K's Learning Diary

Languages can be pretty fun, not just for communicating with the natives of that spoken language when we go on holidays but to get a feel of the history and traditions that influenced and culminated in the different expressions in their current use.  English has a wonderfully wide range of expressions, making it a very versatile language and a pleasure to work with.  My brain had long forgotten a small section of the English language since leaving school, which I was delighted to rediscover through a recent conversation with friends. The Collective Nouns used to describe a large group of particular 'things' are so much fun; who decided to develop these expressions? According to Wikipedia, they arose in the Late Middle Ages. So it is time to learn and put them to use. Here are just a few on Wikipedia, where you will find an A-Z list.

What is the difference between Absorption and Adsorption? Watch this to find out.

Is "feedback" countable or not? Feedback, feedbacks, a feedback? See here: http://www.englishforums.com/English/PluralForFeedback/vlrx/post.htm I like this answer: "The word feedback has evolved over the years, and is now accepted as a countable noun. Therefore, if feedback shared frequently in certain professions, each feedback unit is countable and hence its plural is now accepted as "feedbacks" . Also, when you use the word feedback in the phrase "one of" as in one of the feedback shared with her, sounds rather incorrect. Hence, in modern times, feedbacks is "ACCEPTABLE"."

Found this site which has a good summary of popular English phrases. Some of Shakespeare's phrases are still in use today. Others could do with a comeback. Visit their website for more resources: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/phrases-sayings-shakespeare.html How many of these do you know? A countenance more in sorrow than in anger A Daniel come to judgement A dish fit for the gods A fool's paradise A foregone conclusion A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse A ministering angel shall my sister be A plague on both your houses A rose by any other name would smell as sweet A sea change A sorry sight Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio All corners of the world All of a sudden All one to me All that glitters is not gold / All that glisters is not gold All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players All's well that ends well An ill-favoure...

This morning, while conversing with a friend, it dawned on me that so many brilliant English words and phrases are rarely used these days, and we don't pay much attention to them when they make a rare appearance. So I thought I should listen out for these hidden gems and see how many I can find this year. What is a Watershed ? According to  thefreedictionary.com : It is a ridge of high land dividing two areas that are drained by different river systems. Also called  divide ,  water parting .   So water on the other side of the two ridges does not fall into this river system. A Watershed Moment http://wiki.answers.com :  A critical turning point. A moment in time where everything changes. A point in time when nothing after will ever be the same as before. To call it a turning point technically is true, but it is an overly simplistic definition of the phrase. The figurative meaning comes from the literal meaning of a point where the water system is split int...