HAPPY CHRIMBO! / MERRY XMAS!: Some quirks about the word 'Christmas'

From: https://keepcalms.com/p/keep-calm-and-say-happy-chrimbo/

Long time not see (once again)!

Christmas hols are finally here and I find some time to reprise my writing! First of all, Merry Christmas for everyone: I hope that all of you have got to celebrate it with your loved ones, taking all the necessary precautions. 

Today, I'll be writing a short post about the word Christmas and its variants. I just happen to love the word and it has a good story behind it!

Let's begin:

1) From a morphological point of view, the word 'Christmas' comes from the words 'Christ' and the Old English word for 'mass' (church service). It is a singular word (even though it finishes in -s). This is seen in expressions such as 'Christmas IS fun'. So, unlike in Spanish, the word 'Christmas' is English is normally preceeded by an indefinite article and it is countable: 'I wish you a merry Christmas'.  It has a plural: 'Christmases', which is not frequently used. 

Moreover, the word 'Christmas' has an adjective that can be spelt in two different ways: 'Christmasy' and 'Christmassy'. 

2) From a grammatical point of view, remember that the Christmas season is preceeded by the preposition 'at': 'I always eat a lot at Christmas'. However, each individual day within the Christmas season is preceeded by the preposition 'on': 'I love receiving my presents ON Christmas Day.

3) From a phonetical perspective, it's interesting to know that the word 'Christ' has a diphthong:  /kraɪst/, which is lost in the word 'Christmas', whose 't' is silent: /ˈkrɪsməs/

4) Christmas has a wide-known abbreviation: 'Xmas'. This abbreviation has nothing to do with letter 'x' but with letter 'chi' (a Greek letter similar to Spanish 'j'). There are some religious people against this abbreviation as it has elided the word 'Christ' and all its meaning and this is why some people just tend to use the abbreviation to refer to the commercial side of Christmas. In a nutshell:

- Christmas: Full word that keeps the religious origin of the festivity.

- Xmas:  Abbreviated word that doesn't have much of the religious origin but it is a good alternative for the sake of the linguistic economy, used to refer to the non-secular side of Christmas: presents, consumerism, snow...

In any case, the abbreaviation is out and about and has come to stay...

From: https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/christmas-background-merry-xmas-sale-holiday-web-vector-27080443

5) Christmas has two British hypocorisms (nicknames that shows affection or closeness): 'Chrimbo' (or 'Crimbo')  and 'Crimble'. Apparently, 'Crimble' appeared first and it was John Lennon made the word 'Chrimbo' popular.

So, I hope you have learnt some quirks about the word Christmas. I hope you enjoy this wonderful festivity! Happy Chrimbo!

See you around

Learning English during the Covid-19 outbreak

Image taken from: https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/neumologia/el-covid-19-frente-a-la-gripe-y-otros-coronavirus-ojo-a-las-comorbilidades-8526

Hello there!
I hope all of you  are fine and I hope this virus hasn't caused you so much trouble....I'm just coping with this situation. It's been literally ages since I wrote a blog entry. Being a parent is hard work and basically you don't have any spare time... What has it taken for me to resume my writing? Well, a world's pandemic disease. After being in confinement for a month, I have taken matters into my own hands and I have decided to resume my writing, as I had tucked my blog away...  Anyway, to deal with this unbearable situation, I have decided to resume my writing devoting this entry to Covid-19. How original! Right?
My firm resolution with this entry is that you all can express what you are going through in English, i.e. that you can learn some vocabulary, pharases and expressions related to the situation we are going through. Ready?

- Covid 19 is a pandemic disease that has affected the world on a global scale. 

- Covid 19 is not a new virus, but, rather, a new strain of the Covid family.

- The outbreak of this virus started in Spain on January, 31st. 

- At first, no one was worried because it was deemed to be just like a normal flu. However, its mortality rate so far has surpassed all the foreseeable expectations. The virus manifests through flu-like symptoms like dry cough, high temperature or fever, dyspnea and other breathing difficulties. 

- Although the virus mortality rate is not high, it is particularly aggresive and even deadly among the elderly and people with previous health conditions. 

- It's highly contagious! We all need to act in order to prevent it from further spreading. To prevent its spread, some containment measures are necessary: you must wash your hands regularly with soap and water; when coughing or sneezing, use disposable tissues and cover your mouth with your arm or elbow; stay in as much as possible and only go out when it is absolutely necessary, and avoid unnecessary travels. 

- On March, 9th, all on-site classes were suspended and by March, 11th, telework was highly recommended and prioritized. 

- Right now we are under strict confinement given that the state of emergency has been declared. That means, you can't be out and about unless you have a compelling reason: to commute to work, to buy supplies or groceries, to take the dog out for a (short) walk... In some other countries like Italy, some villages were under quarantine; that means no one could get in or out. However, curfew (a certain time, at which people must strictly be at home) hasn't yet been declared.

- This virus has caused countless downsides to people's lives and to the global economy, among others the loss and destruction of jobs and our health system is on the brink of collapsing, with our doctors, nurses and other staff overworking without proper personal protective equipment, risking their lives, because of the shortage of certain goods like gloves or facial masks. However, it has also triggered off people's solidarity. This virus seems to be bringing out the best in people: a lot of citizens are helping by sewing favcial masks, others are helping their elderly neighbours by going shopping for them; some people are putting culture at the citizens' disposal for free...

- On the plus side, thanks to this virus, we are realizing how lucky we were before when we could hug each other, see our relatives or even hang out with friends... In order for our lives to go back to normal, we must do our bit by following the containment measures dictated by the government or helping people in need... 

I hope you have learned a lot of vocab and expressions to explain this awful situation. Remember that confinement gives you the perfect opportunity to learn English! If you want to do so, have a look at my current teaching blog, my old teaching blog, my webpage to practise your listening and my webpage to practise your English grammar. 

See you soon. In the meantime, please, stay safe, ALIVE AND KICKING! 

P.S PLEASE, POST A COMMENT TO SAY HI OR IF YOU KNOW MORE EXPRESSIONS INVOLVING THIS SITUATION!

Love languages? Then this post is for you. Language-learning expressions!

Long time not write!
I know it's a cliché, but being a parent is hard work! Don't get me wrong, my son is a bunch of joy and, most importantly, he lets me sleep at night, but, in spite of that, I find it difficult to find the right time for writing. Anyway, I'm struggling to keep my blog alive and kicking and that is why today I'm writing an entry about language learning expressions that I thought you might consider useful because, if you're following my blog, you are likely to enjoy languages as much as I do!! Here we go!:

Expressions related to language learning

- To have a good ear for languages.

- I have to brush up my German. Otherwise, it’ll get rusty.

- To attain a level of competence (achieve/reach/get)

- To hold a conversation in English.

- To put everything you learn into practice.

- To get accustomed/used to speaking English in class.

- It’s very important to get your message across when speaking a language.

- I get by in German (I know some words and I can “survive”).

- I easily pick up languages, expressions or phrases. 

- I grasp new ideas, concepts, grammar (=understand).

- When you don’t know the meaning of a word, try to infer/guess it. If you are not able to, look it up in a dictionary.

- Acquiring a second language is difficult.

- English is becoming the world’s lingua franca. The dominance of English is undeniable; English is truly a global language (globish). English is gaining ground over some other languages. English is taking over (=taking control).

- A lot of languages are dying out because of English. English is threatening/endangering other languages. The survival of other languages might be compromised / might be at stake.

- Some verbs in –ing are taking hold. Modal verbs are giving way to other expressions (other expressions are taking over modal verbs)

- The English language seems to be evolving very quickly (noun: evolution; verb: evolve).

- You have to keep at your English studies.

- It’s difficult to come/get to grips with English pronunciation (=face/make an effort).

- To be immersed in an English-speaking country.

- To struggle with phrasal verbs (to have problems with).

- To be a proficient user of a language (=native-like user).

- To speak a second language (a language different from your mother tongue)

- A polyglot is a person that speaks a lot of languages, a person that picks up language very easily.

- You should take part in a language exchange.

- Some language changes go unnoticed or are barely perceptible. These are subtle changes.  However, other ongoing changes (=happening now) are considered as lasting changes.

- The more English you speak, the better.  The more languages you speak, the better person you’ll become!

Well, I hope you have found my entry useful. Why don't you start to use some of these expressions when using English? If you're interested in this topic revisit my entry on the importance of learning English and the importance of learning foreign languages.
See you around

Parenthood: some English words and expressions that you will use if you've become a parent

Dear all,

by now most of you must know the breaking news: I have recently become a parent. In fact, I made my debut as a father on Father's Day (last 19th March). Can you believe it? What are the odds? My wife delivered my best gift ever!Well, today I'm going to share with you some words or expressions related to parenthood that you may use at some point, especially in the event of becoming a parent. 

1) Like father, like son: This expression is used to indicate that a given son behaves just like his father does, for example, both of them sleep long hours. There's another variant: like mother, like daughter. In Spanish, this idiom is represented with a stick and a splinter of wood. 

From: https://www.123rf.com/photo_36629360_stock-vector-like-father-like-son.html

2) The apple never falls far from the tree: Similar expression to the previous one. It indicates that  certain traits and characteristics are passed on to the offspring, that is, that your child will inherit some traits from you. For example, both of them are reckless. You know, the apple never falls far from the tree. 

From: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Proverb-Saying-Quote-APPLE-Magnet/dp/B003W2DPP0

3) To be the apple of my eye / to be the blue-eyed boy: If someone is the apple of your eye, it means that it's your favourite person in the whole world. By and large, baby girls are the apple of the father's eye. In fact, this is exactly what the idiom says in Spanish.

From: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/520939881891304508/

4) To be born with a silver spoon in one's mouth: This is said of a baby born in a wealthy family or in a well-off background. In Spanish we are a bit more modest and we refer to this expression as "be born with a bread under one's arm". That indicates the rate of poverty Spain is going through he he he. 

From: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/413346072035905606/

5) Smooth as a baby's bottom: This simile doesn't need an explanation, does it? We all know how cute and soft babies' bottoms are, he he he. 

From: https://www.joelsartore.com/peo024-00019/

6. Like two peas in a pod: When two people are like two peas in a pod, they are very similar. Normally parents and children are like two peas in a pod. In Spanish, we refer to this as being like two droplets of water. This means that two people resemble each other, or simple that the child takes after their parents. 

From: https://notonlygrammar.com/2016/05/17/two-peas-in-a-pod/

7. It takes a village to raise a child: A self-explanatory sentence to indicate that raising a child is hard work and requires the involvement of a great deal of people and caretakers. 

From: https://www.amazon.com/Takes-Whole-Village-African-Proverb/dp/B0794P8NKV

8. Mamma's boy: If someone is mamma's boy, that means he is a bit clingy and overly attached to his mother and, therefore, less independent than other children at his age. 

From: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/08/21/tf.mamas.boy/

9. Helicopter parenting: Helicopter parenting is a modern trend nowadays. If your parents are controlling and they are always watching you, that means they are helicopter parents. 

From: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/tech-happy-life/201902/no-dont-be-helicopter-parent-be-involved

10. The shoemaker's son always goes barefoot: This idiom refers to the fact that when a family of a skilled person never benefits from the family's work. In Spanish, this saying is expressed by saying:" in the locksmith's house, iron knife". 

From: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/555561304016166504/

Which of these expressions have you used? Which one is your favourite? Post it in a comment!.
P.S. If you are interested in this issue, revisit my entry on baby's vocab.

Impatiently awaiting...

Hiya!

I've been very busy lately and I haven't been able to write for a whole month or so. However, I'll keep being busy for a while, but due to a very good reason, no other than having a baby in... no time. In fact, the estimated delivery time for my baby was yesterday. My wife and I are eager to meet our child and that prompted me to write an entry dealing with some expressions related to impatience, you know, to kill the time while waiting for my child. I assume most of you are eagerly awaiting for something to happen at some time in  your lives, so, if that's your case, this entry is definitely for you! Shall we start?

From: https://digitalmarketingphilippines.com/the-age-of-impatience-interesting-things-you-must-know/

1. I can't wait to...

This very useful expression is very common in spoken English. It is said when you are eagerly waiting for something, for example, 'I can't wait to meet my son.'

You can also use this expression using a new subject in the second part introduced with the preposition 'for', as in 'I can't wait for my son to be born.'

2. I'm eager to...

The adjective 'eager' is quite common to express that you are anxious (in a good sense) for something to happen, e.g. you can say that you are eager to enjoy your holidays. 

3. I'm looking forward to...

This phrasal-prepositional verb indicates that you want something to happen. It can be followed by a noun phrase, as in 'I'm looking forward to the concert' or by -ing if it is a verb, for instance, 'I'm looking forward to hearing from you soon.' In fact is one of the few structures in English combining the preposition 'to' and the -ing form. 

4. I long for...

You normally know the word 'long' as an adjective, being the opposite of 'short'. However, 'long' can also be used as a verb, followed by the preposition 'for'. In this case, it means to desperately want something, for example, 'I long for some time for myself.'

5. I yearn for.../ yearn to...

You use this expression in FORMAL English to let others know that you are eager for something to happen. 'I yearn for home-made food.' or 'I yearn to savour my mother's home-made food.'

6. I'm keen to...

The adjective 'keen' has become commonplace in today's conversations. You can say that you're keen to visit your relatives overseas, for example. 

7. I'm enthusiastic about...

If you are enthusiastic about doing something, that means you can't wait for that something to happen. In my case, as I have previously repeated, I'm enthusiastic about meeting my son!

8. I feel like + -ing...

This is a common expression in informal English. However, it is not as emphatic as the previous ones. You can say that you feel like eating ice-cream, but that is not a big deal for you. 

9. I wish...

The verb 'wish' is used in multiple different ways in English:

- You can wish for something, for example, I always wish for snow at Christmas.

- You can wish for something to happen. In my case, I wish for my wife to give birth.

- I wish + simple past: when you wish for something that could happen but you are not really optimistic about it, for example, I wish I were taller. 

- I wish + would: when you one someone to stop doing something or start doing something, when you want someone to change their habits, as in 'I wish you would behave well with your mother.'

- I wish + past perfect: when you regret something you did in the past but it has no solution now. My grandpa wishes he had studied more, for example. 

10. I crave for...

This verb is normally followed by food or drinks and it is a typical structure said among pregnant women. Pregnant women have cravings, that is, they crave for chocolate, for example. 

11. I would die for...

This hyperbolic expression indicates that you are so eager for something that you could even die for it...For instance, if you are starving, you would definitely die for a bite to eat. 

12. I'm on edge...
You are on edge when you are so worried and anxious about something. I'm normally on edge when I want to know my exam results.

Well, right now I could use all these expressions. My restlessness will hopefully come to an end when I hold my child in my arms...
If you are interested in knowing more words and expressions about this topic, why don't you revisit my entry on expressions related to nostalgia?
P.S. I'll probably be absent for a while... but I'll come back, I promise!