07 December, 2012
03 December, 2011
14 November, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving
Every year, the Americans in our conversation groups are asked to describe the history and traditions of our holiday, Thanksgiving.
We all have a slightly different story to tell. In different parts of the country, the holiday is celebrated with different types of food and in different ways. It also depends on what we were taught in school about the history of this holiday.
Some families watch football on TV, some visit with family and friends. Some families eat the same food every year and some families experiment with new dishes. Each family has their distinct traditions.
If you come to the groups before Thanksgiving, don't forget to ask several different people about their traditions.
You might find this "tongue in cheek" (not serious) article about the holiday that was published in the NY Times a few years ago. It was written by the late Art Buchwald.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/22/opinion/22iht-edbuch.html
Enjoy.
We all have a slightly different story to tell. In different parts of the country, the holiday is celebrated with different types of food and in different ways. It also depends on what we were taught in school about the history of this holiday.
Some families watch football on TV, some visit with family and friends. Some families eat the same food every year and some families experiment with new dishes. Each family has their distinct traditions.
If you come to the groups before Thanksgiving, don't forget to ask several different people about their traditions.
You might find this "tongue in cheek" (not serious) article about the holiday that was published in the NY Times a few years ago. It was written by the late Art Buchwald.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/22/opinion/22iht-edbuch.html
Enjoy.
09 May, 2011
a word a day
Today's word from the "a word a day" mailing mightnbe applied to me. Here's the text, followed bynthe address to subscribe:
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg
The English language is one big happy family that has something for everyone. It has a word for someone who never laughs (agelast) and a word for one who laughs too much (abderian). It has a word for fear of lightning (astraphobia) and a word for hatred of reason (misology). And in between these words, there are words for almost everything under the sun (and beyond).
This week we'll visit a few terms that make one say, "I didn't know there was a word for that!"
anomia
PRONUNCIATION:
(uh-NOH-mee-uh)
MEANING:
noun: The inability to recall names of people or objects.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin a- (without) + nom (name). Earliest documented use: 1900. Don't confuse the word with anomie.
USAGE:
"In Dad's case of anomia, he's been calling his nightly can of beer 'ink'. Sometimes he calls it 'gas', which makes a kind of sense."
the address to,subscribe is wordsmith.org/awad/
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg
The English language is one big happy family that has something for everyone. It has a word for someone who never laughs (agelast) and a word for one who laughs too much (abderian). It has a word for fear of lightning (astraphobia) and a word for hatred of reason (misology). And in between these words, there are words for almost everything under the sun (and beyond).
This week we'll visit a few terms that make one say, "I didn't know there was a word for that!"
anomia
PRONUNCIATION:
(uh-NOH-mee-uh)
MEANING:
noun: The inability to recall names of people or objects.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin a- (without) + nom (name). Earliest documented use: 1900. Don't confuse the word with anomie.
USAGE:
"In Dad's case of anomia, he's been calling his nightly can of beer 'ink'. Sometimes he calls it 'gas', which makes a kind of sense."
the address to,subscribe is wordsmith.org/awad/
04 December, 2010
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Many thanks to all who helped make last Friday's event a success. A link to many more pictures is here.
Mary and Sherry
28 July, 2010
What kind of American English do you speak?
A short quiz which tests how you hear/say vowels as well as your choice of a few expressions. After a dozen questions you are identified by geographic region. I came out "Northern inland," which is not where I've lived for 45+ years, but where I grew up.
If you're interested, take the quiz and post your result here. If you're a francophone, what result did you get? In person, can you hear the difference in accents among us anglophones ?
Mary
Here's the link : Accents quiz
A short quiz which tests how you hear/say vowels as well as your choice of a few expressions. After a dozen questions you are identified by geographic region. I came out "Northern inland," which is not where I've lived for 45+ years, but where I grew up.
If you're interested, take the quiz and post your result here. If you're a francophone, what result did you get? In person, can you hear the difference in accents among us anglophones ?
Mary
Here's the link : Accents quiz
30 December, 2009
Happy New Year
Friday, January 1 will be a holiday for the WICE French-English Conversation Groups.
The groups will resume on January 4.
Same days, same time, same place.
Happy New Year
See you soon!
The groups will resume on January 4.
Same days, same time, same place.
Happy New Year
See you soon!
05 December, 2009
Sing Along Was A Success
We were so busy talking, eating and singing that we didn't count how many people attended this year's event. It was a lot of people.
If you attended, we hope you had fun.
We'll try to post some photos in the next few days.
Remember that the groups will continue throughout December and January without interruption.
We will not hold groups on December 25 and January 1.
If you attended, we hope you had fun.
We'll try to post some photos in the next few days.
Remember that the groups will continue throughout December and January without interruption.
We will not hold groups on December 25 and January 1.
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