Look at that expression of urgency on Batman's face (well, the part of it you can see). It's clear that something of the utmost importance is happening here. And Robin has that worried and questioning look in his eyes. Evidently, this is a moment of high drama and excitement. So let's talk about modal verbs. … Sigue leyendo They may be drinkers Robin, but they’re also human beings.
Categoría: Blog
Life On Mars?
Is there? Life on Mars? Is there meaning to this song? Does it matter? Personally, I'd answer 'don't know', 'definitely' and 'possibly' There are songs we've listened to hundreds or even thousands of times in our lives, either allowing them to mean what we want them to mean or never even asking ourselves what they … Sigue leyendo Life On Mars?
Here Comes the Summer
It's still May. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. More often than not, that's good advice as well as being a fine example of the exhortative imperative. Let's just take a deep breath and wait a bit, before we get carried away saying that it's almost summertime. And let's not forget the fact that American … Sigue leyendo Here Comes the Summer
MacGyver is a verb
Imagine you're lost and alone in mountains, desperately trying to find shelter from an oncoming storm? And somehow you manage to make a tent out of some plastic shopping bags and the contents of your pencil case? That's all you have but it's enough to solve the problem. What you've done is an example of … Sigue leyendo MacGyver is a verb
Beer!
It's Saturday, it's the holidays, the sun's out...as if excuses were needed to dedicate a while to this well-loved beverage. A beverage is any drink other than water, just to keep things clear. The origin of the word 'beer' can be traced back to the Latin verb bibere meaning 'to drink', from which came biber … Sigue leyendo Beer!
Taylor Swift in 2020
Two extraordinary records from a year that was anything but ordinary: Taylor Swift's 'Folklore' and 'Evermore'. In a year that forced all of us to do things differently, here is some of what Taylor did. I don't feel like going into the meanings that these songs may have. You've got the internet for that. And … Sigue leyendo Taylor Swift in 2020
Ain’t that enough?
https://youtu.be/jdeqYx-9-AQ Teenage Fanclub's song 'Ain't That Enough' is wondrous, fabulous, marvellous and tremendous. '-ous' adjectives are all about something possessing or being full of something. The sound it makes is a simple /əs/. The sound that Teenage Fanclub make is simply glorious. Enough said*. 'Ain't' is a non-standard (so not to be used in writing, … Sigue leyendo Ain’t that enough?
An Accumulation of Strangeness
I'd really like to believe that many of the strange but charming nouns of assemblage (aka specific group nouns or collective nouns) that exist were the result of drunken mischief at the end of a lexicographers' Christmas party. Or something like that. How else could you explain the fact that if you came across a … Sigue leyendo An Accumulation of Strangeness
Two Fingers: The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner and other tales of defiance
I'll never forget the first time I read 'The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner'. It was very early in the morning and I was rather hungover, lying on the floor of a cold but otherwise welcoming house in Dublin. The pages of the book (my own copy, pictured above) were fragile even then. Almost … Sigue leyendo Two Fingers: The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner and other tales of defiance
Squid in your ink and vinegar on your chips
Bad translations of dishes on the menu are legion*. And some are legendary. 'Squid in your ink' (Calamares en su tinta) is a personal favourite. We're always going to be walking on thin ice with our literal translations and when we think in our own language and translate. As a matter of fact, 'thinking in' … Sigue leyendo Squid in your ink and vinegar on your chips