Expression: A chip off the old block

Imagine a big rock. Then imagine that someone comes and knocks off a piece of the rock with a hammer. The little piece of rock is much smaller that the big block, but it has the same composition. So we say that a person is a chip off the old block if they are very similar, especially in skills or behavior, to one of their parents. For example, if your father was an actor, and you're an actor, we might say that you're a chip off the old block. If your father makes a lot of jokes, and you do too, then you're a chip off the old block.

Hella

Hella is a slang word that is a kind of short form of "hell of", and people use it to mean really or very when they want to intensify an adjective. The best way to understand this word is to look at it in usage:

You: It's hella hot.
Him: Yeah, why don´t we go to the beach?

When you say "hella hot" you mean that it's really hot.

Here's another example:

Him: This paella is hella good.
You: It really is. It was such a great idea to come to the beach today!

You're likely to hear young people use this expression, but since it's a compressed word, it may be difficult to recognize. But when you hear it, you'll know what it means!

A new year, what about a new habit?

Now that the year is still very fresh, it's a great time to consider adopting a new habit.

If you're interested in improving your English, what about trying something new for a month, something you've never done before? Here are a few simple ideas:

1. Start a journal in English. Every day or every week, write some thoughts, ideas, new words, quotations or anything that captures your attention.

2. Read something different. Find a new blog about something you love, buy a cookbook in English, start reading an English or American newspaper or magazine. Even if it seems challenging at the beginning, practice will help you understand more and more!

3. Find the lyrics to your favorite songs and look up the words that you don't know. Slang dictionaries can be helpful in this.

4. Give yourself a mini-challenge. For example, you could commit to master a verb tense in two weeks. You could challenge yourself to really learn eight new words in one month. Or you could go to an English pub or language exchange and talk to someone new!

5. Participate in an online exchange, or start posting comments on blogs or sites you read. Or, if you're really brave, start your own blog in English!

I hope that 2013 has started well for you, and that it will be a year of happiness, adventure and well being!

Sip and slurp

Sip... and SLURP!

To sip is to take a small drink of something, like tea or wine. This action is delicate and quiet, and a sip is a small mouthful of the drink.

To slurp is the opposite, to take a big mouthful of soup or some kind of drink. This often makes a sound which is rude in some cultures.

Here are some examples:

She was quietly sipping her tea when she saw him come into the café.

Would you like a sip of this wine? It's really good.

Hey! Stop slurping your Coke! That's disgusting!

Bob noticed that the other diners in the Japanese restaurant were slurping their soup, so he decided to try it.

Ravishing

My word for today is ravishing. It's an adjective that means extremely beautiful, and we usually use it for a person's appearance, or for landscapes or views. It's an "extreme" adjective, so unless you like to be dramatic when you speak, you won't use it very much, only when something looks unbelievably impressive!

Him: Wow! You look ravishing in that dress!
Her: Thanks!

Travel ad: Relax in one of our spacious cabanas and enjoy ravishing views of the bay and surrounding mountains.

She'd hoped to look ravishing for the wedding, but her terrible sunburn diminished the desired effect.

P.S. This is Grace Kelly... Do you think she looks ravishing?

Fork in the road

A fork in the road is what you see in this picture: a place where the road you're following splits in two directions.

We also use this expression to talk about a moment in life when two options are open for us, and we have to choose one.

Have you ever come to a fork in the road, a situation where you had to choose between two directions for your life?

Keep it up

Keep it up is a phrasal verb which means to continue. People often use the imperative form to encourage someone to continue doing something. Here are a few examples:

Your boss: Wow! Your sales team had a great month!
You: Thanks! Yeah, everyone really worked hard and we were able to get all the goals at the end.
Your boss: That's fantastic. Keep up the good work!


Dear team,

Great job last month! I really appreciate the way everyone worked together, especially through some difficult moments. I want to thank everyone for your hard work and fantastic attitude. Now we just need to keep it up for the rest of the year!

Thanks again,

John

*****

I think that when you're trying to learn a language, especially once you have an intermediate or higher level, it can become difficult to continue. But I believe that if you keep it up, working along steadily, you will have consistent and lasting improvement. So don't give up!