Writing - Idioms (Part 6)

Our next stop on the "idiom tour" is going to be food idioms. Take a look at this list (http://www.idiomconnection.com/food.html#A) and find an idiom (or two) that you either don't know or don't know too well. Then, come back on here, post the idiom and its meaning. If you want to challenge yourself a bit more, see if you can correctly use that idiom in a sentence.

Writing - Idioms (Part 5)

Our next goal is to explore idioms that relate to money. This should be a fun one!

Money idioms: http://www.idiomconnection.com/money.html#B

There are a lot of them there, but it's well worth the time to review each one! Once you do that, try the money idiom quiz (found here: http://www.idiomconnection.com/money.html#BQ).

Come back to the blog, share your favorite money idiom, the meaning of it, and the results of your quiz!

:)

Writing - Idioms (Part 4)

Let's continue our exploration of idioms. The last blog post focused on some medical idioms. This time, we'll focus on idioms dealing with color.

Did you ever hear (or read) that a person's face was "as red as a cherry" after a certain event? That saying implies that a person's face was red, possibly from embarrassment or maybe a severe sunburn. That idiom helps you imagine just how red the person's face it. It may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it certainly helps to convey the point!

Take a look at this list of idioms dealing with color.
http://www.idiomconnection.com/color.html#B

Then, once you've reviewed them, try the quiz to see how well you know them!
http://www.idiomconnection.com/color.html#BQ

Lastly, come back to the blog, write your favorite color idiom, the meaning of it, and tell us how you did on the quiz!!!

Writing - Idioms (Part 3)

Let's continue our exploration on idioms. Use the link below to access a website that talks about some medical idioms. Remember that an idiom is a phrase or saying that is not meant to be interpreted literally.

Have you ever heard the phrase "under the weather" stated by someone? Since that's a pretty common saying, I bet you already know that it means "not feeling well."

After you review the medical idioms on that page, try the short 10-question quiz that follows and check your answers! Then, return to the blog to tell us your favorite medical idiom, what it means, and how you did on the quiz.

Medical idioms: http://www.idiomconnection.com/medical.html#B

Writing - Idioms (Part 2)

Idioms are one of the hardest parts of the English language. An idiom is a term or phrase whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal definitions and the arrangement of its parts, but refers instead to a figurative meaning that is known only through common use. (Additional information can be found on the July 29th blog post. Click that link to visit the previous idiom post.)

The phrase "keep your eyes peeled" is an idiom. You couldn't interpret that literally, as your eyes can be "peeled" the way a banana can be. But, figuratively, that means to keep your eyes opened and be on the lookout!

Test your knowledge of some common idioms that you may come across in writing & speaking. Try this Quia activity and then come back here to report which idioms (if any) were new to you and which one you were most familiar with already.

Quia activity: http://www.quia.com/mc/66234.html

Writing - Nouns

Any complete sentence will always have two parts to it: a subject and a predicate (or verb). Sentence subjects can use singular or plural nouns. (Recall that a noun is a person, place, or thing.)

Singular subjects talk about one noun. Let's look at an example.
The phone is in the office.
In this case, the singular subject is "phone," as only one phone is being discussed.

Plural subjects talk about two or nouns. Below is an example.
Three phones are in my house.
In this case, the plural subject is "phones." There are multiple phones being referenced in that sentence.

Test your knowledge of the singular and plural forms of some nouns by playing this Quia matching activity. Then come back here & report how you did! Did you learn anything new?

Quia link: http://www.quia.com/mc/67715.html

Have fun!

eLearning Blog - Happy New Year!

Happy new year & welcome back to the eLearning writing blog! January is a great time to think about what you'd like to accomplish in the upcoming year.

What writing goals do you have? Would you like to be a better speller? Do you want to increase your vocabulary? Is your goal to write more often? Do you hope to use punctuation more correctly? These are just some ideas, but you might have others!

Please write 1 or 2 sentences describing your writing goals for 2009!