Suffix: -less

A suffix is something added to the end of a word to change its meaning. In the case of -less, we add this to a noun to turn it into an adjective. The meaning of -less is without. For example, the adjective homeless means without a home. Here are a number of examples with sentences:

Powerless: After a natural disaster in another country, many people feel powerless to help.

Clueless: He has no idea what's happening; he's completely clueless!

Useless: We try to avoid buying useless gadgets just because they're in fashion.

One of my favorite adjectives with -less is relentless, which means without stopping.

Presentation: The birth of a word

Here is a new TED talk from Deb Roy, a speech acquisition researcher at MIT. Here, he explains five years of intensive recording inside his home, with the goal of gathering real data about the way an infant (in this case, his son) learns to speak. If you have a baby at home, or are interested in the origins of our ability to learn language, I think you'll find this very interesting!



P.S. This post is dedicated with love to Socrates, Ioanna and Euclid, three of the most expressive people I know.

Being late and being on time

I wish I could say that I'm always on time. If only it were true! But the truth is that I often find myself sending a text message to tell someone that "I'm running a few minutes late." I wonder how many text messages like this are sent every day? The number must be very, very high.
Here are a few useful expressions for when you need to tell someone that you're going to be late:




1. I'm running a bit late but I'll be there soon.
2. I'm on my way! See you in 10 mins!
3. I'm sorry but I won't make it for the meeting.
4. My flight was delayed so I'll arrive at 4pm instead of 2pm.
5. I'm stuck in traffic. Could we postpone the meeting until 10:30?

Some people are always very punctual, and I want to be more like them. In the meantime, I'm working on improving, but I might send you one of these messages...

Expression: "If March comes in like a lion...

...it will go out like a lamb."

This is a typical expression about the weather in March. A lamb is a baby sheep, so the idea is that if the weather is very strong and wintry at the beginning of the month, like a lion, then at the end of the month it will be the opposite: sunny and calm, like a lamb. The reverse is also true: "If March comes in like a lamb, it will go out like a lion." So, what do you predict for the end of March, lamb or lion?

Compound Nouns 1: Noun + Noun

Compound nouns are everywhere! They are often composed of two nouns together, usually with a space between the words. When a compound noun is formed with two nouns, the first noun is generally describing the second one. For example: alarm clock. The second word, clock, is more general, and the first word, alarm, tells you what kind of clock it is. Here are some more examples of this kind of compound noun: credit card, sales department, youth hostel.
Sometimes the two nouns have come together and there is no space between them (although there may have been in the past). Examples of this would be: earring, trademark, sunglasses.
It's interesting to notice that compound nouns often appear in the language as a result of new inventions or new aspects of society. For this reason, they are constantly being invented.

Expression: Under the weather

Under the weather is a great expression. It means that you don't feel well, but it's not really serious. Also, the expression isn't very specific; you could have a little cold, or a little stomach problem.

If you're not feeling very well, you can have a version of the following conversation:

Your coworker: "How are you?"

You: "A bit under the weather."

Now, if your coworker wants to know more, they can ask, but if not, they get the general idea.

It's important to notice that under the weather describes your physical state, not your emotional one. For more about what to say when you don't feel well, click here.

Word of the day: Typo

A typo is a typographical error, which means a mistake in typed or typeset material. Often, a typo is a misspelling, made by reversing two letters, or hitting the wrong key when typing. Typo is a noun, and we generally use it with the verb make.
I make about 50,000 or so typos a day, depending on how much I have to write. Okay, maybe that's a slightly high estimate, but if you've ever received an email or SMS from me, you know it's pretty close to accurate. I'm not a very good typist, and although I like to think that I catch most of my mistakes, it's not true. Nonetheless, I keep trying!
Typos are common in blogs, newspapers, on signs, menus, and anyplace where text appears. Of course, soemtimes the mistakes are not typos, meaning that the writer didn't know that the word was incorrect. This happens a lot with "its". People put "it's" when it should be "its", and they don't recognize the mistake. An example of a real typo would be one that I read this morning: "curmbling" instead of "crumbling".
What about you? Do you make a lot of typos? Do you catch them before others have a chance to see them? Have you seen any memorable typos on the internet, on sign or in print?

P.S. There is at least one typo in this post. Can you find it?