I've been living in London for quite a few years now. I don't get to head North to visit my home town of Newcastle very often, but when I do, there's always one sight I really look forward to. Here it is:

The Tyne Bridge

This is the beautiful Tyne Bridge. It's the first landmark you see when you arrive in the city from the South by train. When I see that bridge, I know I'm home.

Here is a photo I took of the city's monument to George Stephenson, who, together with his son Robert, established the world's first locomotive factory.

The statue of George Stephenson in Newcastle

Here's an animation of Stephenson's famous steam locomotive, The Rocket. Click through the animation and you will be challenged to name the parts of the engine - and to build it!

Of course, a bridge had to be built so that the trains could cross the river! It's a split-level bridge, with cars and people using the lower level and trains running on the upper level. Here it is:

The High Level bridge in Newcastle

Here's another monument: this one was built in recognition of Charles Earl Grey, who, amongst his other achievements, introduced the British people to a particular blend of tea. Which blend of tea? The clue's in the name: According to legend, the tea was specially blended by a Chinese guest for Earl Grey and his wife, to suit the water at his home. Is it true? I don't know. But I do know that even as I write this, Earl Grey tea is being served to tea-drinkers all over the world.

Earl Grey's monument in Newcastle

Another place that I'm especially fond of is the Central Arcade. It is over 100 years old, but, as you can see from the photo, it has been beautifully maintained over the years and now hosts coffee shops, boutiques and a music store. It is very well-loved by the people of Newcastle, myself included!

Newcastle Central Arcade

If you ever get the chance to visit Newcastle, I'm sure you'll be very impressed by the city, its people and the architecture. And don't forget to have a cup of Earl Grey tea!

All the best,
Catherine

P. S. Read on if you'd like to do some language exercises about the passive forms I've used in this blog post. I'll give you the answers in my next post!

Language work: the passive.

Exercise 1. Here are some extracts from my blog. All of them are passive forms. But which tense are they? For each one, say whether it is: past simple passive, present perfect passive, present continuous passive, present simple passive, passive infinitive or future passive.

(For a summary of passive tenses, look at this episode of Learn It:)

• The bridge was opened
• many of them were built by Victorian industrialists.
• you will be challenged
• a bridge had to be built
• this one was built
• the tea was specially blended by a Chinese guest
• Earl Grey tea is being served
• it has been beautifully maintained
• It is very well-loved by the people of Newcastle
• you'll be very impressed by the city

Exercise 2. Rewrite these sentences in the passive form. Keep the tense the same (but passive)

1. George Stephenson and his son Robert established the world's first locomotive factory.
2. The city of Rio will host the 2016 Olympic Games.
3. The people of Newcastle love the Tyne Bridge.
4. We are developing a new communications system.
5. Daniel Day-Lewis has won the award for best actor.
6. Charles Earl Grey introduced the British people to a particular blend of tea.
7. They had to wear protective clothing in the museum.

Come back soon to get the answers!

London fashion week has just ended. Fashion shows have been happening all over the city. Newspapers and magazines are still full of gossip about who is the model of the moment (Cara Delevingne). Celebrities and journalists have announced what the best-dressed will be wearing in the coming seasons. Anna Wintour has been photographed without her trademark sunglasses. She is smiling! Clearly, clothes can bring you true happiness. I have decided that tomorrow, I will 'dress for success.'

I open my wardrobe door. Rows of clothes stare back at me. I realise that most of my clothes are black, dark brown and grey. They droop sadly on their hangers. Are they depressed, I wonder? I decide that 'a pop of colour' is needed for successful dressing, and choose a red cardigan. Now, I need to look chic and sophisticated: black and white stripes. Next, I also want to look cool and casual - on go the denim shorts! And finally, for practicality (it's cold outside) black tights and long boots are a fashion staple.

I shut the wardrobe door, decide that success is a state of mind and resolve to ignore London Fashion Week.

Catherine

Vocabulary

doors will open - new opportunities will become available
droop - hang downwards
staple - something necessary and important that people use regularly
slump - fall further down
resolve - decide or promise to do something

.. and huge congratulations to India for winning the Cricket World Cup! I really enjoyed reading your account of the victory and celebrations Pravin - you really brought the scene to life with your word choice and vivacious writing style. It's amazing how sporting success can lift the spirits of a nation - people here in England were overjoyed when we won The Ashes last year :-)

Frightened child
Broken heart
Fallen tree
Developed country
Abandoned building
Stolen money
Missed opportunity
Elected leader

Some other combinations that also work well are: broken life, stolen child, - thanks Hooonamdrol for these and also for missed call - another good example! Well done to everybody who wrote a paragraph using the words - most of them turned out to be quite sorry tales...

Well, this is my last blog posting for the time being. I must say I've had a lovely time chatting to Olga and Pravin and everyone else in our blogging community. I've also enjoyed reading all the comments from all our lovely blog commenters (including my mum) - thank you so much everyone for your support and appreciation - it's been a super couple of months!

Until we meet again, take care
Catherine

Useful vocabulary

vivacious - lively, positive
lift the spirits - create a good feeling
The Ashes - a cricket match that is played regularly between the English and Australian national teams
sorry tales - sad stories

Decisions, decisions! It seems there are advantages and disadvantages of both methods of finding a spouse. I suppose you just have to put your trust in providence and do your best to be a responsible husband with realistic expectations of married life... I hope you will let us know when you eventually find the future ''Mrs Pravin''!!

Here in London there is a very big wedding coming up soon - the marriage of Prince William and Catherine (Kate) Middleton will take place on April 29. It is most definitely a love marriage - and you can learn more about their courtship (and improve your English) by visiting our special BBC Learning English series A Royal Romance.

In your blog, you've used 2 different noun phrases - 'arrange marriage' and 'arranged marriage' to talk about the same thing. The second one - arranged marriage - with d on the end of arranged is the correct one to use here. The word arranged is actually a past participle, which works as an adjective to describe the word marriage. Another way to understand the grammar of the phrase 'arranged marriage' is to look at the word arranged as a 'passive adjective'. Somebody arranged the marriage, so we use a 'passive participle' to indicate this: arranged marriage.

There are a lot of adjective-noun combinations that work like this, including: fried eggs (somebody fried the eggs); broken glass (somebody broke the glass); timed exam (somebody timed the exam); fixed price (somebody fixed the price) etc.

If you would like more information on this language point, have a look at this Learn it page.

Homework
Today's homework comes in 2 parts:

Part 1
Have a look at these 2 lists of words:

List 1: frightened, broken, fallen, developed, abandoned, stolen, missed, elected
List 2: country, tree, child, leader, building, heart, opportunity, money

Now match each word from list 1 with a word from list 2 to make 8 adjective-noun phrases.

Part 2
When you have made your adjective-noun phrases, write a short paragraph (you can choose your own topic), using as many of the phrases as you can.

I'm looking forward to reading your paragraphs, Pravin and everyone!

The last thing I want to do today, Pravin, is to send huge congratulations to your wonderful Indian cricket team for getting all the way to the finals of the Cricket World Cup. I hope you get the result you want in the final!!!

Very best wishes
Catherine

Useful vocabulary

spouse - husband or wife
providence - fate, destiny
courtship - the time when a man and woman have a romantic relationship with each other, before they get married
lucid - clear, easy to understand

What a sweet story! I can just imagine you hiding from your little friend's grandfather and then sneaking down the stairs when she had persuaded him to go to bed. You're lucky you didn't get caught - you might have ended up with a very different story!

But ou need to take another look at the form of used to. Positive sentences are made with used to + infinitive without 'to'.

So your sentence '...around 5 or 6 o clock in evening I use to take my bicycle...' should read

'...around 5 or 6 o clock in evening I used to take my bicycle...' with a d on the end of use

And this sentence: 'What's more, she use to saw me from there...' should read: 'What's more, she used to see me from there...'

Here's a Flatmates quiz to give you a little more practice of used to.

And I'll give you some new homework in my next blog!

All the best,
Catherine

Here is your original sentence: ...do Visit, Coastal side of Maharashtra state, where you will find some of the great fort which was conquered by 'The Great Chattrapati Shivaji'

And here is the corrected version: ...do visit the coastal side of Maharashtra state, where you will find some of the great forts which were conquered by 'The Great Chattrapati Shivaji'

We need to add the because we are saying exactly which side of Maharashtra state the forts are on. And because you have used a plural determiner some of, the noun that goes with it needs to be plural too. Finally, I've corrected a couple of capital letters and taken out an unnecessary comma. Well done to everyone who did the homework, most people did a sterling job.

Turning to the language in your latest blog, I like the way you've used several different grammatical structures to describe your trip to Goa.

Your use of the simple past tense is spot on: ...it was real fun. We stayed there for almost 2 days.

And you've used 'would + infinitive' perfectly to describe a past habit: Then we would start our expedition to explore Goa [...] we would go to [the] pub.
But you need to tweak this sentence: '...we use to go to beach...'

'Used to + infinitive' is a great way to talk about past habits. In positive sentences you need to say used to with d. Negatives and questions don't have d.

Here are all 3 forms:
Positive: We used to go to the beach
Negative: We didn't use to go to the beach
Question: Did you use to go to the beach?

For more information about 'used to' for talking about past habits, take a look at this edition of Ask About English where Alex explains the difference between 'used to' and 'would'.

Homework
This week's homework, Pravin and everybody, is to write a short paragraph about your childhood. I'd love to hear about some of the things you used to do when you were small... make sure you practice 'used to' and 'would' in your paragraph, and feel free to ask me some questions about what I used to do in my childhood... I'll ask my mum to help me to answer some of them next time!

Have a great weekend Pravin, and everyone else in our blogging community!
Catherine

Useful vocabulary

mates - friends
gone up in my estimation - I have a higher opinion of this now
keep it up - continue doing this
did a sterling job - did the task very well
spot on - perfect

Thanks for your recommendation for my next visit to India. I'll certainly take it on board. I enjoy visiting old palaces, forts, temples and the like.

If I go to that area I will certainly swing by Goa. I'm curious to see it for myself, since I've heard mixed reports about it from friends who have been there. I heard that there is a 'hippy vibe' there, and depending on your tastes, you either love it or hate it... have you ever been to Goa, Pravin? What's your opinion?

...the great fort which was conquered by 'The Great Chattrapati Shivaji", previously those were ruled by Nijamshah.

I also like your use of 3 prepositional phrases to explain exactly where Murud Janjira fort is:

My favourite one is 'Murud Janjira' fort, located amidst the sea, not far from the beach (approximately 1 Km away from beach).

I particularly like your use of the preposition amidst, which has the same meaning as in the middle of. Murud Janjira fort sounds like a very unique place and well worth a visit!

Talking of prepositions, here are the answers to your prepositions homework:

a) We are all very interested (1) in finding out (2) about India.
b) English is often described (3) as an international language.
c) BBC Learning English is popular (4) with learners of English all over the world.
d) A lot of people are doing research (5) into the best way to learn English.
e) Adnan was introduced (6) to BBC Learning English (7) by his classmates.
f) Some people say that speaking good English requires a combination (8) of knowledge and confidence.

Well done to everyone who got mostly right answers! To answer a couple of your points Pravin, English speakers often use the phrase popular with. We don't say popular to. And yes, you can do research about something as well as into something.

And to answer a couple of questions and comments from our blogging community: Marco, try to think of elimination as a useful strategy in your English 'toolbox'. Essen, it's true to say that some of these phrases can be seen as examples of collocation.

Homework
And here is today's homework for you, Pravin and everyone. Have a look at this extract from Pravin's blog. There are a couple of teeny-weeny mistakes in it...

...do Visit, Coastal side of Maharashtra state, where you will find some of the great fort which was conquered by ''The Great Chattrapati Shivaji"

Can anyone help identify the mistakes and re-write it correctly?

Finally, I'd just like to say a quick hello to my mum (her name is Jenefer), who has joined our blogging community. Hello Mum!!

See you next time everyone,
Catherine

Useful vocabulary

take it on board - remember it and think about it when necessary
and the like - and similar things
swing by - visit when I am nearby
mixed reports - good opinions from some people and bad opinions from other people, about the same topic.
teeny-weeny - very small

Great to meet you here! I'm looking forward to exchanging blogs with you here, learning more about your country, telling you a little about mine and of course, giving you hints and tips on your English!

So let's move on to talking about your English Pravin - it's very good! Your writing style is relaxed and friendly as well as clear and easy to follow. What's more, you've used some very nice expressions in a very natural way. I particularly liked these ones:

And being born and brought up...

...honestly speaking...

I'd like to take a closer look at some of the prepositions in your blog, Pravin. You've used lots of verb-preposition / noun-preposition / adjective-preposition combinations perfectly - well done! Examples of these include:

...an opportunity to interact with you all.

...if you are not at all interested in the game...

However, a couple of your prepositions weren't quite right. We generally say dedicate to, not dedicate for. Here's your sentence with a correction from me (and I've made the word 'blog' plural too):

I will surely dedicate one of the upcoming blogs for to this one.

Fascinated usually takes the preposition by, not about:

...how fascinated are you about by India?

Homework
Here are some sentences with the prepositions missing. Your job is to fill the gaps! Here are the prepositions you will need (use each one once only): into, by, in, about, to, as, with, of.

a) We are all very interested (1) ______ finding out (2) ______ India.
b) English is often described (3) ______ an international language.
c) BBC Learning English is popular (4) ______ learners of English all over the world.
d) A lot of people are doing research (5) ______ the best way to learn English.
e) Adnan was introduced (6) ______ BBC Learning English (7) ______ his classmates.
f) Some people say that speaking good English requires a combination (8) ______ knowledge and confidence.

More information about prepositions
You can visit our Learn it area for more information about nouns and prepositions. And there is loads of information about prepositions in our Ask about English area.

Articles homework
Well done to the people who did the homework on my 'Cities and bridges' blog! Michael, Abdallah, Marco, Rzodkiewka, DentistBasma and Marcel - you are most dedicated students!! Here are the answers:

My home town, (1) (zero article) Newcastle, is in (2) the north-east of England. It is (3) a small city with a population of around 270,000 people. There are several bridges that cross (4) the River Tyne, on which (5) the city is built, joining (6) (zero article) Newcastle on (7) the north side of (8) the river with (9) (zero article) Gateshead, the city to (10) the south. (11) The newest of these bridges is (12) the Millennium bridge, a footbridge which was opened in (13) the year 2000 and is also known as ''The blinking eye''. Here is (14) a picture of (15) the bridge - I hope you like it!

Useful vocabulary

As it happens - actually
took in - included, visited as part of a tour
nature reserves - large areas of land where wild animals and plants live and are protected
What's more - also
I bet - I am sure
guys and gals - men and women (this is a informal and very friendly expression)

What a lot of facts and figures! Your city sounds very well-developed with all the infrastructure of a large modern city.

And you've given us a very curious piece of information about the time zones - fancy crossing a bridge and finding the time is an hour earlier than it was when you were on the other side!!

Today I'd like to look at your use of English articles, Olga.
Articles in English are the words 'a', 'an' and 'the', that are used in front of nouns. Sometimes, we don't use an article at all (we call this 'zero article'). The rules about articles are very complex, Olga, and even very advanced users of English tend to slip up now and again. But I'm pleased to say that you have used articles very well in this blog!

Here are some examples of your most excellent use of articles (and I've given the rule for each use in brackets after each example).

Novonikolayevsk began reconstruction in 1921 [...] And got its new name, Novosibirsk, in 1926. (We don't use articles with names of towns, villages and cities.)

The fast growth of the city... (Olga is talking about things she has already mentioned and which are known to the reader.)

...prompted the construction of a hydroelectric power station... ('the construction' is a specific event; there are many hydro-electric power stations and this - 'a hydroelectric power station' is just one of them, mentioned here for the first time.)

...causing the creation of a giant water reservoir [...] The reservoir is 160 km long... (The first time you mention something, use 'a'. The second time, use 'the'.)

...known as the Ob sea. (We use 'the' with the names of seas and rivers)

...it was the youngest city in the world... (always use 'the' with superlatives; there is only one world)

And here are a couple of examples that aren't quite right:

Novonikolayevsk began reconstruction in 1921 because of the Lenin's New Economic Policy. (We don't usually use articles with names)

In 1979 we started to build underground. (if 'underground' refers to a transport system, you need to use an article.)

...before 1920 left side of the city as regards to Ob river and right side of the city were in different time zone... (You are using the adjectives 'left' and 'right' to refer to specific areas of the city, which can't be confused with any other areas. Plus, we always use articles with the names of rivers).

Here are the corrected versions of these extracts from your blog:

Novonikolayevsk began reconstruction in 1921 because of Lenin's New Economic Policy.

In 1979 we started to build an underground. OR In 1979 we started to build the underground.

...before 1920 the left side of the city as regards to the Ob river and the right side of the city were in different time zone...

Articles homework
So here is some homework for you Olga and everyone: Look at the paragraph I've written about my home town, Newcastle, and decide what to write in each of the numbered spaces: 'a', 'an', 'the' or 'zero article'.

I'll give you the answers next time!

My home town, (1) ______ Newcastle, is in (2) ______ north-east of England. It is (3) ______ small city with a population of around 270,000 people. There are several bridges that cross (4) ______ River Tyne, on which (5) ______ city is built, joining (6) ______ Newcastle on (7) ______ north side of (8) ______ river with (9) ______ Gateshead, the city to (10) ______ south. (11) ______ newest of these bridges is (12) ______ Millennium bridge, a footbridge which was opened in (13) ______ year 2000 and is also known as ''The blinking eye''. Here is (14) ______ picture of (15) ______ bridge - I hope you like it!

For more information on articles, have a look at our series Learn it.

And you will find a lot of information about articles in our Ask about English area too.

Similes homework
For people who did the homework I gave you on my 'Winter cabbage' blog post - well done! You worked out that I used a face like a tomato to describe the redness of the skin on people's faces when they have spent too much time in the sun; and I used a big grey blanket to describe the London winter sky.

I really enjoyed the similes you posted! In particular I liked:

like a huge light yellow cheese - Evandro from Brazil is talking about the moon
like an Adam's child - Tufan is describing a well-behaved child
as pale as a sheet - from Tereza in the Czech Republic, talking about her pale skin
like a drop in the ocean - Marcel is talking about unimportant things
as good as gold - Abdisamad from Somalia has a well-behaved nephew!
you smell like a fish - Naheed teases her sister with this expression...

Thanks everybody for doing your homework and also for your kind comments about Grammar Challenge!! :-))

See you next time!
Catherine

Useful vocabulary

infrastructure - systems and services that a city needs, for example, transport, waste disposal, hospitals, power supply, clean water supply
curious - weird and interesting
fancy - imagine
slip up - make a mistake
footbridge - a bridge that is only usable for people who are walking. Cars and other vehicles can not cross a footbridge.

Well, I have learnt another fascinating fact about Siberia! I had no idea the temperatures could get so hot in summer. 35 degrees sounds absolutely wonderful! It doesn't get that hot very often here in London, but when it does, we Londoners make the most of it. On a sunny day, lots of people go to parks and gardens to picnic and sunbathe. Most people are sensible and they use suncream to protect their skin, but from time to time you will see someone who has overdone things and ends up with a face like a tomato!

As usual, Olga, your blog posting is beautifully written. You are very good at choosing a topic and developing, explaining and illustrating it with examples. I enjoyed reading it very much!

I'd like to suggest a couple of tweaks, though:

After 'be/get used to' (meaning be/get accustomed to) you need to use the -ing form of the verb. So your phrase You are used to feel cold should be written You are used to feeling cold.

We don't use the phrase clear true in English. Instead, you can say absolutely true, or totally true or one hundred percent true.

And those pesky prepositions! Instead of ...drives me on the wall, you need to say ...drives me up the wall. It's a super way of saying something makes you angry, frustrated, even crazy, Olga - really nice language!

And I also like your use of the phrase be like a cabbage. We don't have that expression in English, but it's easy to work out its meaning - wear lots of layers of clothing on top of one another. Very good advice for winter!

Phrases which use 'like' to compare one thing to another thing are called 'similes' in English. They are very useful for explaining your meaning. Of course, when you said 'be like a cabbage' I didn't think you meant 'be green and leafy'! In English, similes always have an idiomatic meaning, not a literal one!

Today's homework
So here is your homework for today, Olga and everyone: 1) can you find and explain the meanings of the 2 other similes I've used in my blog today? And 2) please everyone, use some similes of your own in your comments and postings.

Answers to the last homework:
Now, for people who did the parallel form homework: Well done!! As usual, everybody did very well, and Abdallah, your answer was correct before you changed it, as well as after! Marcel, your use of negatives in parallel form is super, and Marco, I liked your parallel verb forms too.

Here are some of the parallel forms I used in paragraph 2:

problems and frustrations
British humour + Russian humour
spending + standing
They think + they hate
Wonderful [..] I love spending + terrible [...]they hate spending

And Marcel spotted this one further on:

are talking + is happening

That's all from me for today. I'm looking forward to finding our more about your amazing homeland in your next blog Olga, until then,

Best wishes
Catherine

Useful vocabulary

• Fascinating - very interesting


• overdone things - do something too much or for too long, so that there is a negative result


• illustrating - explaining by giving an example


• tweaks - small alterations or corrections


• pesky - annoying, troublesome


• literal - real

Well, I have already learnt something new about Russian culture! I had no idea that black humour was such an integral part of Russian life. But your example joke demonstrates very well how people use humour to help them cope with a bleak situation. I totally agree that it's very difficult to translate jokes: understanding humour very often depends on knowing the culture that produced the joke. To tell you the truth, it was always a hairy moment when one of my students decided to tell me a joke. Quite often, I didn't appreciate the joke, because I didn't understand the culture... but I did my best to laugh anyway...

On to the English lesson... you have used some lovely phrases Olga, especially at the start of your sentences, such as these:

• It is a pity that the real Russian jokes, cool ones are unlikely to be translated.
• So, as a bottom line I can say that Russian humour is subtle yet cuts like a blade!
• It is worth mentioning Russian profanity ("mat"). (I've deleted 'about' - we don't need a preposition with 'mention').
• But I think I should give you at least one anecdote...

And you've also used linking devices such as 'despite', 'although' and 'however' effectively.

I didn't spot any binominals in your blog, but for all those people who did their 'homework' last week - congratulations to all of you: everybody got the right answers! Just to confirm the correct answers:

• (1) bits and pieces - (c) a variety; lots of different types


• (2) born and bred - (b) was born and grew up


• (3) scrimped and saved - (d) saved as much money as possible, by only spending money on things that were absolutely necessary


• (4) trials and tribulations - (a) problems, challenges, difficulties

You can find more information and quizzes about binominals in The Flatmates episode 81 and The Flatmates episode 99.

And now for some advice and corrections. The first thing I'd like to mention is this sentence:

Humour is being used as an "antidepressant" by Russian people since far from now.

You're talking about something that started in the past and is still happening now, so you need to use the present perfect tense. So instead of using the present continuous passive (is being used), you need to use the perfect form. Strictly speaking, the perfect continuous passive of 'is being used' is 'has been being used', but English speakers almost never use this. It's a bit of a mouthful! Instead, they use the present perfect simple tense and say 'has been used'.

You've used the word 'since' to refer to a point in the past - that's super! But 'far from now' doesn't sound quite right. I suggest changing it to 'the olden days' - it's quite a poetic expression in English, but it sounds just right for your blog! So your complete sentence would read:

• Humour has been used as an "antidepressant" by Russian people since the olden days.

And finally, I want to focus on this sentence:

• Why are we laughing on where we should cry?

I think this sentence could be improved by rewriting it like this:

• Why are we laughing when we should be crying?

Does it sound better to you? I hope so! I've done a couple of things to improve it. First, I've got rid of the preposition 'on' (we don't need it) and changed 'where' to 'when'. I've also used the continuous form in both the verbs 'laugh' and 'cry':

• Why are we laughing when we should be crying?

It gives a nice rhythm and balance to the sentence, don't you think? Repeating grammatical structures in a sentence is called 'parallel form'. It's a very nice technique to use in your writing. Parallel form makes your sentences very elegant!

Here are some more sentences from my blog that use parallel form. I've highlighted the matching verb forms:

• (participle + noun) Understanding humour very often depends on knowing the culture that produced the joke.


• (present simple negative + object) I didn't appreciate the joke, because I didn't understand the culture...


• (the + noun + of/on their + noun) the tone of their voice and the look on their face

And for part 2 of your homework - everybody please try to use parallel form in at least 2 sentences in your next blog / comments!

That's all from me for now - be good and take care!
Catherine

Useful vocabulary

• black humour - talking about the bad side of life in a joking way.


• integral - a central or essential part


• bleak - depressing, hopeless


• colourful language - swearing, cursing


• a bit of a mouthful - a phrase or sentence that is quite complicated and difficult to say out loud

Well here I am! My name is Catherine and I work right here at BBC Learning English. I'll be blogging here for a month or so. I'm looking forward to meeting you Olga, and to chatting with you and swapping stories, and of course, offering a few (1) bits and pieces of advice and guidance regarding English!

And now for a little English challenge. You'll see above that I've numbered and highlighted 4 phrases as follows:

(1) bits and pieces
(2) born and bred
(3) scrimped and saved
(4) trials and tribulations

These are known as 'binominals' in English. Binominals are fixed phrases, which are made up of 2 words, joined together in a particular way. All the binominals I've highlighted follow the pattern: noun or verb followed by the word 'and', followed by another noun or verb. Each binominal has a set meaning, and you can't change the order of the 2 main words (for example, you can't say 'pieces and bits').

So the challenge is: can anyone match the binominals above with their meanings (a) - (d) below? Have a go, and I'll give you the answers next time!

(a) problems, challenges, difficulties
(b) was born and grew up
(c) a variety; lots of different types
(d) saved as much money as possible, by only spending money on things that were absolutely necessary

Very best wishes
Catherine

Useful vocabulary

• got itchy feet - wanted to travel, see new places and do new things
• upped sticks and left - stopped living in one area and went to live in another
• hairy moments - unexpected difficult or scary situations
• a month or so - about a month

For Teachers: Here's a downloadable 'binominals' lesson plan to go with this blog. Happy Teaching!
Catherine