Gray Matter Speaking Club offers a way to exercise your brain. Sessions are short, so even with a busy schedule, you can find time to practice.
Connect with other busy professionals to discuss interesting topics, to infuse your English and social skills. Grey matter in your brain is responsible for seeing and hearing, memory, emotions, speech, decision making, and self-control. Gray Matter Speaking Club offers you a way to exercise your gray matter.
31/03/2021
Big picture - Everything that is involved with a particular situation; By the book - To do things exactly according to the rules or the law; Cut-throat - Very intense, aggressive, and merciless competition.
Which idioms is new for you?
30/03/2021
My friends, I want to express my love to you and my appreciation! You are brave! You are talented! You are brilliant!
29/03/2021
According to ethnologue.com, 21st edition, there are 1,121 million native and non-native English speakers in the world. It makes English the most widely-spoken language. However, there are almost twice more non-native speakers (743M) than native speakers (378M).
29/03/2021
Cool phrases from urbandictionary.com
Leave comments if you know the correct answers.
girlfriend button
The button on the controller of an Xbox or PS2 you have to press to pause the game when your girlfriend wants to talk.
coffee face
That ugly face people have in the morning before they drink their coffee.
muffin top
When a woman wears a pair of tight jeans that makes her flab spill out over the waistband, just like the top of a muffin sits over the edge of the paper case.
29/03/2021
W3Techs.com
analyzes the data from the 10 million websites with the most traffic. It states that in February 2021 English takes first place in content language with almost 60.5% of content being English. Russian was in second place with only 8.4%. Follow us to learn new English words and to practice your English.
29/03/2021
English words you can't translate to Russian with one word:
The jet log is extreme tiredness and other physical effects felt by a person after a long flight across different time zones.
A sibling - each of two or more children or offspring having one or both parents in common, a brother or sister.
Earworm is a catchy song or tune that runs continually through a person's mind.
Bromance is a close but non-sexual relationship between two men.
Facepalm is a gesture in which the palm of one's hand is brought to one's face as an expression of dismay, exasperation, embarrassment, etc.
To Commute is to travel some distance between one's home and place of work on a regular basis.
If you know other words, please comment.
29/03/2021
Ethnologue, 21st edition states that English is spoken in 118 countries. According to Wikipedia 59countries use English as an official language.
Follow us to learn new English words and to practice your English.
29/03/2021
Russian words you can't translate to English as one word:
Avos' is a term/a philosophy that is used to express hope for success even when there aren't many reasons for success, to express trust in God and supernatural forces.
Sovok is a term used to describe the atmosphere and the philosophy associated with Soviet mentality.
Pochemuchka is a person who asks a lot of questions.
Zapoy is a term used in Russia and other post-Soviet states to describe alcohol abuse behavior resulting in two or more days of continuous drunkenness.
Toska – Russian word roughly translated as sadness, melancholia, lugubriousness. “No single word in English renders all the shades of toska," - said Vladimir Nabokov.
If you know other words, please add them in the comments.
29/03/2021
Did you know?
The 2021 UN theme for International Women's Day is "Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world", highlighting the impact that girls and women worldwide had as health care workers, caregivers, innovators, and community organizers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The hashtag will be and .
According to unwomen.org
, women are Heads of State or Government in 22 countries, and only 24.9 percent of national parliamentarians are women. At the current rate of progress, gender equality among Heads of Government will take another 130 years.
Photo of a girl by Dulcey Lima on Unsplash
29/03/2021
Useful phrases to talk about self-development:
Broaden my horizons = learn more about the world, or learn more about other cultures, see the world
An eye-opening experience = a fascinating experience, an informative experience, it allowed to understand how other people live and think
Follow my dreams = plan to, wish to, set up a plan
Get out of my comfort zone = I am keen to face new challenges and have new experiences
Money is not important = While money is important, I prefer to focus on...
Do you know other cool phrases to talk about self-development? Please, share in the comments
29/03/2021
"A different language is a different vision of life."
Federico Fellini
29/03/2021
A homograph is each of two or more words spelled the same but not necessarily pronounced the same and have different meanings and origins:
bow of a ship/a bow and arrow
lead (to go in front of)/lead (a metal)
wind (to follow a course that is not straight)/wind (a gust of air)
bass (low, deep sound)/bass (a type of fish)
Can you think of other homographs? Please, comment.