False Friends

False friends are false cognates. That is words that look the same in English as they do in another language - but have different meanings.

• actually = in realtà currently = attualmente
• addiction = dipendenza / assuefazione, sum = addizione
• annoyed = seccato / infastidito, bored = annoiato
• argument = discussione / litigio, subject = argomento
• ass = asino / = fig. somaro / sciocco, ace = asso
• bald = calvo, courageous = baldo
• barracks = caserma, shack = baracca
• brave = coraggioso, good / clever = bravo
• camera = macchina fotografica, room = camera
• canteen = mensa, cellar = cantina
• casual = informale, chance / coincidental = casuale
• code = codice, tail = coda
• cold = freddo, hot = caldo
• college = università, boarding school = collegio
• comprehensive = esauriente, understanding = comprensivo
• concurrence = coincidenza / concorso di eventi, competition = concorrenza
• confidence = fiducia, intimacy = confidenza
• convenience = comodità, profit / cheapness = convenienza
• corpse = cadavere, body = corpo
• cucumber = cetriolo, watermelon = cocomero
• definitely = certamente, ultimately = definitivamente
• delusion = illusione, disappointment = delusione
• dependant = familiare a carico, employee = dipendente
• diffidence = timidezza / ritrosia, distrust = sfiducia
• discomfort = disagio, distress = sconforto
• disgrace = vergogna / disonore, misfortune = disgrazia
• editor = redattore / curatore, publisher = editore
• educated = colto, polite = educato
• eventually = alla fine, possibly / if necessary = eventualmente
• fabric = tessuto, factory = fabbrica
• factory = fabbrica, farm = fattoria
• fame = fama, hunger = fame
• familiar = intimo, family = della famiglia
• finally = alla fine, at last = finalmente
• front = facciata / parte anteriore / fronte = militare, forehead = la fronte
• gracious = clemente / misericordioso, pretty = grazioso
• horse = cavallo, bear = orso
• ingenuity = ingegnosità / inventiva, naiveté = ingenuità
• inhabited = abitato, uninhabited = inabitato
• injury = ferita / lesione, insult = ingiuria
• insulation = isolamento, sunstroke = insolazione
• janitor = custode / portiere, parent = genitore
• large = grande, wide = largo
• lecture = conferenza, reading = lettura
• library = biblioteca, bookshop/ (Am) bookstore = libreria
• luxury = lusso, lust = lussuria
• magazine = rivista, warehouse = magazzino
• mare = cavalla, sea = mare
• mess = confusione / disordine, mass = messa
• morbid = morboso, soft = morbido
• noisy = rumoroso / chiassoso, boring = noioso
• notice = avviso / annuncio / cartello, news = notizia
• novel = romanzo, short story = novella
• palace = palazzo / reggia, building = palazzo
• pane = lastra di vetro, bread = pane
• parent = genitore, relation / relative = parente
• patent = brevetto, driver's license = patente
• plain = chiaro / semplice, flat = piano
• possibly = forse, if possible = possibilmente
• preservative = conservante, condom = preservativo
• presumption = supposizione / congettura, conceit = presunzione
• proper = appropriato / caratteristico, one’s own = proprio
• retribution = castigo , pay = retribuzione
• romance = storia d’amore, novel = romanzo
• sale = vendita, salt = sale
• sensible = sensato / percepibile, sensitive = sensibile
• storm = temporale, flock = stormo
• taste = gusto, key = tasto
• testimony = testimonianza, witness = testimone
• to advertise = pubblicizzare, to warn = avvertire
• to apprehend = arrestare, to learn = apprendere
• to attend = assistere / seguire / frequentare, to wait = attendere
• to avert = allontanare / evitare / distogliere, to warn = avvertire
• to license = dare una licenza / autorizzare, to dismiss / to sack = licenziare
• to magnify = ingrandire, to praise = magnificare
• to pretend = fingere / simulare, to claim = pretendere
• tub = vasca da bagno, pipe = tubo
• vacancy = vuoto / posto vacante, vacation = vacanza
• vest = canottiera / maglietta / giubbotto, dress = veste
• vine = vite, wine = vino
• voluble = loquace, fickle = volubile

Do you know others?

______________________

A frequent question is: "How do I recognize a false friend?" Well, Many words can be easily mistaken by Italians who speakEnglish as a second language. Beware of words that are not what they seem! A false cognate is a word that looks or sounds similar to one in another language but actually has a totally different meaning.

Oxymoron List

Here are some oxymorons/oxymora

- a breathless fan
- coldly fired
- dry drink
- (to)fool genius
- boundless line
- great depression
- happy life
- bloody clean
- quiet pupil (It depends on the teacher)
- light brown
- be dead
- (an)inordinate fair
- Act naturally
- Airline food
- Alone together
- Business ethics
- Butt head
- Clearly misunderstood
- Computer security
- Definite maybe
- Exact estimate
- Extinct life
- Found missing
- Genuine imitation
- Good grief
- Government organisation
- Jumbo Shrimps
- Legally drunk
- Military intelligence
- Now, then . . .
- Passive aggression
- Peace force
- Plastic glasses
- Political science
- Pretty ugly
- Quiet riot
- Rap music
- Religious tolerance
- Resident alien
- Sanitary landfill
- Small crowd
- Soft rock
- State worker
- Sweet sorrow
- Terribly pleased
- Tight slacks
- Working vacation
- Bitter sweet
- Boundless line
- Bloody clean
- Living dead
- A just war
- Mobile station
- Business ethics
- Free trade
- Wireless cable
- Pretty bad
- Empty calories
- Reasonable force
- Friendly fire
- Jumpo shrimp
- Home school
- Smart bomb
- Real dream
- Fun run
- Cowardly lion
- Fresh cheese
- Burning ice
- Luxury bus
- Sweet tart
- Free trade
- Peacekeeper missile
- Crash landing
- Butt head
- Sweet sorrow
- Student teacher
- Silent scream
- Taped live
- Alone together
- Good grief
- Tight slacks
- Living dead
- Near miss
- Light tanks
- Old news
- Hot chilli
- Peace force
- Criminal justice
- Open secret
- Larger half
- Clearly confused
- Act naturally
- Liquid gas
- Found missing
- Civil engineer
- Deafening silence
- Seriously funny
- Military intelligence
- Microsoft Works
- Jumbo shrimp
- Tragic comedy
- Virtual reality
- Unbiased opinion
- Original copies
- Definite maybe
- Plastic glasses
- Same difference
- Almost exactly
- Even odds
- Constant variable
- Extinct life
- Minor crisis
- Genuine imitation
- Exact estimate
- Freezer burn
- Only choice
- Free love
- Working holiday
- Rolling stop

William Shakespeare loved to play with words. In A Midsummer Night's Dream Theseus speaks these oxymoronic words (Act V, Scene I):

"A tedious brief scene of young Pyramus
And his love Thisby; very tragical mirth.'
Merry and tragical! tedious and brief!
That is hot ice and wondrous strange snow."

In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in Act III are several: damned saint, honorable villain, loyal deceit.

WHAT DOES "OXYMORON" MEAN? Two words in a phrase that are opposites

Let's learn the alphabet

Most young children learn their ABCs with the help of a popular song - The ABC Song.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U and V W X Y and Z. Now I've learned my ABCs. Tell me what you think of me!

Let's learn it in a funny way!!!

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/abcsong.php

Let's learn the months of the year

30 Days Has September

30 days has September,
April, June and November
All the rest have 31
And February’s great with 28
And Leap Year’s February’s fine with 29

30 days has September,
April, June and November
All the rest have 31
And February’s great with 28
And Leap Year’s February’s fine with 29

== > The words to "Thirty days has September" are still used by many adults to prompt them into recalling how many days there are in each month!

Let's learn the days of the week

Solomon Grundy

Solomon Grundy,
Born on Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday,
Worse on Friday,
Died on Saturday,
Buried on Sunday,
This is the end
Of Solomon Grundy.

Cockney Alphabet

It has to do with pronunciation, not content. There are a number of variations (C for miles/C for yourself, Y for husband/Y for Mistress) but these are the more common.
The Cockney alphabet, also known as the Surrealist alphabet, is a humorous recital of the alphabet, parodying the way the alphabet is taught to small children. The humour comes from forming unexpected words and phrases from the names of the various letters of the alphabet.

A for 'Orses .................. ('ay for 'orses)
B for Mutton .................. (Beef or Mutton)
C for Miles ................... (See for Miles)
D for Ential .................. (Differential)
E for Brick ................... ('eave a Brick)
F for Vescence ................ (Effervescence)
G for Get It .................. (Gee, forget it!)
H for Bless You ............... (Aitsshfa! A Sneeze)
I for The Engine .............. (Ivor the Engine)
J for Oranges ................. (Jaffa Oranges)
K for Restaurant .............. (Cafe or Restaurant)
L for Leather ................. ('ell for Leather)
M for Sis' .................... (Emphasis)
N for Lope .................... (Envelope)
O for The Wings Of A Dove ..... (O! for the Wings of a Dove!)
P for Relief .................. (?!?!)
Q for A Bus ................... (Queue for a Bus)
R for Mo' ..................... ('alf a Mo')
S for Rantzen ................. (Esther Rantzen)
T for Two ..................... (Tea for Two)
U for Me ...................... (You for Me)
V for La France ............... (Vive la France)
W for The Winnings ............ (Double you for the Winnings)
X for Breakfast ............... (Eggs for Breakfast)
Y for Husband ................. (Wife or Husband)
Z for Wind .................... (Zephyr Wind)

Tips to learn English

Speak without Fear

The biggest problem most people face in learning a new language is their own fear. They worry that they won’t say things correctly or that they will look stupid so they don’t talk at all. Don’t do this. The fastest way to learn anything is to do it – again and again until you get it right. Like anything, learning English requires practice. Don’t let a little fear stop you from getting what you want.

Use all of your Resources

Even if you study English at a language school it doesn’t mean you can’t learn outside of class. Using as many different sources, methods and tools as possible, will allow you to learn faster. There are many different ways you can improve your English, so don’t limit yourself to only one or two. The internet is a fantastic resource for virtually anything, but for the language learner it's perfect.

Surround Yourself with English

The absolute best way to learn English is to surround yourself with it. Take notes in English, put English books around your room, listen to English language radio broadcasts, watch English news, movies and television. Speak English with your friends whenever you can. The more English material that you have around you, the faster you will learn and the more likely it is that you will begin “thinking in English.”

Listen to Native Speakers as Much as Possible

There are some good English teachers that have had to learn English as a second language before they could teach it. However, there are several reasons why many of the best schools prefer to hire native English speakers. One of the reasons is that native speakers have a natural flow to their speech that students of English should try to imitate.

Watch English Films and Television

This is not only a fun way to learn but it is also very effective. By watching English films (especially those with English subtitles) you can expand your vocabulary and hear the flow of speech from the actors. If you listen to the news you can also hear different accents.

Listen to English Music

Music can be a very effective method of learning English. In fact, it is often used as a way of improving comprehension. The best way to learn though, is to get the lyrics (words) to the songs you are listening to and try to read them as the artist sings. There are several good internet sites where one can find the words for most songs. This way you can practice your listening and reading at the same time. And if you like to sing, fine.

Study As Often As Possible!

Only by studying things like grammar and vocabulary and doing exercises, can you really improve your knowledge of any language.

Do Exercises and Take Tests

Many people think that exercises and tests aren't much fun. However, by completing exercises and taking tests you can really improve your English. One of the best reasons for doing lots of exercises and tests is that they give you a benchmark to compare your future results with. Often, it is by comparing your score on a test you took yesterday with one you took a month or six months ago that you realize just how much you have learned. If you never test yourself, you will never know how much you are progressing.

Record Yourself

Nobody likes to hear their own voice on tape but like tests, it is good to compare your tapes from time to time. You may be so impressed with the progress you are making that you may not mind the sound of your voice as much.

Listen to English

By this, I mean, speak on the phone or listen to radio broadcasts, audiobooks or CDs in English. This is different than watching the television or films because you can’t see the person that is speaking to you. Many learners of English say that speaking on the phone is one of the most difficult things that they do and the only way to improve is to practice.

Finally

Have fun!

Number Trick

Think of a number, any positive integer (but keep it small so you can do computations in your head).

1. Square it.
2. Add the result to your original number.
3. Divide by your original number.
4. Add, oh I don't know, say 17.
5. Subtract your original number.
6. Divide by 6.

The number you are thinking of now is 3!

How did I do this?

Presentation Suggestions:

Ham it up with magician's patter. Step 4 could be anything you want --- someone's age, or their favorite number --- just ask the crowd for suggestions. (This will change the final outcome of Step 6, but see below for how)

The Math Behind the Fact:

Clearly no matter what you start with, the answer should come out the same (zero wasn't allowed because of Step 3). We can see why this trick works by using a little bit of high school algebra! If you follow the instructions starting with the variable X instead of an actual number, you will see that X is eliminated by Step 5.

Using this idea, you can make up your own mental math trick right on the spot! (Just don't do anything too obvious, like tell people to add 5, subtract their original number, and say "the number you are thinking of is 5").