Origins of English Idioms

As you already know, there are over 15,000 idioms in the English language and you’d better learn at least some of them. But as you encounter an idiom after idiom, you have to be at least slightly curious how they were originated and became widely used. Some of them were coined by the great writers, others came from the Bible, and a lot of them came from French and Latin.

Shakespeare alone is credited with adding over a hundred idioms, many of which you definitely know. Phrases like “a fool’s paradise” and “a sorry sight” date back to the 17th century and yet, they are still used in the everyday speech. He was also the first to compare envy to a green-eyed monster and the first to capture the essence of love in now immortal expression “love is blind.” If you want to learn more about phrases like “good riddance” and “wild goose chase” - and yes, they also belong to Shakespeare - follow this link.

Throughout the centuries, English been greatly influenced by other languages. English, as we know it today, has a lot of words of French, Latin and Greek origin. The Gallic language, French, brought many unmistakably graceful and sophisticated expressions, and phrases like a la mode, a la carte and double-entendre are very widely used in written and spoken English. You can find a comprehensive list of the most common idioms of French origin here.

There is a lot of idiomatic expressions of Latin origin in the contemporary English. Most of them pertain to law, medicine and politics, but others like status quo, et cetera and alter ego are more universal. See how many of the Latin expressions you know at the link - we bet you will be pleasantly surprised!

English Learning Videos For ESL Students

Watching movies and videos in English is a great way to improve your ability to understand spoken English and pick up the pronunciation. Since it might be difficult for you to understand most movies and TV series, you can start with watching videos made specifically for the ESL Students. You can find them everywhere: on YouTube, on Facebook, and on the websites designated to Learning English. To save you some much needed time, we did a search for you. (You are welcome!) Watch these videos and learn.

Real English has a lot of free videos, featuring real people and most common topics you’ll definitely encounter in your daily communication, from social introductions to talking about your family and friends. All videos are available with and without subtitles, but as the site owners suggest - and we second that opinion - try watching them first without captions, even a few times if needed. It will really help you in the long-run. Do not miss the video from Lesson 58 - not only it features a very handsome guy, but also you can gain a lot from his insights on learning the language, since he’s done it himself, and amazingly well at that! These videos come with exercises aimed at listening comprehension and better understanding of English grammar rules and nuances.

Elllo.org, English Listening Lesson Library Online, is another great source of free videos in English. The topics covered range from politics and economics (video#572) to sports (video#1028) and business practices in different countries (video#1037). The videos feature native and non-native speakers of English from around the world and listening to them will help you get used to the variety of accents and dialects which you will inevitably encounter in New York, the city of immigrants. If you have problems with understanding the dialogue in the videos, refer to the transcripts provided for each topic. The videos could be viewed as audio slides with captions which you can turn off whenever you want. For your reference, the detailed explanation of the phrasal verbs, idioms and industry-specific terms is also provided in the audio notes section. This site is a great collection of English videos and a must-visit for any ESL student.

Do you know of other online video resources? Share with us in comments!

5 Reasons To Learn English as A Second Language

Committing to learning English is a serious decision. To succeed in this endeavor, you need to be ready to invest a lot of time and effort, but eventually all your hard work will pay off. In case you haven’t made up your mind yet, here are 5 reasons that might persuade you to go for it.

• English language is spoken in 180 countries worldwide. Since there are only 196 - or 195, according to different sources - independent countries in the world, it means that wherever you go, you will be able to communicate, understand and be understood.
• Your chances to find a great job will be significantly better. While the overall effects of outsourcing on global economy is still unclear, the ability to speak English will help you to secure a job offer from an English-speaking company. In 2004, USA- and UK-based corporations outsourced 42% and 17% of jobs, according to the findings of the latest “English Next” study conducted by the British Council.
• Do you spend most of your time online? If so, learning English is definitely a good idea for you, since the English language continues to dominate the cyber space (even though other languages as Chinese experience a rapid growth in this area).
• The number of people speaking English as a Second Language keeps growing and has already exceeded 1 billion people. That’s a great community to belong to! We doubt you can find anything even close on Facebook.
• Shakespeare, Elliot, Plath, and Whitman - these are just a few of the great timeless classic writers who created in English and whose works are a must-read for any educated person. While there are many good translations, do not miss out on pleasure that comes from enjoying the beauty and complexity of the English language and read the originals instead.

Do you have your own reasons for learning English? Share with us in comments!

College Slang

Now that you are an ESL student in New York City, you are a part of your college community. As any other subculture, college has its unwritten rules, laws and a specific lingo - a great deal of student terms and expressions that you’d want to get familiar with. An interesting fact about college slang is that while it changes over time, most of it is a long-accepted ritual talk that students have been using for generations. So here’s what you need to know to be able to talk to your college buddies.

• When you do very well on your test, you can proudly tell all your friends that you aced it.
• If you are going to a movie instead of attending a class, which we strongly advise against, you are blowing it off.
• If your classmate does not know anything, you can safely call him clueless (but probably not to his face).
• If you’ve been planning to skip a difficult class intentionally, you are cutting it (again, not a good idea).
• If your classmate keeps complaining about too much work in a group project, just tell him to deal with it.
• If you are fine with your friend dating your ex-girlfriend, you are down with that (hey, that’s life, right?).
• If you drink too much at a party, which, again, we strongly advise against, you are hammered (really, not a good idea).
• If your paper was written in a rush and the best you can hope to get for it is a C, then it is lame! (we’ve said it before – not a good idea!)
• If you can’t help your classmate with his assignment, just tell him “no can do.” He will understand (hopefully).
• If your friends ask you how you are and things are fine, you can tell them that everything is just peachy (we do not recommend using it at the job interviews, though).
• Are you happy? Yes? Then you are stoked!
• If you daydream in your algebra class, then you are zoned out.

The Root of The Word

When you read books and newspapers, you will inevitably encounter unfamiliar words. But before looking them up in the dictionary, try to guess their meanings. You will be surprised how much you actually know. English is largely derived from ancient languages, and a lot of the English words have roots of Greek and Latin origin or are formed by combining parts of the Greek or Latin words. If you learn the most common Latin and Greek root words and prefixes, you can easily understand the meanings of many words, even those you have never seen before.

Let’s take a look at the following words, misanthrope, philanthropist, and anthropology. They share the same root, -anthrop-, which stands for “man, human” in Greek. If you know that -mis- means “hatred” and –phila- or -philo- means “having a strong affinity or love for,” you don’t need to check with the dictionary to know that a misanthrope is an individual who hates mankind while a philanthropist, on the contrary, is an altruist concerned with welfare and advancement of his fellow men. As for the “anthropology,” the second part of the word, -logy-, should be very easy to guess. What do biology, theology, phraseology and dermatology have in common? Each one of them is a theory or a study of a specific area or subject, so “anthropology” should mean a study of mankind or human beings.

You can learn more about Greek and Latin root words here and here.

Free Classes And Workshops in New York City

New Yorkers are known for their loyalty to healthy lifestyle, hence the number of gyms and organic food stores in the city, and for their intellectual curiosity and insatiable desire to expand their horizons, hence the number of yoga studios and various workshops and classes where they can work on their minds, bodies and souls. It certainly is very interesting and commendable; however, ventures into self-improvement come with a hefty price tag. Membership in Pilates studio and ballet lessons can easily set you back hundreds of dollars a month, which might be difficult to handle for an ESL student on a budget in New York City. Yet, there is no need to fall into despair and go on a bread-and-water diet – try one of these free classes instead.

If you live in Queens, you are at luck; if you don’t, consider going there nonetheless. Visit Socrates Park in Long Island City where, come May, you can attend free weekend classes and practice yoga, capoeira, Pilates or Tai Chi. You can also Sign up for free kayaking starting late May.

If you are artsy and creative, clear your Monday nights schedule to attend one of the Etsy Craft Nights at Etsy Labs. Artists and designers will show you how to make unique accessories and transform regular clothes into one-of-a-kind pieces. Hey, you never know – if you are good, you might just start a booming business of Selling your handmade items online.

If you can’t decide where your interests and passions lay, but you desperately want to find an outlet for your creative energy, sign up for the Mini Skills classes at Brooklyn LaunchPad and learn anything from sewing to meditation techniques. For girls with a fashion sense and nothing to wear, there are occasional clothes swap events where you can get rid of your tired outfits.

English Slang

 As good as your textbooks are, chances are they devote very little attention to the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the English language. Yet, slang is everywhere and you need to be familiar with at least some of it to be able to fully understand and speak English. Slang expressions are usually particular to specific subcultures. For instance, the expression “up your sleeve” came from gambling and used to mean a powerful card that a player holds on to win a hand. Now, it refers to any hidden strength or unfair advantage. Another slang phrase, “go postal,” which means to be completely outraged, derives from the mass murder acts committed by the U.S. postal workers when they killed police, coworkers and supervisors. Some words and expressions we use on a daily basis once were slang, too, and then became so common that it’s hard to believe they were not always a part of normal, standard English speech. New York’s preferred schedule, 24/7, is one of those expressions. Slang is precise and descriptive. Don’t own any clothing save for that from Abercrombie & Fitch? Then don’t be surprised when your friends start calling you an Aberzombie.

If you are interested in learning more about modern urban lingo, you should definitely check out Urban Dictionary. The website is largely based on community collaboration so should you come up with a new expression you want everyone to use, you can go ahead and create a new entry. The website also has a blog which makes for a very fascinating read.