Monthly Archives: October 2019

The Oxford Comma

This is a comma: “,”. It’s a very useful punctuation mark (things like periods (.), quotation marks (“), and explanation points (!)) in English and in many other languages, but it can also be a source of confusion. The Oxford … Continue reading

Posted in Language & Terms | Comments Off on The Oxford Comma

You’re a Nut!

If someone calls you a “nut,” is that an insult (a disrespectful thing to say)? Probably. A nut is a type of food that has a hard outer shell or covering that you remove to eat what is inside. Peanuts … Continue reading

Posted in Language & Terms | Comments Off on You’re a Nut!

A Visit to the Nixon Library

Presidential libraries are places where many of the documents and possessions of American presidents are kept after they leave office (stop being president). These libraries usually have museums that tell you the story of that president and what he did. … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | Comments Off on A Visit to the Nixon Library

You Got Under My Skin

Here’s another strange idiom in English: You (or someone/something) got under my skin. There are two ways we use this idiom. The first way is to indicate that someone or thing is irritating you, bothering you, doing something that you … Continue reading

Posted in Language & Terms | Comments Off on You Got Under My Skin

Are You Woke?

Over the past year, one of the most popular buzzwords, or fashionable words, used in the media (news, TV shows, etc.) is “woke.” You probably know the word woke as the past tense of the verb “to wake” (to stop … Continue reading

Posted in Language & Terms, Life in the United States | Comments Off on Are You Woke?