Author Archives: Dr. Lucy Tse

The Movie or the Book

Posted on Thursday - June 11, 2009 by Dr. Lucy Tse

Talking about Twilight, the book and the movie, in Tuesday’s blog comments got me thinking about books that have been made into movies.  These types of screen adaptations (television or film versions) are so common today, ranging from classics (old, … Continue reading →

Posted in Television and Movies | 31 Comments

Americans’ Top 15 Dream Vacation Destinations

Posted on Tuesday - June 2, 2009 by Dr. Lucy Tse

This is the time of year when many Americans go on vacation. In 2008, a poll was conducted asking 2,500 American adults the following question: “If you could spend a vacation in any country in the world, outside the United … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 48 Comments

The Best One-Liners of All Time

Posted on Tuesday - May 19, 2009 by Dr. Lucy Tse

I’m not sure these are, in fact, the best one-liners (short jokes or funny/clever remarks), but I thought these were pretty good when I saw them recently in a magazine. ~ Lucy ….. “If you can’t say something good about … Continue reading →

Posted in Jokes and Humor | 17 Comments

Capitalizing Words in Titles

Posted on Tuesday - May 12, 2009 by Dr. Lucy Tse

QUESTION: Benjamin in France wants to know what the rules are for capitalizing words in titles. ANSWER: This is not an easy question to answer because the major style guides (written rules for using a language) disagree. First, it may … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms | 5 Comments

Hanky Panky

Posted on Tuesday - April 28, 2009 by Dr. Lucy Tse

QUESTION: Hyun in Korea wants to know what “hanky panky” means. ANSWER: Hanky panky is used in two major ways. First,  “hanky panky” is used to describe a secret sexual relationship that is against the rules or that is not … Continue reading →

Posted in Karaoke English, Language & Terms | 9 Comments

Hiring Americans to Head Universities in Other Countries

Posted on Tuesday - April 21, 2009 by Dr. Lucy Tse

I recently read something surprising: In the past few years, many universities in other countries have hired Americans for top-level jobs. For example, in 2009, a provost (senior administrator) at one of the top universities in the U.S.–Yale–will become the … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Life in the United States | 10 Comments

It Has Nothing To Do With Me!

Posted on Thursday - April 16, 2009 by Dr. Lucy Tse

QUESTION: A listener, Ali, wants to know what it means when someone says, “It has nothing to do with me.” ANSWER: The expression “to have nothing to do with (someone/something)” is used in three main ways. First, we use it … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms | 31 Comments

A Unique Shopping Mall Experience

Posted on Tuesday - April 14, 2009 by Dr. Lucy Tse

Guido in Rome, a listener and friend of the podcast, sent us this amusing (funny) video.  This is a musical performance by a group called “Improv Everywhere.”  Improv is short for improvisation, which means to create a performance without preparation.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Karaoke English | 14 Comments

Doing a Polite Tap Dance

Posted on Tuesday - March 31, 2009 by Dr. Lucy Tse

QUESTION: Nikolay in Russia wants to know what it means when someone does a polite “tap dance”. ANSWER: A tap dance is a type of dance where the dancers wear special shoes with metal parts on the bottom.  Each step … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms | 16 Comments

To Dole Out and To Be on the Dole

Posted on Tuesday - March 17, 2009 by Dr. Lucy Tse

QUESTION: Jorge from Peru wants to know what this sentence means: “Germany and Spain doled out incentives to consumers.” ANSWER: To dole out means to give something–money, food, clothes, or something else–to other people who need it, and usually to … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms | 12 Comments