15 Things We’ve Forgotten To Thank Our Teachers For

Teachers have superhuman qualities. They’re tolerant, patient, loving, encouraging, forgiving, supportive, kind, warm, generous, and painfully honest, among other things. They forfeit family activities, personal free time, friends, hobbies, and, in many cases, their mental well being to willingly bend over backwards for their kids. They’ve made some of the most lasting impacts on our lives, and always did something extra special to make their class the one we looked forward to. They cheered the loudest at the pep rallies and are quick to give up their own penny to buy extra art supplies when the district cuts the program entirely.

Teachers are superheroes that don’t need shiny capes or fancy leotards. (Let’s be honest, their outfits are way better anyway.)

Sadly, they aren’t as celebrated as professional athletes, movie stars, or famous politicians. They don’t get fat paychecks and sign autographs for endearing fans. Their driveways aren’t flooded with paparazzi, and their faces aren’t on headline scandals of U.S. Weekly.

They are, however, much more than any of that. It’s time we recognized and thanked them for the invaluable lessons they taught us both in and out of the classroom. Here’s 15 things we’ve forgotten to thank our teachers for, but it’s never too late to do so.

1. Thanks for teaching us how to share with one another.

Mousetrap, floor poppers, K’nex, and Koosh Balls are rad, but they’re way more fun with someone to enjoy them with. As much as we hated to let others join back then, we’re thankful for the friendships we made from sharing now.

2. Thanks for running after school programs, coaching, and grading papers every night, all while maintaining a “life of your own.”

The majority of you are soccer coaches, running the forensics team, or cheerleading the loudest at the football game against crosstown rivals. Starting and ending bells don’t mean a thing to you.

3. Thanks for giving us candy for subtle wins in academics, because it’s a proven fact that teacher candy is the tastiest.

The reward of getting an answer right is just as rewarding for the student as the teacher who watches the spark. Throw candy in the mix? Yowza.

4. Thanks for making us realize we were good at something we once thought we sucked at.

That Snoopy cartoon you made us draw that we thought would look like the bird poop splattered on dad’s front hood but turned out so good it made Charles Schultz jealous? That’s all you, teach.

5. Thanks for putting your life outside the classroom on hold for 9 hours a day and putting a smile on instead.

Many of us struggle to balance our personal drama with our desk job. Try doing that with 20-40 button pushing kids all day. Talk about resolve.

6. Thanks for dealing with an education system that isn’t always fair, and sticking up for us when your bosses don’t.

Anyone with a “real world” job knows that crud flows down the structural pyramid fast, so to speak. When state and city mandated budget cuts force outdated books, or the cutting of a program, teachers are normally the first ones to stand up in protest.

7. Thanks for giving us accurate and speedy feedback on our progress, or lack thereof.

“Days off” are two words a lot of teachers aren’t familiar with. Have you ever stopped to consider how many of you there are in a classroom and how badly our teachers want to see all of those you’s succeed?

8. Thanks for providing fair and honest discipline.

Being the infamous jerk teacher isn’t something any teacher strives to be. Keeping rule and authority in the classroom is a tricky playing field. I can’t begin to image how many times teachers must be asked, ‘Can I have my phone back?’ nowadays.

9. Thanks for loving your job despite horrendous pay.

Let’s not dance around it, they should be paid tons more for what they do. Period.

10. Thanks for making our imaginations stretch.

Giving open ended, your-choice-of-subject-matter type of assignments to keep things fresh works wonders for us kids. Thank you for giving us the academic freedom to explore our creative interests during school time.

11. Thanks for staying up with pop culture and cracking jokes about it even though it usually makes you look lame.

I once saw a teacher try to Walk it Out, and I’ll never forget it.

12. Thanks for making your own holiday decorations and coating your classroom in it. You’re so crafty!

Teachers are ingenious when it comes to this. If their curriculum can’t handle that kind of free time during November and December, they’ll spend late nights with hot cocoa carving construction paper snowflakes.

13. Thanks for putting us over you.

They offer kids a ride home when their parents forgot them after practice. They sit with a kid who missed the late school bus home after tutoring. They willingly pay for the kids meal who can’t afford cafeteria hot lunch. They always put our individual interests and happiness over their own. Always.

14. Thanks for believing in us.

Remember when you were so frustrated by math that you went to your teacher after school nearly in tears, and the two of you tackled long division together? Or how about the time you found out you were dyslexic and your teacher sat with you reading every word of an entire chapter during their lunch time? If there’s one thing you’ll never see a teacher do, it’s give up on a student in their class. Not a single one.

15. Thanks for changing our lives forever.

We easily forget all the things you’ve done for us, and sometimes we don’t recognize them until we’re older. Please understand that even though we don’t say it as much as we should, what you do and what you’ve done for us can’t be reciprocated, faked, or given by anyone else.

You’ve always been our heros, and you always will be. To put it the only way we know how:

 

Featured photo credit: Stanley Kubrick / Girl in Classroom via upload.wikimedia.org

 

Taken from http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/15-things-weve-forgotten-thank-our-teachers-for.html

15 Funny English Idioms You May Not Know

An idiom is an everyday figure of speech or metaphorical expression whose meaning cannot be taken literary. Idioms often go against the logical “rules of language and grammar” despite being commonly used by the language’s native speakers. If you look closely at the literal meaning of most idioms, you will realize they are often downright hilarious. Here is a list of some of the funniest English idioms you may not know, most of which are drawn from British English. Learn to speak like a regular Brit, mate!

1. Do a Devon Loch

Devon Loch was a racehorse that collapsed just short of the winning line of the 1956 Grand National race in the UK. If someone does a Devon Loch, they suddenly fail when everybody expects them to succeed or simply crumble at the very last minute when they were almost winning.

Example: It was shocking how Manchester United did a Devon Loch in the last minutes of the match against Arsenal.

2. Bob’s your uncle

This idiom is a catch phrase used when ‘everything is alright’ and means that something will be done, sorted or successful. It’s the British equivalent of “…and that’s that,” or “there you go!” How it is used is often quite funny.

Example: You want to go to the market? Go straight on until you reach the main road, take the first right, and Bob’s your uncle–you’re there!

3. Do a runner

When someone does a runner, he leaves a place in a hurry in order to avoid paying for something (like in a restaurant) or flees a difficult situation to escape punishment. Like many British idioms, this particular idiom originates from one of Shakespeare’s popular plays, Anthony and Cleopatra, a gripping story of romance and tragedy that was first performed in 1606.

Example: At this point, the con artist did a runner with all her money.  

4. Enough to cobble dogs with

This incredulous phrase is used to refer to a surplus of anything. The humor in the image contained in the phrase becomes apparent when you consider that a cobbler repairs shoes. If a cobbler has enough leather to cobble an animal that has four feet, then that cobbler definitely has a surplus.

Example: We’ve got enough beer in this party to cobble dogs with.

5. Fall off the back of a lorry

This is the British humorous way of saying you acquired something that was probably stolen, or you are trying to sell something that’s stolen or illegitimate. The American equivalent of the phrase is: “off the back of a truck.”

Example: I don’t know where you get this stuff. I suspect off the back of a lorry.

6. Hairy at the heel

This disparaging phrase was originally used by the British upper-crust to refer to someone who is ill-bred, dangerous or untrustworthy. The image of a hairy heel is indeed striking and funny.

Example: I can’t say I like Bob. I’ve once or twice had a row with him. He’s a bit hairy at the heels.

7. Cat’s arse

The humble cat’s arse–originally known as “felinus bottomus” to the ancient Greeks–is sometimes used to describe the facial expression adopted by a scorned woman. This rather vulgar phrase is apparently used because the (*) shape created by the woman’s lips resemble a cat’s backside.

Example: Bob won’t come to the pub with us–he’s afraid his wife will give him the ‘Cats Arse’ if he does.

 8. For donkey’s years

This British expression jokingly alludes to the considerable length of years the animal works with nothing to show for it. If you have done something for donkey’s years, then you have done it for an awfully long time without any change or much to show for it.

Example: I’ve been a plumber for donkey’s years. It’s time for a change.

9. All talk and no trousers

Someone who is all talk and no trouser talks and thumps his chest a lot about doing big, important things, but doesn’t actually take any action. The thought of someone running his mouth with no trousers is funny.

Example: Be careful. Politicians are known to be all mouth and no trousers.

10. If you’ll pardon my French

“Pardon my French,” or “excuse my French” is an informal apology for the use of profane, swear or taboo words. The expression dates back to the 19th century when it was fashionable for Englishmen to use French words–a foreign language then–in conversation, knowing the listener may not understand.

Example: What she needs is a kick in the ass, if you‘ll excuse my French.

11. When pigs fly

Pigs cannot fly. This often sarcastic idiom is commonly used among friends in the US to mean that whatever you are discussing will never happen. A similar saying was first used in Scotland in the late 1500s and a version of which even appeared in Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel Alice in Wonderland.

Example: Yea, right! You will get Justin Bieber to ask you on a date when pigs fly!

12. Cat got your tongue

Imagine a cat eating or holding your tongue! Would you be able to speak? No, probably not. That is exactly what the phrase means. If a cat got your tongue, you are unable to speak. Your silence is oddly suspicious. Apparently, the phrase stems from the middle ages when witches were greatly feared. It was said that if you saw a witch, her cat would somehow “steal” your tongue so you couldn’t report the sighting. Not a nice thought but definitely a reason why you would be speechless.

Example: Come on, Bob! Tell us what you think about our little party. What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?

13. Have a one track mind!

Most railroads have two or more tracks so trains can go in different directions. However, on a one-track railroad line, train traffic can only move in one direction at a time. If you have a one track mind, your mind is limited to only one line of thought or action. You are always thinking about the same thing.

Example: Oh, shut up, Sean! All you think about is food—you have a one–track mind.

14. Chew the fat

This idiom means to chat in a friendly and leisurely way or engage in casual gossip sessions. It is said to stem from the practice of sailors, who while working together, or during periods of rest, would converse leisurely while chewing on salt-hardened fat. A variation of this idiom is “chew the rag” in American slang.

Example: “The women have gone to one of their friend’s house to chew the fat,” John smiled.

15. More holes than a Swiss cheese

While delicious, Swiss cheese is hard, pale yellow or white with many holes. If something has more holes than a Swiss cheese, it has a lot of problems; there are many things wrong with it. It is incomplete or lacks important components.

Example: You can do better, Mary. This essay has more holes in it than Swiss cheese.

 

Taken from http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/15-funny-english-idioms-you-may-not-know.html

You Say Preservative, I Say Condom: A World Tour of “False Friends”

Does anything stand out in the following sentences?

“I don’t like this strawberry jam: it tastes like it has too many condoms in it.”

“Oh, please rape some cheese on my salad!”

“He was very pregnant after he fell down.”

“False friends” aren’t just mean nice people you can’t trust: they’re also a special type of word. Across European languages you’ll meet cognates – words that don’t change much from language to language. In London, you watch “television;” in Paris, it’s “télévision” and in Amsterdam it’s “televisie.” Head a little further east: you’ll be sitting in front of the “telewizja” in Warsaw, zoning out with the “televiziune” in Buchurest, and even catching the news in Moscow on the “televidenie.”

False friends are like the evil twins of cognates: they *sound* perfectly innocent in one language, and you might think they have the same meaning in a nearby language like Spanish, French or German – but don’t be fooled! These “false friends” have one noise, or one set of letters on paper, but what they stand for is totally different among countries and tongues. Check out some of the most common ways you can get in trouble, and remember what Oscar Wilde said: “A true friend stabs you in the front.”

*Feeling a little ashamed? Don’t tell your Spanish friend you’re “embarrassed” by saying “embarazada.” It means “pregnant” (“avergonzado” means “embarrassed.”)

*Preservatives may keep your food fresh in the US and UK, but across the rest of Europe (Spanish, French, Polish, Russian, etc) “preservativ” has a very different function… it means “condom” in all those languages. Keep it off your pizza!

*It may seem ‘crazy’ to you, but “bizarro” is a good thing in Spanish – it means “brave”!

*In Spain, “constipado” has nothing to do with fiber, and everything to do with covering your sneezes: it means “the common cold.” (The problem of too much cheese and not enough greens, for the interested, is “estreñimiento.”)

*If you see a French store with a big “SALE” sign, stay away! It actually means “dirty.” And, as we saw in the first paragraph, “raper” means “to shred or to grate.”

*If you think a German’s talking rude to you, don’t worry – “vomit” just means “with what,” and “damit” means “with that”!

*On the other hand, he may be angry that you offered him a “gift” – it means “poison” in Germany. (So don’t go opening any suspicious barrels marked “gift” outside of Berlin…)

*And, finally, one for the drinkers: if you’re wandering the Netherlands and see a sign marked “Lagere District,” don’t get too excited. It’s not a happy neighborhood dedicated to light beers; alas, in Dutch “lagere” just means “lower.”

 

Taken from https://voxy.com/blog/index.php/2011/11/false-friends-english-language/

6 Ways to Start the Conversation

One of the most exciting things about learning English is the opportunity it creates to meet and form relationships with so many new people.

Whether you’re being introduced to someone for the first time or catching up with an old friend, there are many ways to greet someone. Since a greeting sets the tone for the conversation that follows, it’s nice to have some variety in your personal “word bank”.

These 6 phrases each mean something slightly different – so make sure you read the explanations! – but are all great ways to greet someone.

• How’s it going?
  • This is an informal way to say, “How are you?”
• Long time no see!
  • This may look strange as a written sentence, but it’s a common thing people say when they haven’t seen each other in a long time.
• Pleased to meet you
  • This is another way to say “Nice to meet you.” It generally has a more formal connotation and can be used when you’re meeting a new person, like a new co-worker, for the first time.
• Look who it is!
  • In informal settings, this is a way to express excitement about seeing a friend.
• Good to see you
  • Just like it sounds, this phrase is used to say you’re happy to see someone again.
• Glad to put a name to a face
  • Many times, we’ll talk to someone via email or over the phone before actually meeting them in person. This is what you can say when you’re finally meeting someone face-to-face after communicating with them in other ways for a while.

Now that you know how to use these different greetings in different scenarios, try one out! Whether it’s someone new that you’re meeting for the first time, or an old friend that you haven’t seen in ages*, you’ll be able to start the conversation on a much more personal note with these phrases.

Taken from: https://voxy.com/blog/index.php/2014/06/6-ways-start-conversation/

Silly Muggle, Don’t You Speak Harry Potter?

Translated into over 60 languages from Bengali to Sinhalese, Harry Potter is of course deeply entrenched in much of popular culture. It is the highest grossing movie series of all time and has spawned a theme park, a line of jelly beans (watch out for the earwax flavor) and a merchandise brand worth over $15 billion.

Potter’s magical world of wizardry has its own customs, currency, food and, of course, vocabulary.

“Potter-ese” is definitely not a full-fledged language. You can’t set your Google search settings to it like you can with Star Trek’s Klingon, and it doesn’t have its own alphabet like Tolkien’s Elvish languages. But some Harry Potter lingo has become a mainstay of our language.

Take muggle, for instance, referring to non-wizards. Muggle has been included in the Oxford English Dictionary since 2003. In some common parlance, muggle refers to someone not in your social circle, as in “I tried to explain it to her, but she was such a muggle. She didn’t get it” – Urban Dictionary. MuggleNetis the name of a major online Potter fan group.

Apparate is another big one. Similar in meaning to teleport, apparate means to magically relocate oneself. As a skill many would like to possess, this word has potential for use outside of Potterland. The word itself makes plenty of sense in an English language format: app- brings to mind the word appear, while –ate indicates that the word is a verb, arguably simpler and easier to remember than teleport.

Linguistic innovations abound from the rules and regulations of the wizard sport Quidditch. And yes, real humans play Quidditch – just check out The International Quidditch Association for proof. They have their own world cup and team in 13 countries. The game involves the use of various balls termed snitches,quaffles, and bludgers.

 

Taken from https://voxy.com/blog/index.php/2011/11/harry-potter-language/

Sayings that make no sense in English

If idioms and phrasal verbs do not seem complex enough to our English learners, we always have the sayings to add up to their list. But as a “revenge”, other languages also make it complicated for us English speakers to figure out these complicated expressions. Here are some sayings (and idioms too) in varied languages that don’t make any sense when literally translated into English:

Japanese

Neko no te mo karitai; Translation: I’d even borrow a cat’s hand (that’s right, hand, not paw!); Actual meaning: I’m really busy.
Mekuso mimikuso wo warau; Translation: Eye booger laughs at earwax; Actual meaning: Pot calling the kettle black

Chinese
开门见山; Translation: Open the door, see the mountain; Actual meaning: Get to the point
博士买驴; Translation: Academics buy donkeys; Actual meaning: You’re being a pompous ass
画蛇添足; Translation: Draw snake, add feet; Actual meaning: You are doing unnecessary work that is ruining your result.

Czech
Bez práce nejsou koláče; Translation: No work; no pies. Actual meaning: No pain, no gain
Pečení holubi nelítají do huby”. Translation: Roasted pigeons don’t fly to your mouth. Actual meaning: No bees no honey, no work no money

Swedish
Ana ugglor i mossen; Translation: Suspect owls in the bog; Actual meaning: Suspect something is wrong

Danish
Van de pot gerukt; Translation: Torn away from the toilet; Actual meaning: Are you mad/insane?
At være høj i hatten; Translation: To be tall in the hat; Actual meaning: You have a superior attitude
Gemmer du til natten, gemmer du til katten; Translation: If you save it for the night (the next day), you save it for the cat; Actual meaning: If you don’t eat up your food and store it, the cat will surely eat it.

Dutch

Daar komt de aap uit de mouw; Translation: There comes the monkey out of the sleeve; Actual meaning: So that’s what’s really going on here!

Korean
김치국 부터마신다; Translation: Eating the kimchi soup first; Actual meaning: Hopelessly anticipating something big.

 

Taken from https://voxy.com/blog/index.php/2012/05/sayings-that-make-no-sense-in-english/

FREE LESSON: “Can you maybe shed a little light on this?”

Can you (do something)?

You’re in a meeting at work. You’re leading a discussion about a project which isn’t going well. You don’t know what’s wrong with the project, so you want to ask one of the people who’s working on it.

Nelly, can you maybe shed a little light on this?

This is a way to ask someone to do something. It’s appropriate for a boss to use with the people who work for him or her. It’s more direct than asking “Could you…”
Sometimes a person will include “maybe” in this question:

Can you maybe call him and tell him to meet us there?
                     Can you maybe turn the volume down just a little?

Shed light on (a topic)
The phrase “shed light on ___” means to explain or give information about something that people don’t know much about.
For example, if there’s something broken in your house and you think that your children may have caused it, you can ask them:
 The lamp seems to be broken. Can anyone shed some light on what happened?

News stories often use this expression in headlines. For example:
Testimony sheds light on politician’s shady dealings
This means that the things that people have said in court (“testimony”) has shown some of the dishonest (“shady) things that the politician did.

This
When people are discussing a problem or situation, they commonly refer to it as “this”:
   What are we going to do about this?
                     How long do you think this is going to last?

 

Taken from https://voxy.com/blog/index.php/2012/05/free-english-lesson-shed-light-on/

FREE LESSON: “I hate to say ‘I told you so’, but…”

You and your boyfriend disagreed about when to arrive at the airport to catch a flight. You thought that you should go earlier, but he wanted to go later. Now you’ve missed your flight. You’re annoyed, so you say this to him.

I hate to say ‘I told you so’, but…

I hate to (do something), but…
When people have to tell someone something negative, they often start with “I hate to ___, but…” For example:
I hate to have to tell you this, but your job has been eliminated.
I really hate to ask, but is there any way I could stay with you for a couple of weeks, until I find my own place?
When you start the conversation in this way, it sounds like you don’t want to say these things, but you are doing it because you have to.
I told you so.
“I told you so” is a set expression in English that means “I was right, and you were wrong.” You say “I told you so” when:
you disagreed with someone about a choice
the other person didn’t listen to your advice
the other person’s choice turns out to be wrong
“I told you so” sounds a little mean, so if you’re really trying to be polite, you should avoid saying it. People also introduce it like this:
I hate to say it, but I told you so.
I hate to say ‘I told you so’, but…

 

Taken from https://voxy.com/blog/index.php/2012/05/free-english-lesson-i-told-you-so/

Less or Fewer: which one should you use?

It is common for English speakers to mix up “less” and “fewer”. This is a mistake that even native speakers make fairly often. As a rule, “fewer” is used for nouns that can be counted individually, called count nouns, while “less” is used for things that can’t be counted, or noncount nouns. Compare these sentence sets:

“You should try to eat fewer sugary snacks.”
“You should try to eat less sugar.”

“Fewer distractions in the office would help me work better.”
“Less talking in the office would help me work better.”

These sentences illustrate the difference between count and noncount nouns. Count nouns can be expressed in the plural (like snacks or distractions), while noncount nouns cannot be expressed in the plural (like sugar or talking).

The distinction between “much” and “many” also depends on whether a noun is a count or noncount noun. Much is used for noncount nouns while many is used for count nouns. Putting the 2 rules together, you use “much” and “less” for noncount nouns and “many” and “fewer” for count nouns:

 

“Eating too many sugary snacks is unhealthy. You should try to eat fewer sugary snacks.”
“Eating too much sugar is unhealthy . You should try to eat less sugar”.

“There are too many distractions in the office. Fewer distractions would help me work better.”
“There is too much talking in the office. Less talking would help me work better.”

The exceptions to less/fewer rule are time, money, and distance. You would say that something costs “less than $100”, not “fewer than $100”, even though dollars can technically be counted. This is because you are referring to the cost as a whole amount. Similarly, you should also say “I’ve lived here for less than six months” or “There’s a supermarket less than 2 blocks away”.

By the way, that sign for the supermarket express lane that reads “10 items or less” is technically incorrect and should read “10 items or fewer” since you can count the individual items. Every so often, a grammarian will point this out but so far it’s been a losing battle.

Hopefully these tips will help you make fewer mistakes with English grammar!

 

Taken from https://voxy.com/blog/index.php/2012/07/less-vs-fewer-grammar/

5 Common Fishing Idioms

Ah, summertime, it makes you think of beaches, picnics, and fishing. Many commonly used English phrases come from fishing–let’s take a look at their original meanings.

1. Off the hook

Fishing meaning – This refers to the fish that got off the hook before it could be reeled in; the fish that got away.

How we use this in everyday English – “To let someone off the hook” means that you are not going to hold him (or her) responsible for something.

Example: Bob offered to drive me to the airport, so you’re off the hook for Sunday.

2. Open a can of worms

Fishing meaning – Originally, bait shops sold worms for fishing in cans, which were easy to open but difficult to close (because the worms kept wiggling out).

How we use this everyday English – When someone makes a comment or does something that seems to be simple but then causes problems.

Example: I asked her about her boyfriend, which really opened a can of worms because it turned out that they had just broken up.

3. Hook, line, and sinker

Fishing meaning – Parts of a fishing rod. The hook catches the fish, the line is the string and the sinker is the weight attached to keep the line under water. When a fish takes the hook, part of the line, and the sinker, it is completely trapped.

How we use this in everyday English – “To fall hook, line, and sinker” for something means to be tricked into believing something completely.

Example: I told my boss I was sick and she fell for the excuse hook, line, and sinker.

4. Hooked on

Fishing meaning – To be caught on a hook

How we use this in everyday English – There are two ways you can use “hooked on”. One meaning is that someone is completely captivated by something. The other meaning is that someone is addicted to drugs.

Example: I am completely hooked on this new TV show. I can’t wait until the next episode!

5. Reel in

Fishing meaning – To bring in a fish attached to a line by turning a reel.

How we use this in everyday English – To attract someone to something.

Example: The smell of freshly baked bread coming from the bakery never fails to reel in the customers.

 

Taken from https://voxy.com/blog/index.php/2012/09/5-common-fishing-idioms/