English, groceries is a word that refers to all the food you buy at a store or supermarket: "We're almost out of milk, and we need to buy more pasta, also. Let's go to the store to buy some groceries." Notice also that the "c" in "groceries" is pronounced like an "sh," like in the word "she," at least in American English.

This is pretty easy to remember, and it's not that commonly confused --but when it is, it's pretty funny! Now that I think about it, I'll have to do a series on bad words in English and Spanish, since there are some that are very similar, but they're less serious or offensive in one language or the other. So stay tuned for that!

In the meantime, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for other False Friends or Common Errors, please tell me.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

False Friend: Terrorífico vs. Terrific

Hello! I've been pretty busy lately, so instead of a (longer) Common Error post, I decided to do a False Friend post today (especially since we talked about this word in my class this evening). If you're not sure what a False Friend is, check out this post. Today we'll look at the difference between terrorífico in Spanish and terrific in English. 

Is this clown terrific or terrorífico? I guess it depends on your point of view, but read on to find out the difference between these two words (they're very different)! Image by Graeme Maclean via Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.

False Friend: terrorífico vs. terrific
This SPANISH word...	Looks like this ENGLISH word...	...but they are DIFFERENT because...
terrorífico	terrific	In Spanish, something that is terrorífico is very scary; the English equivalent is terrifying: "La foto del payazo es terrorífica!" ("The photo of the clown is terrifying!") In English, terrific is a synonym for words like excellent, wonderful, or amazing: "I had a terrific time on my vacation. I can't wait to show you the pictures I took!"

So, I think this is pretty easy. Just remember that "terrorífico" and "terrifying" are bad, and "terrific" is good!

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for other False Friends or Common Errors, please tell me.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

False Friend: Colegio vs. College

A hallway at a colegio (high school) in San José, Costa Rica.
(Picture by Ryan Sitzman)

Hello! It's been a long time since we had a False Friend, so let's look at another one today. If you're not sure what a False Friend is, check out this post. Today we'll look at the difference between colegio in Spanish and college in English. 

False Friend: colegio vs. college
This SPANISH word...	Looks like this ENGLISH word...	...but they are DIFFERENT because...
colegio	college	In Spanish, a colegio is like a high school in English: "Ella va a un colegio bilingüe." ("She goes to a bilingual high school.") In English, college is basically the same thing as a university (apparently there's a difference in Britain and Canada, but in my experience in the US, the two were  essentially the same): "Most people in Costa Rica graduate from high school when they're between the ages of 17 and 19. After graduation, some of them go to college, and others get jobs right away."

So, it's pretty easy to tell the difference between these two words, right? Just remember, college=university. For our next False Friend I think we'll talk about the differences between a bachelor, a Bachelor's degree, and a bachillerato in Spanish. 

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for other False Friends or Common Errors, please tell me.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

Senses: Final Review

When I drink coffee, it activates all five of my senses (and sometimes even my sixth sense: the ability to find more coffee). If coffee doesn't do the same thing for you, you're probably doing it wrong. (Picture by Ryan Sitzman)

Good evening! Last Friday we finished our last post related to the five senses. It's taken a few months, though, since it was a pretty complicated topic to talk about. So, I decided that for today's post, I'd just give a complete overview of all the other posts, so that you can have them all in one place and you can check any you might have missed.

The Five Senses

Introduction

This post introduced the topic, and also included a video that briefly explained how to use the sense words.

Sight

Sight Post 1:  Common Error. This post talked about how to use the words look at, see, and watch.

Sight Post 2: Vision Vocabulary. This talked about all sorts of words related to sight and vision.

Sight Post 3: Video. A video of Johnny Nash's song "I Can See Clearly Now."

Hearing

Hearing Post 1: Mistake Monday. This post examined the difference between the words listen and hear.

Hearing Post 2: Hearing Vocabulary. All sorts of vocabulary related to hearing and ears.

Hearing Post 3: Podcasts. A list of my top 5 favorite podcasts to practice listening skills.

Hearing Post 4: Common Error. Another common error post, this time about hear and sound.

Smell

Smell Post 1: Vocabulary. Words related to smelling and smells.

Smell Post 2: Videos. Two videos related to "smells."

Taste

Taste Post 1: Common Error. A post explaining the difference between taste, try, test, and prove.

Taste Post 2: Vocabulary. All sorts of vocabulary related to taste.

Touch

Touch Post 1: Common Error. The difference between touch and feel.

Touch Post 2: "Good" Touch Vocabulary

Touch Post 3: "Neutral" Touch Vocabuarly

Touch Post 4: "Bad" Touch Vocabulary

So, that's a lot of posts and a lot of information! If you've been following the series you obviously don't need to read all of these again, but it could be good to review some time in the future if you ever have any questions or problems related to the senses. 

And as usual, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to tell me.

As always, thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Sense Vocabulary: "Bad Touch" Words

Good evening! Tonight we'll look at our last three words related to the sense of touch. In our last post we talked about "neutral" touch, and today we'll talk about "bad" touch, which are words that are generally used in a negative way.

What is this woman doing? If you don't know, read on to find out!
(Image by Jonathan Pankau, used under a Creative Commons license)

Today's words are generally used when talking about touching humans, not objects. The words are:

Slap, Punch, and Molest: "Neutral" Touching

Slap

Technically, a high five is a kind of slap, since you need to have an open hand to do it. I know a high five is usually "good" touching, but I had trouble finding a picture of someone slapping another person in the face. (Image by Ingorr, used under a Creative Commons license)

"Slap" is to use your open hand to hit a person. Many times this is used to describe a hit to the face:

"Mark often says offensive things to women, so women often slap his face."

A synonym of slap in this case can often be "smack." The main thing to remember is that with this action, your hand is open, not closed.

Punch

If you're good at boxing, you can make a lot of money by using your fists to punch other people! (Image) 

"Punch" is another type of hitting (and that's why it's generally "bad" touching). It's different from slapping because if you punch someone, you hit them with a closed hand. In fact, there's a special name for a closed hand: a fist:

"The two drunk men at the bar used their fists to hit each other like boxers. They punched each other in the head and stomach until they got kicked out of the bar."

Molest

Be very careful with this word! In Spanish, molestar means "bother" or "annoy" in English. But in English (especially American English), "molest" generally means to touch someone in a sexually inappropriate way! Unfortunately, it's often used with children, but not always (and you can understand why I didn't include a picture for this word!)

"The criminal was put in jail for abusing and molesting a child."

So, that's it for now. I hope you rarely have to use these words, but they're still important to learn to increase your vocabulary. If you have any questions ideas, please feel free to leave a comment! Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!


(Answer from Monday's post: The problem is the word the. It's not necessary before "Istanbul," but it is necessary before "The United States." Thanks for checking it out!)

Sense Vocabulary: "Neutral Touch" Words

The two people in this picture are holding hands.
(Image by Elizabeth Ann Colette, used through a Creative Commons license)

Hello! Tonight we'll be looking at four more words related to the sense of touch. In our last post we talked about "good" touch, and today we'll talk about "neutral" touch, which are words that can be positive or negative, depending on the context and circumstances.

Today's words can be used for humans, but you may notice that they're also frequently used to talk about touching objects. The words are:

Touch, Poke, Hold and Grab: "Neutral" Touching

Touch

"Touch" is the most obvious of these words, and I'm only listing it here to mention that it can be positive, negative, or neutral, depending on how you use it. It's general, basically. It can also mean to make an emotional connection:

"I was touched by the thoughtful gift you gave to me, especially since I didn't expect it."

Poke

The children in this picture are using a stick to poke into the sand, possibly to find something. (Image by Jconnell22, used under a Creative Commons license)

"Poke" means to use your index finger (or any other single finger, or a long object like a stick or a pole) to touch something. People often poke things to test if they are dangerous, to feel their texture, or to check if they are alive:

"Jane drank a lot of wine and now she's apparently 'sleeping' on the couch. Someone should poke her to wake her up and make sure she's OK."

Hold

This animal is called a Hedgehog. The person is holding the hedgehog in his hand. (Image by Hundehalter, used under a Creative Commons license)

"Hold" is a word that indicates you continually have something in your hand for a period of time. It's often used in sentences like:

"Can you please hold this bag of groceries while I find my keys and open the door?"

Also, if two people have their hands together for a long period of time, they are holding hands (like in the first picture above). This is common in romantic couples.

Grab

The bars on the sides of this toilet are called grab bars. If a person has difficulties sitting or standing up, he or she can grab the bars to help keep their balance. (Image by Shoyuramen, used under a Creative Commons license)

"Grab" is very similar to hold or take, but it indicates taking something quickly or informally. For example, if you leave your house and realize you forgot something, you can say:

"Oh! I forgot my book. I'll go back inside to grab it."

Another way to use "grab" can be to use it like "get," as in:

"After we finish work, a few of us are going to a restaurant to grab some dinner. Do you want to come?"

So, that's it for today. On Monday we'll finish our trio of posts with three more "bad touch" words. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to join the conversation! Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!

Sense Vocabulary: "Good Touch" Words

Hi, and welcome to Word Wednesday! Tonight we'll be looking at words related to the sense of touch (also often described using the word feel; see Monday's post for a closer explanation).

Over the next few posts we'll look at 10 words that can describe different ways to touch. I'll divide them into three categories:

Today -"Good" (types of touch that are generally considered good)

Friday -"Neutral" (can be good or bad, depending on the circumstances)

Monday -"Bad" (types of touch that are generally considered bad)

Today's three "Good Touch" words all used for humans, but coincidentally they're also commonly used to talk about animals. They are:

Pat, Pet, and Rub: "Good" Touching

A sign advertising a "back rub" for men and women surrounded by red lights? Sounds a bit suspicious! I guess this could be good or bad! (Picture by CTLiota, used through Creative Commons license).

Here we go...

Pat

This was one of my favorite books when I was a kid. The pages had different textures that you could touch and feel.

"Pat" usually means to move your open hand up and down on top of something. In some cultures, people often pat children on the head. You can also pat an animal, especially on its head.

In a semi-literal sense, you can use the phrase "pat on the back" when you want to congratulate a person for something. For example, you can say: 

"John deserves a pat on the back because he finally graduated!"

Of course, "Pat" can also be an abbreviation for Patricia or Patrick, so pay attention to the context.

Pet

Many guide dogs and other "working" dogs (like drug- or bomb-sniffing dogs at the airport) have signs that say something like "Please don't pet me, I'm working." (Picture by Hurricane Omega, used through Creative Commons license).

"Pet" usually means to move your open hand in a line while continually touching a surface. There is more hand contact with petting than there is with patting. 

"Pet" is often used to talk about touching animals. Of course, animals that live in our houses are called "pets," but I'm not sure if that's a coincidence.

Also, when people have a close romantic relationship, they often use different or "cute" names when talking to each other. Those names can be called "pet names."

Rub

Our cat Chubby always enjoys a good belly rub! (Picture by author)

"Rub" is very similar to "pet," but it's more continuous. Sometimes it's used to describe touching in a circular motion. It's also used for therapeutic touching or massage. For example, when a cartoon character is hungry, he often rubs his stomach. You can also give a back rub to someone who has back pains.

So, that's it for now. If you understood all these words, you deserve a pat on the back! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to join the conversation!

On Vacation

Hello! It's technically Mistake Monday, but this week I won't be putting up any new posts since I'm on a short vacation! I'll be back online next week to finish our series on the five senses, but for now, if you REALLY feel like learning some English, I'll pass on this link that explains how to use vocabulary related to holidays and vacations. I wrote it last year, and in addition to vocabulary, it also has a sample dialogue. Check it out!

Thanks for reading, and have an excellent week!

Senses: "Taste" Vocabulary

This statue is sticking out its tongue. Tongues are the main organ used for the sense of taste. (Image)

Good evening! It's Word Wednesday, so today I'd like to talk about vocabulary related to the sense of taste. In the last few weeks we've learned a lot of vocabulary related to other senses (sight, hearing, and smell) if you want to review those words, too.

First of all, the sense is called taste, and like the word "smell," taste can also be a verb or a noun. On Monday we examined how to use it as a verb. If you're using taste as a noun, a synonym can be flavor, but they're not exactly the same. Taste can be general, but flavor usually refers to a specific taste:

The guanabana fruit is one of my favorite foods in Costa Rica. It has a very unique taste. Its flavor is like a mixture of pineapple, mango, and milk, but with a texture that's different from all of them. (Photo by Ryan Sitzman)

If something has a good taste, you can say that it's tasty or flavorful. Other common words are delicious and yummy. If something has a bad taste or texture, you can say it's disgusting, gross, nasty, or awful. Or, if something tastes strange, you can say it tastes funny.

Of course, when you eat and taste food, it's a process. The first part of that is to take a bite of food (a piece) or to take a sip of a drink (a small amount of liquid). Another option, for example if you're eating ice cream, is to lick it with your tongue and bring the food into your mouth. If you're eating solid food, you probably need to chew it with your teeth (the plural form of "tooth"). The food will pass over your tongue, which is an organ covered in taste buds; these taste buds are basically little receptors that allow you experience the food's taste. Finally, you need to swallow your food, which means that you move your tongue and throat to pass the food from your mouth to your esophagus. After that, the food travels to your stomach, where your body digests it.

So, let's review today's vocabulary. Can you explain what each of the words means?

1. taste

2. flavor

3. tasty

4. flavorful

5. gross, nasty, disgusting

6. to taste funny

7. to take a bite

8. to take a sip

9. to lick

10. to chew

11. tooth, teeth

12. taste buds

13. to swallow

14. tongue

15. stomach

16. to digest

Here are some suggested definitions:

1. taste - to experience a flavor with your tastebuds
2. flavor - a noun; a synonym of "taste"
3. tasty - a way to describe food with a good flavor
4. flavorful - a way to describe food with a good or "complete" flavor
5. gross, nasty, disgusting - a way to describe food with a bad flavor
6. to taste funny - when food tastes strange
7. to take a bite - to eat a small piece of food
8. to take a sip - to drink a small amount of liquid
9. to lick - to touch your tongue to something, usually food
10. to chew - to use your teeth to break food into smaller pieces
11. tooth, teeth - the things you use to chew; tooth is singular, teeth is plural
12. taste buds - flavor receptors on your tongue
13. to swallow - move food from your mouth to your esophagus
14. tongue - the organ used for the sense of taste
15. stomach - where your body digests food
16. to digest - to break down something (usually food) into smaller parts

This cat is licking its paw, but not to clean itself. Cats lick their paws and bodies to clean themselves. (Image)

So, that's it for today. I hope you learned some new words and ideas! If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please tell me. Thanks for reading, and have a nice night!

Common Error: Taste, Try, Test, and Prove

This is a picture of me sampling (tasting/trying) different batches of coffee at a tasting room in Palmares. This is my dream job! (Picture by Angela Jimenez) 

Good afternoon! Today is Mistake Monday, so I wanted to continue with our senses theme. This week's sense is taste. Today's Common Error is actually a series of confusing words and errors. Most of them are related to the Spanish verb probar, which can be translated into a few English words. Have a look:

Common Error: Taste, Try, Test, and Prove
DON’T say this:	"I haven't proved your tacos. Can I have a test?" "Tomorrow we will prove five different types of coffee."
WHY?	Basically, all of these words can be expressed with the verb "probar" in Spanish. But there are different uses for each in English: -Taste is to put something into your mouth to experience its flavor (saborear in Spanish): "This pizza tastes wonderful!" "I am sick and have a stuffy nose so I can't taste very well." -Try can also be similar to "taste" if you're talking about food, but it can also mean to attempt to do something (like intentar in Spanish): "Would you like to try a piece of this cake I made?" "I will try to come to class on time." -Test can also mean to "try," but we don't normally use it with food. It's more commonly used to see if something functions correctly, or with evaluations and exams (similar to evaluar in Spanish): "Our teacher is going to test us on our new vocabulary." "I took my DVD player to the repair shop, but when they tested it they couldn't find the problem." -Prove means to demonstrate that something is true or real. It's often used in science and math: "Isaac Newton did experiments to prove that gravity exists." "The suspect proved to the police that he was innocent."
INSTEAD, SAY THIS:	-"I haven't tried/tasted your tacos. Can I have a taste?" -"Tomorrow we'll try/taste five different types of coffee."

I hope my explanations make sense. If you try to use them in different situations, please tell me how it goes! On Wednesday we'll look at more vocabulary related to these words, especially taste. If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment or contact me. Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Senses: Smell

A scene from The Simpsons, one of my favorite shows. Moe is looking at a picture a child drew of him and he says, "Aw, you got the stink lines and everything!" 

Hi, and welcome to Word Wednesday! Today we're going to continue our series about the five senses. Over the last two weeks we've talked about sight and sound, and today we'll learn more vocabulary related to the sense of smell. We'll look at some common ways to talk about smell, and then review 20 vocabulary words!

First of all, what organ do we use for this scent? That's right, we obviously use our noses. But do you know what the two holes in your nose are called? They're called nostrils. When we're healthy and everything is normal, we can use our nose to breathe (to move air in and out of our body) and to smell. 

However, when we're sick, especially with a cold or the flu, then our noses sometimes get congested. If you're suffering from nasal congestion, you can also (more informally) say that you have a "stuffed nose" or that your nose is "stuffed up." In other words, the mucus (informally: snot) is blocking the air from entering your nose. But when we aren't sick, how can we talk about our nose and what it does?

The word smell can be either a verb or a noun. For example, as a verb I can say: 

"The pizza smells excellent" 

and as a noun I can say: 

"The pizza has an excellent smell." 

In this picture, we can say "The girl is smelling the flowers" or "The flowers smell good." (Image)

As a verb, smell is a little "special," because it can be used to describe the thing or person that causes the smell, or it can be used for the person that receives or perceives the smell. For example, if I walk into a kitchen where someone is cooking garlic, we can say:

"Ryan smells garlic. The garlic smells good!" 

(I am receiving the smell; the garlic is causing the smell)

However, if I stay in that kitchen for a long time, my clothes may absorb the smell. Then when I go into the living room later, people may say:

"Ryan smells like garlic. He smells bad." 

(I am transmitting the smell of the garlic, and I'm also causing the smell)

If I absorb a lot of the garlic smell, then I exercise for two hours and sweat a lot, and then I step in dog poop, I'll have to deal with a lot of bad smells. In that case, you can use the verb stink:

"Ryan really stinks. He should take a shower!"

"Stink" is usually a verb; a common noun that is similar is stench:

"There is a pig farm near my house. The stench is awful, especially on hot days."

Apparently this child stinks, because the man at the table is reacting negatively to the stench! (Image)

So we know how to talk about unpleasant smells, but what about good smells? Well, a good smell can also be called a scent or even a fragrance. We can use these words when describing perfumes and colognes. However, if someone wears too much perfume or cologne, we can say that the scent is overpowering or suffocating. Sometimes the smell can even make your eyes water, which is like crying, but not emotional.

So, let's go through the words. Can you explain what each of them means and give an example of how to use them?

20 VOCABULARY WORDS FOR THE SENSE OF SMELL:

Nouns:

1. nose

2. nostrils

3. a stuffed nose

4. mucus

5. snot

6. smell

7. scent

8. stench

9. a cold

10. the flu

11. perfume

12. cologne

Verbs:

13. to smell

14. to breathe

15. to stink

16. to be sick

17. to be congested

18. to overpower

19. to suffocate

20. to wear

Can you define and explain those words? If not, try to read through the post again and see if you can find the answers. Then, you can read my suggested definitions below.

There's a fruit in Asia called the "Durian." I've never smelled it personally, but apparently it's horrible. It stinks so bad that it's prohibited in many hotels and on public transportation. This is a sign from a transit station in Singapore. (Image)

Suggested Definitions For The Vocabulary Words:

Nouns:
1. nose - the organ humans and animals use for their sense of smell
2. nostrils - the two holes at the base of your nose
3. a stuffed nose - when your nose is filled with mucus
4. mucus - the gel-like substance in your nose
5. snot - a slang word to describe nasal mucus
6. smell - an odor that you can perceive with your nose
7. scent - a synonym for "smell" and "odor"
8. stench - a bad smell
9. a cold - a common illness; also called "the common cold"
10. the flu - an illness similar to a cold; an abbreviation for "influenza"
11. perfume - a special liquid that a woman uses to give her body a scent
12. cologne - a special liquid that a man uses to give his body a scent

Verbs:
13. to smell - to perceive a scent or odor with your nose
14. to breathe - to move air in and out of your body; to respirate
15. to stink - to emit a bad smell
16. to be sick - to suffer from an illness
17. to be congested - to not be able to breathe because of nasal congestion
18. to overpower - to conquer or be stronger than someone or something
19. to suffocate - to make it impossible for someone to breathe
20. to wear - to have clothing, accessories, or perfume on your body

Well, I think that's definitely enough vocabulary for today! I hope you enjoyed it and/or learned something. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave me a comment below. Thanks for reading, and have a great night!

Hearing, Part 2

Many thanks to my beautiful wife Angela, who very reluctantly allowed me to take this picture of hear ear for today's post!

Hello, and happy Word Wednesday! Today I wanted to share a bit of vocabulary related to hearing and ears.

The most basic word here is ear, which are the organs on the side of your face that help you hear. The bottom part of the ear is called the earlobe. That's the part that many people pierce so that they can wear earrings. In the picture above, you can see Angela's earring in her earlobe. She got her ears pierced when she was about seven years old. In her case, her sister pierced her ear with a needle, but it's also very common these days for girls to get their ears pierced at a store that uses a piercing gun.

So, what can you do with your ears? Most people can hear and listen with them (see the post from Monday for an explanation about when to use these two words). Synonyms for hear and listen can include "listen up" and "pay attention."  If you hear someone say something but the person wasn't specifically talking to you, then you overhear something. If you are deliberately spying on other people and listening to their conversation without their permission, you are snooping or eavesdropping.

Q-tips (cotton swabs). (Image Credit)

But what if your ears get dirty? Most people clean them with a Q-tip (which is a brand name for a cotton swab). But be careful! Supposedly, according to overprotective mothers all over the world, you shouldn't stick a Q-tip too far into your ear or you'll break your ear drum, one of the parts of your inner ear that helps you hear!

Finally, if you are exceptionally talented, you can wiggle your ears. "To wiggle" means to move a little bit. Watch this short clip from one of my favorite movies, The Goonies. The big man, named "Sloth," can wiggle his ears:

VOCABULARY REVIEW:

Let's review the words we covered today. Can you explain what each of these words means? If not, read the post again. The definitions are at the bottom of the post.

Words for today:

1. hearing

2. ear

3. earlobe

4. to pierce / to get a piercing

5. earring

6. to hear

7. to listen

8. to overhear

9. to spy

10. to snoop

11. to eavesdrop

12. Q-tip

13. inner ear

14. ear drum

15. to wiggle

Could you define those words? If not, check the post again. Here are some suggested definitions for these words.

Suggested Definitions:

1. hearing - interpreting sound; the general name for the sense 

2. ear - the visible part of your body's hearing organs

3. earlobe - the lowest part of your ear

4. to pierce / to get a piercing - to perforate a part of your body for decoration

5. earring - a decoration in a pierced ear

6. to hear - (see Monday's post)

7. to listen - (see Monday's post)

8. to overhear - to hear unintentionally

9. to spy - unauthorized listening to other people's conversations

10. to snoop - synonym of "spy"

11. to eavesdrop - synonym of "spy"

12. Q-tip - a cotton swab; a stick with pieces of cotton at both ends

13. inner ear - the interior parts of your body's hearing organs

14. ear drum - part of the inner ear

15. to wiggle - to move a little bit

I hope that vocabulary was helpful! If you have any comments or questions, I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading, and have a great night!

Sight, Part 2: Vision Vocabulary

If this guy doesn't take the blindfold off his eyes, I have a feeling the binoculars won't help. (Image)

On Monday we talked about how to use the words look (at), see, and watch, so today I wanted to include a bit more vocabulary. Besides these three verbs, there are a lot of synonyms for actions that you can do with your eyes. Watch this video and see what different words you can find. Do you know how to spell them?

Let's quickly go through the words in the video. The man speaks very clearly (here's his site for more English practice), but it's still good to see what the words look like. The words he mentioned are: 

blink, wink, stare, gaze, peek, peep, and glare

Can you explain the differences between these words? How often do you do these actions, and when do you do them? If you aren't sure how to answer these questions, watch the video again and see if you can find the explanations.

Finally, I wanted to add the phrasal verb "check (it) out," which I use very frequently. It is a less-formal way to say "look." You can also move the object that you're looking at when you make the sentence, but if you use the pronoun, it's more common to put it between "check" and "out." For example, you can say:

"I'm going to check out Sitzman ABC."

OR

"I'm going to check it out." 

So, that's it for today. Be sure to check out the blog on Friday for another post related to this week's sense: sight. Thanks for reading, and have a nice night!

Senses: Sight, Part 1

Be sure to put on your glasses (or get your eyes checked) before you read this post. (Image)

As I mentioned last Friday, for the next series of posts I'd like to talk about the 5 senses. To start off, we'll look at the eyes this week. The name of the sense that your eyes perceive is usually called sight or vision. We'll look at more related words on Wednesday for Word Wednesday but for today I wanted to re-post one of the first Common Errors I put up, from back in 2010. It explains when to use the words "look," "see," and "watch." I did make a few small changes based on a recommendation by a coworker earlier today. Have a look:

Common Error: Confusing "see," "look (at)," and "watch"
DON’T say this:	See! There's a giant snake over there! Let's go to the mall and look a movie. I like to see the show "Smallville"
WHY?	This is a difficult problem because the differences between these words are subtle: -“See” means to perceive something by using your eyes (vision). You normally don’t plan to see, you just do it naturally or spontaneously: "It's very dark in this room--I can't see a thing!" One exception is if you're making plans to do something that involves your eyes (like going to a movie or visiting a family member): "I'm going to go see/visit my grandma this weekend, and we may even go see/watch a movie." -When you look at something, you generally move your eyes to see it. This is an action that you plan to do, and you look at something for a reason. Both “look” and “see” could be used as interjections, but “look” is much more common: "Look at this backpack; do you think it would hold all my books and my laptop?" -The word “watch” is similar to “look (at),” but it generally indicates a longer period of time. If you watch, you are carefully or continuously observing something. This is the most common verb to use with TV or movies. Things that you watch are generally moving or involve movement: "I spent the whole afternoon babysitting, watching my neighbor's kids. But it was easy since we just watched a movie on TV."
INSTEAD, SAY THIS:	-“Look! There's a giant snake over there!” -“Let's go to the mall and see/watch a movie.” -"I like to watch the TV show 'Smallville.'" -“I was watching the soccer game, but when the lights went out in the stadium, it was too dark to see anything.” -“I want to exchange my Dollars for Euros, so I’ve been watching the currency exchange rate closely.

"Then again, John MAY just be really dull." (Image)

So, I hope that is clear. What are your favorite activities that you like to do using each of these verbs? Please feel free to leave a comment below if you'd like. 

Thanks for reading and looking at my website. Be sure to watch the Internet on Wednesday for another post with more vocabulary involving sight. Have a nice week, and I'll see you again on Wednesday!