English idiom. used to mean that a person stops thinking about something or someone if he or she does not see that thing or person for a period of time.
Valentine’s Day:
Valentine’s Day occurs every February 14. Across the United States and in other places around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and where did these traditions come from? Find out about the meaning and history of Valentine’s Day, from the ancient Roman ritual of Lupercalia that welcomed spring to the card-giving customs of Victorian England. Where did Valentine’s Day originate from? The history of the holiday—and the story of its patron saint—is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Still, others insist that it was Saint Valentine of Terni, a bishop, who was the true namesake of the holiday. He, too, was beheaded by Claudius II outside Rome.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl—possibly his jailor’s daughter—who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and—most importantly—romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.
Penalty(which is also used in football = in German Elfmeter im Fußball).
The noun penalty refers to an official punishment, usually through a fine or other payment, for breaking a contract.
Sample sentence:
“If you don’t pay your suppliers on time, there will be a penalty of 10.5%.”
Law English word of the Week:
Wortschatz für Verträge:
Fine
An amount of money that you need to pay when you break a small law.
“She was speeding and so she got a fine.”
“I got a parking ticket and had to pay a fine.”
FINE can also be used to talk about the weather or your health.
Sample Sentence:
“The weather is very fine today“
“How do you feel today?” “I feel fine.“
There are other meanings – uses of the word FINE.
Vocabulary for Contracts:
Wortschatz für Verträge:
Whereasconj: it being the case that; in view of the fact that [in an introduction to contracts].
Sentence example:
“Holiday pay is covered in Article 3, whereas sick leave is covered in Appendix B.”
Vocabulary for Negotiations:
Wortschatz für Verhandlungen:
Alliance: the state of being joined in an association or coalition.
Sentence example:
“There has been a pattern of shifting alliances in the political world. The article condemns what some say is an unholy alliance between the government and the media. one nation working in alliance with another. There is disagreement within the alliance about how to deal with this problem.“
In the Second World War, there were, basically two alliances. ‘The Allies‘ comprised of the British, the Americans and the Russians (many other countries were also involved, such as Commonwealth Countries, Countries who were part of the British Empire, as well as the Canadians.) ‘The Axis‘ (of Evil) Alliance was Germany, Italy and Japan (and just like the ‘Allies‘, this ‘Axis of Evil‘ had other smaller countries on their side.)
The film “Independence Day” on July the 4th is about beingindependentfrom Aliens. Well, that’s Americans for you! This is also a business word, whereupon one can have an Independent Company.
Phrase of the day: Satz des Tages:
To knock it on the head:
To prevent something from happening, or to finally finish something:
SAMPLE SENTENCE:
“It’s nearly done – another couple of hours should knock it on the head.”
to cause the end or failure of (something).
SAMPLE SENTENCE:
“The closing of the airport knocked our holiday plans on the head.“
To nip it in the bud:
To stop (something) immediately so that it does not become a worse problem.
“Inflation will only get worse if the government doesn’t do something right now to nip it in the bud.”
Idiom of the day: Redewendung des Tages:
‘Better late than never’:
Better to arrive late than not to come at all. It is better to do something or arrive after the expected time than not do it or arrive at all.
Sample Sentence:
“It took them the majority of the campaign to come to that conclusion, but better late than never.“
There is a very funny two-series USA programme called, “Better late than never”. If you have VPN, then you can watch it.
British English Dual carriageway = / American English = Divided highway.
Special Grammar tip of the week:
Spezieller Grammatik-Tipp der Woche:
Use the correct conjugation of the verb
Remember to change the verb to agree with the subject. The main subjects you need to be careful with are he, she and it because they often have a different form to the others. For example:
She has two cats. RIGHT
She have two cats. WRONG
This seems like a small mistake to make but unfortunately, it’s a very noticeable one. So if you can avoid it, it’ll make a big difference to how accurate you sound.
Remember also that when you describe something using ‘There is/are’, the verb must agree with the first item you mention. For example:
There is a sofa, some chairs and a table.
There are some chairs, a table and a sofa.
Pronunciation tip: Aussprachetipp:
Good pronunciation is very important for good spoken communication. However, you do not have to speak like a native English speaker to have good pronunciation.
There are many different natural varieties of English pronunciation in Britain and around the world. The activities and resources in this part of the site are designed to give an introduction to certain features of standard southern British English pronunciation.
The Sounds of English: There is a system of symbols for writing the sounds of English. There is a guide to these symbols and also videos to show how to pronounce each of the sounds which can be found on the WWW.
There are also activities to practise identifying the difference between certain sounds which may sound similar. Features of English: Information about different elements of English pronunciation.
There are also interactive and downloadable exercises to help you build your understanding of these areas, just Google them and you will find what you want.
Programmes
Three radio programmes from 2005 on the topic of pronunciation. You can download the full programs along with the script and audio examples.
False Friends Tip of the Week:
Falsche Freunde Tipp der Woche:
The term “false friends” (German translation: “Falsche Freunde”) is used to describe a pair of words from two languages, which have significantly different meanings despite the fact that they sound or look alike.
In some cases, there is a partial overlap in meanings, which creates additional complications.
To avoid misunderstandings – and translation errors and to make you an expert in the English language, I have compiled a list of the most notorious false friends and these appear in each Blog.
aktuell =current, topical. F.F. =actual meaning of the F.F. wirklich, tatsächlich.
Slang word of the day: Slangwort des Tages:
To be Skint (noun)
Still on the theme of money, ‘skint’ means that you don’t have any.
Sample Sentence:
“Sorry, I can’t come out for your birthday. I won’t be getting paid until the end of the month and so I’m skint.”
Wit, wit, wit – Drink and Other Drugs:
Witz, Witz, Witz – Trinken und andere Drogen:
“No, I don’t mind if you smoke – not if you don’t mind me being sick all over you.” Quote by Thomas Beecham.
Colloquial / Colloquialisms:
Umgangssprache / Umgangssprache:
1. Laidback – Relaxed or calm. Eg. “This weekend was very laid back.”
2. Chill – (Same as above).
3. Sweet – Fantastic.
“I passed the test!”
“Sweet!”
4. Cool – (Same as above).
5. Lame – The opposite of cool or fantastic. Eg. “That’s so lame that you can’t go out tonight.”
Cockney rhyming slang: Cockney Reimender Slang:
“Spic and Span” = adjective spotlessly clean and neat: a spick-and-span kitchen. perfectly new; fresh.
Adverb in a spick-and-span manner.
“Spic-and-Span” = clean and tidy, shipshape.
Quote of the week: Zitat der Woche:
“The only certain barrier to truth is the presumption you already have it”.
Quote by Edmund Spencer.
“There is a principle which is a bar against all information; which is a proof against all argument, and which cannot fail to keep Man in everlasting ignorance; that principle is condemnation before investigation.”
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