This is my 30th blog this month, which means I've reached my goal for this month's writing challenge. Yes, I've never thought I can write so many blogs in a month. That's why we need to be challenged, inspired, encouraged or motivated. 

I thank Tara for the June Blogathon

Every month Tara creates a writing challenge for us to write about. This month's challenge is different, though. She is actually motivating us to reach a goal or break a record - 580 blogs a month, which sounds so daunting and is even dubbed as 'June Blogathon'.  Now we're sprinting to the finish line, and are bound to break the record, statistically or actually. It's proved to be such a good idea - the challenge really works. I owe the success to our admin Tara. 

The number itself is meaningless or pointless

What really counts is how much we've improved by joining in the challenge. I can tell many of us here have improved so much. Now it takes less time for us to write a blog, and our writing sounds more natural than ever before. We have learned how to use all of the useful idioms, expressions, etc. 

There is still room for improvement

Only when you write can you realize how good or awful your writing is. Obviously, our writing is far from excellent, so there is still room for improvement - we still need more practice. Keep blogging and never give up!

It's Sunday today. We have a long weekend here - we don't have to work at/on weekends (Saturday and Sunday). So I should make the most of this weekend.

My goal is to write five blogs today. My goal for this month is to publish 30 blogs, though. I'm not sure if I can find time to write on a weekday, so why not try to write a few more blogs today. 

In fact, I write most blogs on weekends since I have more spare time to write. I usually read and write blogs at night on weekdays (after work). I've enjoyed a wonderful weekend today by writing a few blogs, and reading and commenting on the blogs by others. I call this weekend a 'blog weekend'. 

I hope you spend most of your weekend leisure time blogging, reading and commenting, too. 

You may have noticed that so many blogs have been published this month. Yes, we're trying to break a record - 580 blogs a month. 

Our real goal is not just to break the record, though. We're challenge ourselves to write as many blogs as possible. It makes sense since we need more writing practice if we really want to improve. Such an intensive writing training can be so useful in sharpening our writing skills. 

Yes, there are already a lot of blogs for the blogging challenge, which doesn't really mean, though, that it doesn't matter whether you have published a blog or not.  In fact, every blog counts. 

There are only two days to go until our admin Tara announces the result. And, we still have more than a dozen blogs to go. So try to join us in the challenge by writing a blog or two or by encouraging others to write one or two.  You'll agree it's worth it. 

Then, what's an idiom? An idiom is a group of words whose meaning is different from the meaning of the individual words. 

There are a large number of idioms in English. Some of them are used more often than others. It can be a good idea to use some idioms in your writing. Sometimes only an idiom can convey what you really want to say, especially when you're desperate to hit the nail on the head. 

Idioms with 'wall' are just such useful idioms, such as 'drive/send somebody up the wall', 'climb the wall', 'push/drive somebody to the wall', 'run up against a brick wall', 'bang/beat your head against a brick wall', 'hit a brick wall', 'have your back to the wall', 'off the wall', 'a fly on the wall', 'see the writing on the wall', 'talk to a brick wall', 'nail somebody to the wall'. 

You could try to write a blog with some or all of the idioms with 'wall'. Note that some of the idioms may sound a little confusing - try to get the meaning of each before you try to write such a blog. 

Expector's short paragraph with the idioms:

Some of our members are just banging their head against a brick wall, but still can't write a blog for the challenge, which seems to be making them climb the wall. I hope I'm not driving them up the wall or pushing them to the wall if it's too hard for them to write a blog. Some of the members may be hitting a brick wall or just running up against a brick wall - if so, they need more time to come up with a solution. It may sound off the wall when you're having your back to tha wall, but nobody is trying to nail you to the wall, and it's not like you're seeing the writing on the wall. I hope I'm not talking to a brick wall - don't be just watching like a fly on the wall; try to write a blog for the June challenge. 

Now it's your turn. Have fun!

Yes, It may sound as if we were cramming for an English test. We're trying to cram all of that in such a short peroid of time. 

We've been so busy reading, writing like there's no tomorrow.  Never before has a month seen so many blogs published for a writing challenge. No wonder you may ask 'What are you doing here, guys?'

It may not just sound like an intensive training - it's actually one. We've learned a lot and improved so much both in writing and in reading, which proves that there's no such thing as a short cut in learning English.

We're so grateful for this blogging challenge. I wonder if Tara expected to motivate us to write so many blogs when she first published the writing challenge. I'm afraid not. 

We should enjoy every minute of it while approaching the end of this training! 

I've just kept blogging, reading, and commenting for the past tens of days. Yes, I must have bitten off more than I can chew:))

I must be a bit crazy - it seems whenever I have time, I come here to read, to blog, or to comment. I've never been so busy typing on the computer. Even my wife has noticed the change. She had no idea what really happened, but was so sure there must be something very unusual which made me do that like a nut, until I told her we were trying to break a record. 

Maybe not just me - how about you? Our active members like Mishaikh, Seeker, or walker have been breaking their neck to try to reach the goal. 

What a month! 

I've published 23 blogs this month. I promised to publish at least two blogs when I first left a comment on Tara's June blogging challenge - I never thought I could publish so many blogs in a month. 

Yes, it's the challenge that has inspired me to write so many blogs. Maybe everyone needs to be inspired or encouraged to make a difference. I still remember it was Josef, the founder, who invited me to join MyEC, and it's Tara, our admin, who has motivated me to try my best to help make MyEC a pleasent place for all of the members from around the world. 

I'm pleased that members here have been trying to help each other, or inspire each other to learn English. And, to my delight, our members' English has improved so much. Without their help and efforts, we can't make it to 460 or 580 blogs or even more in one month. 

My goal is to publish 30 blogs for the June Blogathon.  I want to take my hat off to all of those who have tried and helped break the blog record. I really appreciate it. 

Keep blogging while waiting for Tara to annouce the result. Let's keep finger crossed!

There are only a few days to go until the deadline. While we're sprinting to the finish line, some of our active members are still absent from this month's writing challenge, which is also dubbed as 'June Blogathon'.

We're bound to break the record (be it 460 or 580 blogs a month), statistically or actually. It is, however, a pity that some of our active members have failed to publish a blog for this month's blogging challenge. They may regret it when it's too late for them to post a blog for the challenge. They may have no idea what they have missed - they would have been so interested in the Blogathon. 

Which active members do you think are still absent from the June Blogathon? Or which active members could have actively involved in this record-breaking thing?  

Luci, Anele, Bob... - to name but a few. 

Yes, it's more likely Expector won't try to correct every mistake in your blog, even though the 'correction' is included in the tags. 

Usually, when Expector sees the correction tag, he'll try to make some corrections for the blogger. It's impossible for him to correct all the mistakes in a blog, though. Moreover, some of the mistakes are just miscues or typos. Bloggers, however, could correct those minor mistakes themselves if they try to re-read or re-edit their blog. 

In fact, it's inevitable for a learner to make some mistakes when they're writing something in English, which isn't their first language or mother tongue. Even English teachers could make mistakes, though.

And, Expector is just a fan of English. He's not really an English teacher. If you are not sure about a sentence or an expression, you could try to let him help you. He'll more than willing to help. Or you could turn to our admin Tara or Alan (moderator of the Grammar Help forum on EC). 

I do think it's a good idea that we should try to help each other here. You should be grateful for any help by others, no matter whether the corrections are correct or not. 

I call this month's blogging challenge  'Blog June', while our admin Tara refers to it as 'June Blogathon'. I'm glad that Tara likens it to a marathon, a race in which people run a distance of 42km. 

Does this busy month feel like a long-distance race?  To most of us, this month's intensive writing training may feel as tiring or strenuous as a marathon. 

Now, we're running the last lap, and we need to sprint or burst to the finish line. There are still a few days to go before we cross the line, so let's keep writing, blogging, reading and commenting. In fact, I'm expecting many more blogs to come. Yes, you can!

Sprint to the finish line! 

This is my 20th blog for this month's writing challenge. I never published so many blogs in a month, though.

I'm so pleased that so many bloggers have participated in this month's blogging challenge, and so many blogs have been published this month - I myself have posted 20 blogs, not to mention Mishaikh and Seeker, who have published even more blogs. I'm so pride of you all. 

As the blog moderator here, I don't think we published as many blogs in any other month. So, I'm sure we're bound to break the record - we'll make it, as long as the statistics are still working. 

Breaking the record isn't our real goal, though. We're trying to improve both writing and reading skills. In fact, I can tell that many of us have learned a lot and improved so much by taking this month's writing challenge. I'd like to thank our admin Tara for this amazing blogging challenge. 

Just imagine how excited you'll be when the result is anounced - let's just keep blogging until the deadline. 

You're setting a new record! You're making a history! Hats off to all of you!

The idiom 'anybody's guess' means nobody knows. 

Do you think it's now anybody's guess how many blogs will have been published by the end of this month? Do you think we can make it? 

We thought the record was 460 blogs a month, and now we think the record might be 580, which may sound so daunting or so unbelievable. In fact, our admin Tara is trying to make sure we know exactly what the record is. Maybe we have already broken the record, which also is anybody's guess. 

We should keep writing, even though it turns out we have already broken the record. What really matters is that we've tried and learned a lot. I really enjoyed writing and reading all the blogs for this month's writing challenge. 

Happy 'Blog June'! Have fun!

According to Tara's new statistics, the goal for 'Blog June' should have been 580 blogs rather than 460 blogs. 

I'm curious to know what could be your response to it:

Do you think the record is too unbelievable to break?

Are you shocked or surprised or disappointed by the number? Or will the number deter you from moving on for the goal?

Or you may think the announcement or revelation is a bit too late?

Or you'll just shrug it off and keep blogging until the deadline?

I know our active members here have broken their neck trying to write as more blogs as they can. They have tried so hard for the goal, so they have reason to be concerned about the result.

Or maybe the new goal will inspire them to write even more rather than deter them. You never know! And, yes, you can say that again: anybody's guess now. 

We're still on target, which means we're quite likely to achieve our goal - 460 blogs for June. We'll try our best and keep blogging until the deadline. 

We're not sure whether we can make it or not, though. It's now everybody's guess.  'Big deal', but, what really matters is whether you've really learned something from blogging. 

I've learned a lot from this 'Blog June' writing challenge. I'll never give up before achieving a goal. I'll try my best whenever I'm trying to do something. You'll never know what you can do until you really do something. It's now easier for me to write a blog, or read a blog and even leave a comment on a blog. And, I know I can write so many blogs during a month. 

What have you leaned from this month's blogging challenge? 

Our goal is 460 blogs for this month. There are still several days to go, so we should keep writing or blogging until the last day of this month.

Our active members here have tried so hard to write as many blogs as possible for this month's writing challenge. Some of the members have already published more than 30 blogs this month, and they're still writing for the challenge. That's really something - I take my hat off to them!

Some of our members, however, may think they have run out of ideas or topics for a blog - they're still trying to write but don't know what to write. They're still looking for what they could write about. In fact, there are plenty of such ideas or topics. Some of Our active members like Seeker or Mishaikh never seem to have run out of ideas for a blog. For them, anything that comes to their mind could be one such topic. 

Maybe you haven't really run out of ideas - the truth is that it takes a lot of time for you to write one about a topic. If that's the case, you should keep in mind that you don't need to write something very long or perfect. Just write it out, or you'll regret you failed to write as many blogs as you can!

Yes, the idiom 'bite off more than you can chew' means 'attempt to do something that's too difficult for you or that you don't have enough time to do'. It seems I've bitten off more than I can chew. 

We're trying to reach our goal: 460 blogs for this month's 'Blog June' writing challenge, which means we need to write and read many more blogs than we did in any other month. 

I promised to write at least two blogs when I first left a comment on Tara's 'Blog June' writing challenge, but I've published more than a dozen blogs this month. Besides, I need to read and even leave comments on blogs by other members. As the blog mod here, I'm supposed to read and even leave comments on most of the blogs published here every month, not just keep an eye on them. 

The problem is that I don't have enough time to read and even comment on so many blogs, let alone write so many blogs. I'm a busy doctor in a hospital - I'm supposed to give quality care to my patients. I need to balance my job with my volunteer work here on MyEC.

I'll try to swallow it instead of chewing it slowly, though:))  Let's keep blogging!

Yes, 'conversational' means casual and informal. Colloquial words and expressions are informal too. You may have noticed the difference between formal style and conversational style. 

You may sound informal as if you're just having a conversation or casual talk with someone. You're trying to convey your thoughts or opinion in an easy, conversational way, which may sound more natural and can be more persuasive or effective. 

Yes, too informal or casual isn't a good idea. For example, if you use such informal abbreviations as 'cuz', 'g2g', 'thx', you're driving them up the wall. On the other hand, too formal isn't a good idea, either, even though you're trying to write a business letter. You just need to sound natural and respectful. 

What really matters is that you should sound natural. How about these two sentences?  'What I'm trying to say is...' and 'What I am trying to say is...'. 'I'm' sounds just as good as 'I am', if not more natural. But, 'i am...' is too informal since 'I' (the first personal pronoun) is always capitalized in written English. 

So, it can be such a good idea to write in conversational, colloquial or casual, informal style, as long as you're not writing in a way that's too informal. 

Note:

'Conversational style' doesn't mean you're writing a conversation, though:

'What do you think of this?'

'I think Expector's really got a point there.'

What if there are no comments on your blog?

Usually, after publishing a blog, you'll see some comments on it. It's not always so true, though. 

If your blog's title isn't so catching or inviting, other members may not be so interested in reading it, let alone leave a comment on it, even though you've really written something interesting. So, be careful that the title of your blog should be charming enough.

Sometimes other members did read your blog, but only found that they did not really understand what you were talking about. They hesitated and left without adding any comment on your blog. So, you should make sure you can get through to them. 

Or, you just published a blog and you failed to show any interest in comments. You just expressed your ideas or opinion, and you didn't care whether others found your blog fun or not - other members didn't see any point of leaving a comment on such a blog. 

Maybe they did read your blog and found they wanted to say something about it, but they just somehow failed to leave a comment on what they just read. They may have run out of time or they may have wanted to add a wonderful comment - writing such a nice comment can be so time-consuming, though.

I advice you keep writing, no matter whether others have commented on your blog or not.  

You may have noticed so many blogs have already been published so far this month. Yes, we're participating in this month's writing challenge - 460 blogs for this month (Tara's 'Blog June' challenge). So, no wonder you might be a little overwhelmed by all of the blogs published for June. I've already published 11 blogs this month, not to mention other active members, some of whom have published much more. 

You may be accustomed to several blogs a month, so you may not think it's a good idea to publish so many blogs in one month. You may feel being bombarded with so many blogs in such a short period of time. I hope it's not driving you up the wall.

Challenge means tasks or hard work. It's not always so easy to write blogs for a writing challenge. It's not a piece of cake to read all of the blogs, either, let alone leave a comment on every blog you read. Challenge, however, can also mean an opportunity to improve, or to amuse or soothe yourself or others. Only when you practise writing can you find how well or bad your writing skills are. So, it makes sense to write more - 'the more, the better'. 

I hope you'll follow suit and try to write a blog for this month's writing challenge. Enjoy this 'Blog June'! 

Have you noticed the 'Edit Post' option? You'll see it if you hit the 'Options' on a blog page. 

Some people keep using the 'Edit Post' to re-edit their blogs, while some may even not notice it or never use it.

The 'Edit Post' feature can be so useful, especially when you want to re-edit a blog after someone else has helped correct you.  I've noticed some members here failed to re-edit their blog after other members have made some corrections for them. They may not have been so sure if the corrections were correct or they may not have known how to re-edit their blog. 

I enjoy re-reading my blog whenever I publish one, and I'll use the 'Edit Post' to re-edit my blog when I find a mistake, be it a typo or a grammatical/spelling error. So, I'll keep re-editing a blog until I think it's flawless - it may not suffice to proofread your blog just once.  

Don't forget to re-publish your blog after you've re-edited it, but never try to re-publish an old blog as a new one, which means you shouldn't choose the 'Now' for the question 'What date would you like for your post?'