Mosaic Languages English

April is coming

Do you agree with this selection?

The 20 best songs of 2021 We celebrate everything from Lil Nas X’s conservative-baiting Montero to Wet Leg’s instant indie classic – as voted for by 31 of the Guardian’s music writers

Very British? What do you think?

Then again, here in London, we would say Autumn :)

Carving pumpkin workshop
Halloween in England

Visit to the National Gallery
15th October 2021

Quiz!!!

It’s quiz time! Which of these phrasal verbs best fits in this sentence? 🍽️

Only one means ‘to not take advantage of an opportunity’.

Do you know which one it is?

Could you understand young Londoners ?
From the comments: "These people would have copyedited Shakespeare out of all his new words and phrases, given half the chance back in his day."
Words That Shakespeare Invented
Here are some words we still commonly use that first appeared in Shakespeare’s plays along with the meaning and an example sentence:
admirable - something that deserves respect or admiration
Being honest is an admirable quality.
auspicious - favorable; promising success; a good omen
A wedding is an auspicious occasion.
belongings - a person’s moveable possessions
She packed her personal belongings in her bag to leave.
lonely - to be alone
The woman was lonely in the house without her beloved dog.
overblown - pretentious or outrageous
Your teenager might have overblown dreams of success and glory.
Shakespeare didn't just increase the number of new words in the dictionary, he also coined some colloquial phrases. Many of these are sure to be familiar.
"Break the ice" (The Taming of the Shrew)
Often when you meet someone for the first time, you "break the ice" by asking them polite questions about themselves.
"Fair play" (The Tempest)
Follow the rules, especially in competitions or sports.
"In a pickle" (The Tempest)
To be "in a pickle" is to be in trouble or in a situation that you cannot easily get out of.
“Pound of flesh” (The Merchant of Venice)
When this phrase is used it is talking about a cruel or unusual punishment.
examples from https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/word-lists/list-of-words-and-phrases-shakespeare-invented.html

Oh my days: linguists lament slang ban in London school Exclusive: ‘like’, ‘bare’, ‘that’s long’ and ‘cut eyes at me’ among terms showing up in pupils’ work now vetoed in classroom

A great example
But also a lesson: if you are given to the opportunity to learn ( languages), don’t skip your lessons. :)

Kenyan runner, Abel Mutai was just a few meters from the finish line but got confused by the signage and stopped, thinking he had finished the race. A Spanish runner, Ivan Fernandez, running behind him realized what was happening with his fellow competitor and started yelling at the Kenyan, "Keep running! Keep running!". Abel Mutai did not know Spanish and did not understand it. In the middle of a race between world class competitors, Ivan Fernandez had encouraged Abel Mutai to claim the prestigious victory.

When a journalist asked Ivan why he did that. Ivan replied, ′′ My dream is that one day we can have a kind of community life in which we push each other and help each other to win."

The journalist pressed, ′′ But why did you let the Kenyan win?"

Ivan replied, ′′ I didn't let him win, he was already going to win. The race was his."

The journalist insisted, ′′ But you could have won!"

Ivan looked at him and replied, ′′ But what would be the merit of my victory? What would be the honor in that medal? What would my mother think of that?"

Values are passed down from generation to generation. What values do we teach our children? Let's not teach our children the wrong ways and means to win. Instead let's pass on the beauty and humanity of a offering a helping hand.