Spotlight 7/2012

12 idioms about time, better later than never (2012)

Idioms about time are versatile and used frequently in everyday situations.

Due to their abstract nature, many native speakers and ESL learners are left wondering what are idioms,

and what exactly do they mean?

Here are 12 time-related idioms and expressions along with explanations and examples.

A two-year course to follow Happy House, or as a first English course for children who are ready to read and write. The characters found in Happy House have grown up a little and are exploring the streets!
Key features
* A variety of reading texts including comic strips, topic-based texts, and rhymes.
* Progressive development of writing skills.
* Regular speaking activities with plenty of pairwork and games.
* Material to prepare students for the Young Learners' exam.

12 Most Misunderstood Words

Most misunderstood words are born in spoken speech; at one time, they would only gradually bleed into writing. Whether due to an honest typo or a flat out error, confusion in grammar and misunderstood words can now fly across the planet at lightning speed, thanks to email forwarding and “copy/paste” in social media. Continued exposure to misuse or improper spelling can even replace words that were carefully hammered into our heads while we originally learned to speak and write them...

UK vs US spelling: Separated by a Common Language

Communicating with friends across the pond is a perpetual problem. American and British spelling differences include simple changes that affect the meaning, pronunciation and use of words. Today, native and non-native English speakers are the largest group in the world, but the dialects they speak are shockingly different. Linguists have pinpointed the transition to today’s English to sometime during the 1800s.

Here are several examples of common British spelling differences and their US counterparts.