The World Health Organization (WHO) just announced that eating processed meat or even red meat could cause cancer. 

Appalling or unbelievable? Or, it's not such a concern for you, and you'll just ignore it and keep eating whatever you want to eat  - especially if you are from an area where food shortage is such a problem. 

It seems we eat some such meat every day, should it be ham, sausage, or bacon. What if we're warned not to eat any of them? Should all the products be removed from the shelf? And where should the meat go - dumped as garbage or to countries where people are so hungry?

Another question arises here: what the hell are we supposed or encouraged to eat? Just eat vegetables? Do we really need the nutrition - the protain of the meat?  It's hard for some of us to imagine life without eating such meat, though. Maybe it's good news for vegetarians. 

The WHO also implied that it was the amount that we should be aware. Yes, it may mean if you don't eat too much, then it's okay. Then how much is too much? Does 'one sausage a day' sound like too much or appropriate?

We tead to eat what tastes or looks great and may fail to be aware of what the ingredients are. Maybe it's not a good idea now if we are really concerned about our health, even though you've not got carcinophobia. 

What's the cost to eat healthy? Is it hard for you to avoid all the delicious food? Let's talk about it. 

People do fear something, should it be dangerous animals, the ghost, blood, darkness, loneliness, or disasters.   

In fact, we've learned to be fearful of such things. A bullfighter once said that fear was his best friend. That makes sense, though, since you have to be very careful when you're trying to conquer the bull in a bullfight. 

That's to say, being fearful or afraid of something is human. You're not alone in feeling that - just admit it. Try to face the fear and protect you from being hurt or killed. 

People may fear different things, though. For example, some people may not think snakes are so frightening or terrifying and they even keep a python as a pet. 

So, here comes my queston: Why do you think something is scary? 

People fear something because they think something bad or unpleasent might happen. They may be so frightened to be hurt or killed. Yes, it's the death that they fear.  

No wonder anything that's related to death can be so scary. That's why so many people think a graveyard, coffin, casket or hearse is so creepy. They fear the 'ghost', and keep away from a 'haunted house'. For them, living near a graveyard or a tomb is definitely a no-no. 

I can't imagine people can be how bold, daring, or audacious. We do encrouge our kids to be brave or fearless, not to be so timid, but it's truly not a good idea to be too bold. 

Written by Expector - for both the writing challenge and Halloween. 

Happy Halloween!

A python in the toilet bowl

Emily woke up to the alarm and rushed to the bathroom, but, hardly had she lifted the toilet lid when she saw a python flicking its tongue in the toilet bowl...

Yes, I mean 'try to memorize the word that you failed to memorize when you first saw it'. 

Some words are hard to memorize, even though you've tried to memorize them with all the means which you think are so effective. 

I agree that 'imagination' is the trick, but sometimes it doesn't work, too. For example, I can memorize the words 'adoption' and 'adaption' with imagination, but it seems there's no way for me to memorize the word 'leper' or 'seism' by using the imagination.  

Sometimes it may have something to do with the 'word roots'. Look at these words: spectacular, spectator, speculation, aspect, expect, inspect, respect, prospect, retrospect, suspect, perspective. Yes, you got it: they share the word root 'spec' (=see; look). It's so daunting to memorize all the word roots, though. 

Some words do look similar, but they don't share the same root - they just look alike. How about 'crush' and 'crash'? It's another story to memorize 'confusing words' like these. 

Sometimes a word doesn't make you think of another word - you haven't a clue about it, for example, the word 'prairie'. Does the word remind you of another word which may help you memorize it?

Another way to memorize such a word is 'repetition'. Try to write or use the 'hard-to-memorize' word over and over again. Or even try to create a short paragraph with the word. 

So, try to memorize the word this time with whatever effective way. And, feel free to share a way which you think works. 

Yes, I was just reading the newly posted blogs this morning and was trying to spot a common mistake for a blog challenge. 

It's not always so easy to find a suitable topic or theme for a blog challenge, though. That's why some of the challenges failed to attract our members here. 

Most of my blog challenges are about grammar, words or idioms. That's why I was trying to spot a common learner error in the blogs for a blog challenge. To my delight, I failed to find one, which means our members' writing skills have improved so much. 

I wonder if I can challenge our members to write about something else, say, an experience, or opinion about something, instead of grammar or vocabulary. 

While most of our members agree it's helpful or rewarding to take part in the challenges, some may not think it's a good idea to have so many challenges here. They don't like to be challenged to do something - they're so self-motivated. 

I enjoyed those challenges, though - especially Tara's monthly Writing Challenge. I posted 30 blogs in the month for the June Blogathon, but I failed to publish even one blog this month. 

Do we really need writing or blog challenges, then?

Yes, people's opinions may vary, or rather, people may differ about something.  That's to say people may accept or tolerate something which seems so intolerable to others. 

People come from different countries or nations with different cultural backgrounds, religions. They're educated or raised in a way which their parents or teachers think is right. You may call it 'brainwash'. 

So, how could you think all the people around the world should always see eye to eye? Some people tend to lose their cool or temper so often, even in public, when they think something is unbearable or so annoying. They're eager to persuade others to agree with them. 

In truth, talking others into believing you can be so daunting - often in vain. Just as you're educated or taught to believe in somthing, other people are 'brainwashed' to trust something different, though. 

Some people may think a world which is colourful, varied is better or more enjoyable than one which is so uniform or unipolar. 

I know you may hate a country so much and even want to 'wipe it off from the map'. You think they're alien or evil or pagan, and you leave the virulent or vicious comments or posts against them everywhere. 

Why not try to keep your cool or temper? It may turn out to be something not that bad. It may not be something you think it should be. Yes, you got it: you may be wrong. 

Anyway, we're here to learn English - MyEC isn't the right place for arguments about politics or religion. Sharpen your English skills before trying to express your hatred or anger. 

Some members here keep asking, 'How can I write an intriguing or interesting blog?'

Good question indeed! It makes sense to create a blog which is enchanting or facinating since people enjoy reading them. It's no fun if people don't want to read what you write. 

A charming blog is one which is pleasent or attractive yet thoughtful or informative. Sometimes it's just funny, humourous, lighthearted, cheerful, or amusing. 

You need to come up with a good idea or topic for such a taking, captivating or absorbing blog. You need to use the right, appropriate or suitable words - avoiding words which are frowned on. Also, you should make it grammatically correct and readable, or enjoyable. 

An engaging blog doesn't necessarily mean it's a real, true, or genuine story. You could imagine something happening. That's to say you could write something imaginary, hypothetical, or fictitious, which is different from shoddy, phony, fake, false, sham - definitely not plagiarism or a scam. 

So, an intriguing blog should be one which wins comments such as 'Wow!', 'excellent', 'perfect', 'terrific', 'great', 'impressive', 'amazing', 'wonderful', 'jaw-dropping', 'awe-inspiring', 'breath-taking' or 'mouth-watering'. 

Written by Expector for the blog challenge 'words that mean the same thing'. 

Yes, the title 'I'm a newbie' is often seen here. When you see a blog title like this, you know it's the first blog by a new member, or a newcomer.  

'I'm a newbie' may mean I'm new or a stranger to MyEC, and if I make some mistakes, don't laugh at me.

In fact, it doesn't matter if you're a newbie, or a rookie. We'll read and even comment on your blog no matter whether you're a novice, or a neophyte. And, you don't need to be sorry for the mistakes since even advanced learners here make mistakes, too. 

You may be a beginner, a new/fresh/green hand, or a fledgling, you should be proud of youself since you've written a blog in English, which isn't your first language or mother tongue. 

So, you don't need to let us know you're just an English learner. Just write something as if you were a veteran, an old hand/stager, an experienced, skilled, seasoned, salted or expert writer. 

Did you notice the words that mean the same thing:

newbie - newcomer - rookie - novice - neophyte - beginner - new/fresh/green hand - fledgling - learner

advanced - veteran - old hand/stager - experienced - skilled - seasoned - salted - expert

Are you ready for another blog challenge? I hope so. 

It can be so boring, dull, tedious or dreary to repeat the same words or expressions over and over again in a blog. Your writing can sound so weak or you're driving your readers up the wall if you do so. You could use different words or synonyms or other expressions instead, though. 

Your task is to try use as many alternative words or expressions that mean the same thing as possible in a blog. 

Your blog may sound just like this:

Expector is an English enthusiast. Being an English fan or buff means he loves English. He admits he's an English addict, hobbyist or amateur, but not really such a fanatic or maniac. He doesn't think his English is already good enough, though - that's why he still keeps learning it.  

Did you notice the different words that mean the same thing:

enthusiast - fan - buff - hobbyist - amateur - addict - fanatic - maniac 

boring - dull - tedious - dreary

different - alternative - other

Now, it's your turn. Try to give a try!

Just ignore the subtle differences between the words or expressions you use, and you don't need to write something long - a short paragraph will suffice. 

P.S. We have Tara's monthly Writing Challenge, and now we also have Expector's Blog Challenge. The same thing? Yes, you got it.  

Tom and his wife Carol were shovelling snow in the garden.

Last night's blizzard had brought heavy snow and the garden turned into a white wonderland. The couple knew the blizzard was looming the previous day, but they apparently didn't think it could be such an appalling blizzard.

Tom was a gardening buff and was really adept at it. He had the knack of keeping a garden charming and even kept a shack in his backyard to facilitate the gardening. He kept adopting new approaches. In the summer, his lush garden was full of colourful blooms or blossoms, trimmed shrubs, and the appealing grass. A ridiculous thought just flashed into Tom's mind, and he found himself imagining a buffallo and a giraffe in his garden. Tom loved animals so much and was baffled by those who were trying to kill animals in the wild with a rifle. 

Although Tom had tried to adapt it, he hated the 'doom and gloom' a harsh winter could bring along, especially when things in a sluggish economy were not going so well as in boom years. 

'Hey, a lizard,' squealed Carol, who flushed and was trying to muffle her voice.

'What? How could there be a lizard in our garden?' Tom yelled back. 

It was a bizarre lizard that was trying to escape but was too weak to move - the poor lizard suffered so much. While Tom was trying to bring the lizard to somewhere warmer, Carol shrieked again. She just saw a squirrel scurrying into the shrubs. Tom shrugged, smirked and said to Carol, 'It must be the squirrel I used to see, and I even groomed its shaggy tail and touched its saggy eyelids.'

Tom and Carol felt cold and shivery in the snow-covered garden, and decided to call it a day and go to the plaza for a buffet dinner - should it be some pizza, waffle, muffins, snacks, fresh fruits, or the pink flesh of salmon. Tom took off the dirty apron, shaved and even took a shower before slipping into his new apparel. 

Written by Expector. Did you notice the following confusing words?

lizard - blizzard - bizarre

groom - gloom - bloom - blossom - loom - boom - doom

buff - buffalo - buffet - suffer - muffin - giraffe - waffle - baffle - muffle - rifle 

flash - fresh - flesh - flush - lush

shrub - shrug - shaggy - saggy - sluggish

adept - adapt - adopt

Knack - snack - shack - shave - shovel - shivery

squeal - squirrel - shriek - smirk

apparel - apparently - appalling - appealing - apron

pizza - plaza

It was drizzling and Nick, the cop, was patrolling the town which was just hit by a strong earthquake. 

Nick just went past an orchard which used to be a perfect place for orchestrated picking, and in which there used to be scores of enchanting orchids with beautiful large petals. 

Then he saw a weeping girl who was trying to paddle through a puddle. He pulled the poor girl to safety and wiped the tears from her face. He then managed to turn off a rubber nozzle and the dirty water stopped bubbling in the puddle. 

Nick was now on a cobbled street where peddlers used to pedal around.  Suddenly he saw a guy who was holding a dazzling mug smugly at the huge rubble while he was sweeping some pebbles from the street.  Although he only saw a vague shape in the mizzly morning, he was sure it was the smuggler who was holding the mug which might be so smudged and not be in vogue anymore but was definitely not what could be taken away without permission.  The vulgar smuggler was a notorious traitor whose portrait was once put on a trailer. The smuggler was so puzzled when he saw Nick, who seemed to appear out of the blue. Nick, the cop, was the last thing the smuggler wanted because he knew Nick was such a patriot and never let any smuggler off the hook. 

Written by Expector. Did you recognize the confusing words?

smuggle - smuggler - smugly - smudge - mug

drizzle - dazzle - puzzle - nozzle - mizzly

orchard - orchid - orchestrate

paddle - puddle - peddler - bubble - pebble - pedal - petal - rubble - rubber 

weep - sweep - wipe

vague - vogue - vulgar

traitor - trailer - portrait - patriot

The newly-wed couple Bob and his wife Bonnie were on their way home, the villa that was near the village Bob's parents used to live. The couple did have a good time at the bar. 

It was Bonnie's birthday that day. Bob could have treated his wife to a banquet or a chic clothing boutique or an antique store or a barbecue, but only caught himself buying a bouquet of rose and settling down to have a drink with his wife at the bar.  Bob had had his hair cut at the barber's because he could have been banned into the bar if he failed to change his funny haircut. 

Bob really enjoyed it when the bartender seemed to have failed to get the banter. The bartender bowed to them with a bowl of soup and a towel on his shoulder. That's when Bob joked with the bartender, "You must have got a good head for bowing." 

"Sorry Sir?" responded the bartender, "I don't even play bowling." 

"Forget it, man.  I was only joking."

Bonnie screamed when Bob was trying to pull over in the doorway of the villa. A villain was trying to break into the villa. The villain towered over Bob, and was holding a flashing knife...

Written by Expector. Please note the following confusing words:

bow - bowl - bowling - towel- tower

banguet - boutique - bouquet - antique

bar - bartender - barber - banter - ban 

Page 208

Prefer English to Medicine

Expector had worked as a doctor in the hospital since he graduated from the medical shool 30 years ago. He enjoyed and was so proud of being a doctor. People did have respect for doctors, especially when he opted to learn medicine instead of any other subject. Besides, doctors could earn more money. 

He knew that it could be so demanding and stressful to be a doctor, though. People could freak out so much if they were ill - it was possible for them to call names, quarrel with or even beat doctors if they thought their doctor failed to do a good job. 

Now it was time Expector retired. He didn't think it was a good idea to continue his job as a doctor, though.  He thought about doing something else instead - something not so demanding. "Why not try to teach English?" somebody suggested. 

Indeed, Expector was a big fan of English. He had learned English for a very long time and could speak the language quite well.  He also found that it wasn't the medical skills that made it impossible for Chinese doctors to communicate confidently or efficiently with those from other countries - it was the fluency of English. 

So, Expector had made up his mind to teach English rather than treat patients in the hospital. 

Vince was mowing the lawn when his friend Vic shouted at him out of the blue, "Have you been to Venice?" 

"What?" Vince shouted back. "I've never been to Venus. Are you crazy?"

"Venice, the Italian city. Not Venus, the planet."

Vince stopped to talk with Vic on the lawn. Early in the morning, Vince heard a snap outside and he scrambled to the lawn and only found out it was the cat that was meowing on the fallen branch - the cat might have had a nap on the tree.   He decided to mow and clean the lawn from scratch.

Vince kept dreaming of having a vacation in Venice - he would rather play volleyball on the beach in Venice than see a valley in a mountain area. 

Written by Expector. Hope you enjoy it. Pay attention to the confusables:

Vince - Vic - Venice - Venus

snap - nap

mowing - meowing

volleyball - valley

scramble - scratch

One day, a plumber was trying to buy some plums. The plumber was not good at bargaining, much less a veteran bargainer. He couldn't believe his ears when he knew the price of the plums. "How could the plums be so expensive?" he shaked his head. He fished some bills out of his vest, though he thought it was an irrational price. He thought to himself on his way home, "I do have a nice vest on, but that doesn't mean I'm a vet (a veterinarian or a veteran). If I had the veto power, I would veto any proposals for increasing the price of the fruit - the price should plummet rather than rise. "

Written by Expector - for the writing challenge: Words that look or sound alike.

Hope you enjoy it. 

Yes, it's high time we had another writing challenge. Let's talk about words that look or sound alike. 

I just read a news report about the typhoon Soudelor, and it said there was a power outage in a city battered by the typhoon. The word 'outage' instantly made me remember another word 'outrage' - I may have confused 'outage' with 'outrage'. 

In fact, there are so many words that look or sound alike or 'confusing words' in English. How about 'desert vs dessert', 'gateway vs getaway', 'fussy vs fuzzy', 'stationary vs stationery'? Just name a few.

It may have something to do with the fact the there are only 26 letters in English. English has a vocabulary more than one million, but they are all the different combinations of the 26 letters. No wonder so many words look or sound alike. 

It can be a problem, though, especially for those who are trying to learn English. Confusing words could cause confusion that will hamper or interrupt your reading or listening, or rather, confusing words can be so troublesome and need more attention. 

It seems inevitable to make mistakes when you're trying to write them down. I'm not sure if the electric spell checkers are of much help, but there must be an effective way out there for you to remember or recognize them. 

Are you ready for a new writing challenge? If so, try to publish a blog about this topic. You could share your ways of remembering confusing words, or tell us what words you think are so confusing or troublemakers. 

English verbs are a very important part of speech - if not the most important one. No wonder some learners still can't use verbs correctly, even though they have learned all the basic rules of them. When you use verbs to make a sentence, you should take into consideration the following:

What structures are possible after a particular verb

Some verbs can be followed by an infinitive or the -ing form or 'object + infinitive' or two objects or a preposition group or nothing , while some are more often used with a that-clause.

For example, the verb 'suggest' can be followed by the -ing form, not an infinitive. You can say 'Expector suggests reading all the blogs' - you don't say 'Expector suggests us to read all the blogs'. 

Verb tenses

You should let your readers know whether you're referring to past, present, or future time. For instance, this sentence 'I eat or eat something' doesn't make much sense - you should say 'I've eaten' or 'I ate' or 'I'm eating' instead.  Verb tenses can be so difficult to master, though. It's not uncommon for a learner to find it hard to choose an appropriate verb tense. 

Subjest-verb agreement

• I think
• Tara thinks
• What really counts is...
• Learning English is the right thing to do.
• 580 blogs per month doesn't seem to be such a big goal.

Now, you may find it hard to use verbs correctly, though I failed to mention the subjuntive mood, passive voice, phrasal verbs or modals. Try to pay more attention to the verbs you use or read.

You may have asked, 'How could they know I'm not a native English speaker or an advanced learner?'  It may have been the verbs you used that gave you away.

The idiom 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' means people don't always see eye to eye. That's to say something that you think is beautiful may not be regarded or considered to be beautiful by others. 

For example, many of us may have enjoyed the June blogathon (last month's writing challenge), while some may think it's pointless or meaningless to write so many blogs in such a short period of time. 

Some people may enjoy something which is readable or reader friendly or easy to read, while some may find a blog so cool which is witten with so many uncommon, tough or difficult words - showcasing the broad vocabulary. 

No wonder people often argue about something. Some people may sound like they're so eager to talk others into believing what they said is true. Those who come from a different country, religion, or culture may have different opinions, so how come you think everybody should have the same opinion as you? 

Yes, people's opinions vary. It's not a matter of right or wrong. It may not be so unbearable or intolerate if you try to embrace or enjoy the difference - should it be a sour/harsh comment or complete nonsense - not to mention that some such comments could be so useful when it comes to learning English. 

Yes, the amazing, strenuous June Blogathon is over. It's time we waved goodbye to it. That doesn't mean you'll never talk about it, though. In fact, we need to reflect on or ponder over it. 

Some members don't think it's a good idea to write so many blogs in such a short period of time. They felt overwhelmed, and didn't have time to enjoy or relish all the blogs, which sounds just like they bit off more than they can chew. They think quality is paramount, not quantity. 

Some, however, have really enjoyed the June blogging challenge. They think they have learned a lot and improved so much. They think the quantity or the cram training is key to excellent writing. They augue that you can't be a good swimmer or rider or cyclist without a lot of practice. With the intensive writing training, they've realized how good or awful their writing is, and where they need to enhance or improve. Moreover, they've learned their lesson: Always set a goal and go for it - never give up no matter how hard it may sound to reach it. 

When it comes to learning English, it does make sense that 'practice makes perfect'. There seems to be no such thing as a short cut in English learning. 

We've already crossed the finish line - we've smashed the record 580 blogs. We've set up a new record, and made history! That's incredible or unbelievable! 

580 blogs a month seemed to be unobtainable or unreachable, but it turned out we mede it to more than 580 blogs. According to the statistics, we now even have reached more than 600. And, we still have one day to go until the end of this month. 

Now, the hustle and bustle is subsiding. In fact, some members have started to summarize or reflect on this June blog challenge. Most of us may agree it's worth it - we've learned a lot and improved so much by joining in this amazing Blogathon. The lesson we learned is that we should never give up, even though the goal may seem to be so hard to achieve. You never know how great your potential can be!

What a month! Do you think this month (June,2015) should be remembered forever? Can we have such a blog month every June from now on? Have you enjoyed this month's blogging challenge? Are you tired or exhausted now? What's your plan for next month? 

Don't you think we should owe all of it to our admin Tara? In fact, we're waiting for Tara to announce the result - hopefully, she'll even make a big speech on it:) 

By the way, if you happen to get used to the hustle and bustle, or just can't stop, then you can keep busy writing, reading and commenting. 

Thumbs-up to all of you, who have run all the way to this finish line!