When I was a teenager, I loved hanging out with one of my friends after school. Once when we were in her room discussing movies, actors, life, and other things teenagers talk about, she told me that she really liked Brad Pitt. At the time he was just becoming famous and I still didn’t know […]
“You nailed it” and other idioms
A while ago I heard a nonnative speaker complaining that he had totally misunderstood his boss because of a phrase the latter had used. The situation was the following: the nonnative speaker presented something at work and after the presentation he asked his boss for feedback. “You killed it,” his boss said. The presenter was […]
How to sound clear in English
Last week I had a great conversation with a Bulgarian friend who shared with me that sometimes native speakers didn’t understand what she was saying. One time, for example, she asked someone “Where is Andy?” and she couldn’t understand why the woman she was talking to was so confused. When I told her that the […]
Your English, my English: the global lingua franca
When I worked for a tech startup in Silicon Valley several years ago, one day my coworker, a native English speaker, turned to our new French employee, Zack, and asked: “zacker zakry?” Zack had just arrived from France the previous week and wasn’t used to the American accent yet. He turned to me with a […]
The power of simple words
Embarrassed due to a mispronounced word?
Not long ago, one of my students shared with me a funny, but slightly embarrassing story regarding mispronunciation. She wanted to thank the technician who was fixing something in her house. But instead of “thank you for your patience,” what came out of her mouth was “thank you for your passion.” The guy looked perplexed […]
How to memorize words
Biting off more than you can chew
“If you’re always biting off more than you can chew, you’ll never end up swallowing.” This quote by Marie Forleo caught my attention because when it comes to my life, it’s true – literally and metaphorically. When I was a little girl and going to preschool back in my native Bulgaria, I had a hard time […]
Slogans with mistakes?
If correct grammar is so important, then why are some of the largest companies in the world choosing to have slogans with mistakes? Is it because it’s catchy? Or do they have to send their very expensive advertising agents to grammar school? 😅 There are certain situations where a message is more powerful when it’s […]