Webster Word of the Year: Overshare

Is there a better way to inaugurate our Word of the Day feature than refer to Webster's?

Sure there are several sites you can consult for a word-of-the-day, but Mr English 101 gives you more. Along with our daily pick of our Word of the Day, you receive our daily English news article and our articles providing insight into the English language.

Overshare - v. - to divulge excessive personal information, as in a blog or broadcast interview, prompting reactions ranging from alarmed discomfort to approval.

It beat out competition from leisure sickness, cyberchondriac, selective ignorance and youthanasia.

Now, our inaugural Word of the Day: slyboots: a sly or tricky person.
Example: Would you buy a used car from a slyboots?

Vocabulary, as noted in our previous post, is essential to learning any language. English, as a vacuum cleaner absorbing words from other languages and constantly evolving from its Latin and Greek roots, still has a reserve for its own original words.

Slyboots dates from the 1700's. Of course, sly means cunning or deceiving. The Word Detective fills in the interesting part about boots (a "fellow") thus a "sly fellow" or slyboots.
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If you are in Buenos Aires and want English lessons personally designed to fit your needs or need to increase your English vocabulary, please call Professor Winn at 1160 461 342 or send an email to mrenglish101@gmail.com.

Anyone interested in translations from Spanish, French, or Portuguese to English may send an email to mrenglish101@gmail.com for a prompt evaluation.

Building a Stronger English Vocabulary

From beginning English students to veteran wordsmiths, there is a constant search for le mot juste (the correct word) as the French put it. A rich and powerful vocabulary is essential for communication in any language.

We have two vocabularies: 1) active and 2) passive. An active vocabulary is the one used in every day speech. These words are on the tip of our tongues, very familiar, and commonly understood. Our passive vocabulary comes into play when reading and understanding newspapers, documents, or other literature. Since written English is more formal, words not commonly spoken but only written are recognized and processed by the brain.

How do you build a strong vocabulary? Read!

Both our active and passive vocabularies are increased in context. While reading, do not skip over words that you do know. Write them down and look them up in a dictionary. Pay careful attention to the pronunciation and analyze how the word is used in the sentence. Often you can gather a clue about the meaning of a word simply by reading the other words surrounding it.

In English, knowing certain Latin and Greek roots can boost your understanding of words.

If you are up for a challenge, start with 5000 vocabulary words and best of all have fun learning and enjoying the love of words!

If you are in Buenos Aires and want English lessons personally designed to fit your needs, please call Professor Winn at 1160 461 342 or send an email to mrenglish101@gmail.com.

Anyone interested in translations may send an email to mrenglish101@gmail.com for a prompt evaluation.

Welcome!

Welcome to Mr. English 101!

If you are fascinated by the English language or just curious about the impact of the modern lingua franca on social, political, and economic affairs around the world, you have stumbled upon the right blog for YOU!

I am Professor Winn, an English instructor and certified translator (Spanish/French/Portuguese to English) currently living in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Teaching English as Foreign Language (EFL) is both rewarding and challenging at the same time.

I created Mr. English 101 to demonstrate how my native language interacts with our global society. The demand for English instruction is the highest among second languages. From arts to commerce to diplomacy, English dominates communication in our multipolar world.

My point is not English-language chauvinism. I am fluent in Spanish and read French and Portuguese at a very high level (thus I can translate from them into my native language, as a professional translator should). My respect for other languages and cultures is deep and genuine.

However, the English language at this current time has a greater impact in everyday life. Mr. English 101 demonstrates this fact via reports throughout the week drawing from headlines around the world in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese about how the English language is impacting our global society.

As an added bonus, English lessons are included in the mix for those who are learning English and want to learn more or native speakers who want to improve their own language skills.

So, sign up to follow this blog or subscribe today so you will not miss any of my exciting posts as together we go forward in the discovery of just how important the English langauge is today.

If you are in Buenos Aires and want English lessons personally designed to fit your needs, please call Professor Winn at 1160 461 342 or send an email to mrenglish101@gmail.com.

Anyone interested in translations from Spanish, French, or Portuguese to English may send an email to mrenglish101@gmail.com for a prompt evaluation.

Thank you, my loyal readers, for your support and stay tuned for our exciting excursion ahead!