If there’s a modern word that relates to a traitor, it would be the ‘frenemy’. Since the English language continues to evolve, more and more words are being introduced and included in the dictionary all the time. Some words are combined together to form new terms and ‘frenemy’ is one of them.

Frenemy is a combination of the words, ‘friend’ and ‘enemy’. This is a person who pretends to be your friend but in reality he or she is an enemy. Unfortunately, this is a countable noun which only means it can be more than one person… Frenemies! The word is already a bit self-explanatory so I guess this wouldn’t need an elaborate interpretation. But please be reminded this word is informal.

You’ve probably had some frenemies in your life. Am sure everybody has one. Raise your hand if you haven’t met a frenemy already and I would introduce you to him or her. Kidding! Frenemies are a nightmare to deal with! If you’re too kind and naive, these people will take advantage of you. Let me remind you that they are the improved versions of fakers and an alter-ego of zombies.

Frenemies are one of the reasons why we can’t have nice things in this world. They are always hateful, greedy and full of envy. They would do anything to earn your trust. What’s worse, they will not let you succeed in your life or career, and they stab you in the back when the perfect opportunity comes. They would drag you through the mud if you’re not alert enough. Furthermore, they will rain on your parade because they want to be the only star of the show.

If all of our frenemies evaporate, then our world would be a better place to live in. People could work harmoniously and all of us would have the elusive peace of mind. But then again, in the real world frenemies are everywhere. It could be hiding in you. The question is… would you let them breed inside you? I hope NOT…

So my dear frenemies, if you happen to be one. Please change your nasty attitudes now while there’s still a chance or you’ll be burned until you’re toast. Just a friendly reminder…

Thanks for reading!

One fine morning, something appeared out of nowhere.

Zombies… It sounds disgusting, yet they’re swarming in numbers. They’re everywhere!

Always ready to feast and devour the brain of weak people.

You’re like them, a zombie. The fakest zombie I’ve ever known.

Whatever mask you wear, your rotten flesh speaks for itself.

The foul smell in your veins succumbed me and I almost felt helpless.

As if I’m trapped and couldn’t breathe.

You spread insults and gossips like wildfires and let others believe with your lies.

You must have been feeling very proud and clever!

The way you made me look stupid to others so you could steal the show

were like daggers slowly making cuts straight to my heart.

You even rubbed salt into my wounds so I could feel how painful they were.

You let me bleed until I ran out of blood. I could hear your guffaws that seemed endless.

You’re like an ogre! I couldn’t imagine a zombie with a monstrous feature would really exist in this world.

But I’m resilient! I bounced back stronger than ever.

If you think you’ve stolen my thunder, well you’re dead wrong…

There’re vital reasons why I survived the deadliest supertyphoon.

Why would I be afraid of your minging attitudes and fake smiles now?               

And why would I bicker with your insensitivity? We’re not children anymore.

You might burn me with your cruel intentions,

But I always come back from the ashes.

As time goes by, I learned to choose my battles wisely.

In a way, your foolishness could be a blessing in disguise.

The unpleasant experiences you inflicted towards me have made my skin a lot thicker.

I kept all the bricks you’ve thrown at me as well as your sabers.

But I would never use them and cast to hurt other people especially the ones I respect.

Nor imitate your despicable actions to insult kindhearted souls.

I started building castles out of those bricks and

honing titanium shields and armors from your daggers.

Not only just to protect myself from predators like you,

But to defend others who couldn’t protect themselves.

I could have cursed you… But I decided not to.

Because… I wholeheartedly believed in karma.

What comes around goes around!

So whatever happens now and in the future…

I will never ever let you steal my inner peace again.

I will retain the kindness in my heart. The wounds you’ve inflicted would heal eventually.

I will try to be courageous at all times and conquer my horrors you’ve caused.

I will let bravery run through my veins with wisdom by my side.

More importantly, I forever cherish people who are genuinely supportive, caring and accepting.

I will be more open-minded, understanding and forgiving.

Finally, I shall always be honest to myself and grateful to the blessings I receive.

For the truth will set me free…

‘He who laughs last, laughs longest’. ~ proverb

I realized that the last laugh was actually mine…

I'm now reborn... I am a Phoenix!

Fake… Yes, that’s what you are.

You pretend you’re the most interesting person in the world.

You speak as if everybody is interested in your stories.

But in reality, you’re a pain in the neck.

You mock weak people because you think you’re untouchable.

Haven’t you remembered when you mocked me in front of your friends

just because I’m different?

That as if I could barely hear the unpleasant words you’ve said.

I can still vividly remember each of them in case you’ve forgotten.

You stabbed people behind their back and unluckily I was one of your victims.

How sweet! But you didn’t know payback is a bad ***ch.

If there’s an adjective that perfectly suits you, it’s grotesque!

It’s funny how your physical appearance matches your behavior.

Why don’t you always carry a mirror as a reminder how friendly you are?

You are just like the rest of your kind. A bully with a hog tail!

Your mouth is full of words…  Oh, I mean worms.

You think you’re brave, yet I bet you couldn’t even hold a snake.

I can throw one at you if you want. Simply choose what you desire.

Please do not say I’m being a spoilsport now. Why?

Because I could be the meanest person you’ve ever met. Isn't it fun?

Spare me of your envy though because I know I’m not a saint.

What I have is a humongous horn in my head which I could use to defend myself from critters like you.

Meanwhile, I can enjoy my tea sitting nonchalantly while you're sulkin' in agony...

To be continued…

Ish? What the :P is that? If you’re not familiar with this term yet, don’t worry. You’re not alone. Don’t be fooled by it either because you may know ‘-ish’ as a suffix (a group of letters found at end of a word and used to change or modify its meaning), but this word is actually a form of a very short reply.

Ish is an adverb used in informal conversational English which means ‘slightly’ and regarded as a reply to a question. And if you’re into English TV shows like I do, you’ve probably heard this plenty of times. Or you might have used it yourself unconsciously! So how do we use this in speaking? Imagine you have a pretend (imaginary) friend in front of you. Don’t make it spooky though or you won’t be able to sleep well tonight. But you can use your wild imagination in order to practice your English communication skills.

Now invent a scenario or conversation, something like you always do such as a hobby. It doesn’t have to be complicated. You could make a dialogue like this;

Loki: ‘We’ve been running for hours. Aren’t you tired?’

Loka: ‘Yes! Ish’. (instead of ‘Yes! I’m tired-ish.)

Quite simple, eh! Talking to yourself is a good practice. Make sure no one catches you doing it or else he or she might suspect you're having a mental illness. Moving on…

Some people love to incorporate this term in words that do not need a suffix. They just want to exaggerate things and add humor to a conversation. Of course, it’s considered grammatically incorrect. For example;

Red: ‘You’re face is paleish! Have you been using a lot of glutathione lately?’

White: ‘That’s true. Guilty as charged!’

Right! Have you understood this blog? If so, just remember that ‘ish’ -the adverb, should only be used in informal conversation. I’m sure the grammar police aren’t amused, but this word has been circulating for many years and even spoken by natives themselves. We all know the English language has continuously evolving. In addition, new words are invented all the time. Regardless of what I’ve written here, it’s vital to be aware how words are being used. Knowing how to express them correctly would lead to a better understanding and thus avoid language barriers and misinterpretations.

Now, I challenge you to use this adverb either in written dialogue or a sentence. Please write them in the comment below. You may share what you’ve been talking about with your pretend friend awhile ago he he… :P

Trick or treat! Halloween is coming and what an appropriate time to share with you an English expression that something related to the dead.

The expression ‘as dead as a doornail’ simply means something is very dead or totally dead. It’s obvious that it’s not moving. According to BBC Learning English, this expression was commonly used during Shakespeare’s days. Other notable writers such as Charles Dickens included this expression in their books. People might have integrated doornail because it’s not moving, just like any other things. And you might have read it in news articles or heard it on TV.

Furthermore, it has the same meaning in these modern times. We can use this expression usually on things that aren’t working such as electrical devices and gadgets. Here are some examples.

1. Stannis: ‘Davos, where’s my laptop? I need to write an article about Dragons’.

       Davos: 'I think it is as dead as a doornail. I’ll charge it at once'.

   2. The coffee maker isn’t working. It’s as dead as a doornail! That needs to be fixed soon.

So did you get this expression clear? In case you’d like to know more about this expression, check it out here. Could you write your own sentences below?

Happy Halloween!

The United States is dealing again a horrible shooting incident that occurred yesterday in a country music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. You’ve probably heard this terrible news already. It’s been all over the news worldwide. As I write this short blog, the latest death toll has risen to 59 with more than 500 injured. It is the deadliest mass shooting in the US history according to reports.

Though the authorities reported this incident as a random shooting crime committed by a lone wolf, it clearly becomes common news around the globe. Haven't you noticed? Some people speculate that every reported news related to mass shootings is always connected with terrorism and suspects another religion or race behind it. The authorities said this isn’t related to terrorism. But it’s difficult to think of this incident not as a terrorist act just because the perpetrator was a white American senior citizen.

Nevertheless, why is it so easy for someone to buy guns and ammunition in Nevada and other states? One thing is certain that this incident would keep happening again (I really pray it won’t ever happen) until there’s a concrete measure in gun control and proper education.

Let’s keep praying that everyone should be enlightened or responsible enough, and that this event really serves as a lesson, a real eye opener. Everyone can be a victim and we certainly don’t want another bloodbath. I truly and honestly believe that all lives matter! #prayforLasVegas #bevigilant

Do you think guns and ammunition should be banned in your country if the government cannot strictly control or regulate these deadly weapons? Share your thoughts below.

What have you been learning from the university of life? Oh, sorry to confuse you with my question. If you haven’t encountered this expression yet, allow me to explain it in simple ways.

The phrase the ‘university of life’ does not exist at all. You cannot find it anywhere because it's not an academic institution or school. If people say this phrase, they are referring to their ‘life experiences’. In other words, it’s about a person who became wise or successful in a chosen field without taking any formal education or did not use books because he or she has experienced a lot of something in the past that made him or her successful today.

You’ve probably heard news or even met someone who’s been from the university of life. I know a lot of people who didn’t have any formal degree or MBA from a university or college, yet they were able to manage success in their chosen business and career. Perhaps, their will power and determination have triggered them to be risk-takers and confident. Aside from that, they were able to use their passion as ‘bread and butter’.

Here are some examples of this expression;

• Khaleesi used everything she learned from the university of life before she became a successful actress. 

• Gendry established his skills in sword making through the university of life.

• The university of life taught Sansa to become kindhearted and committed in managing her kingdom.

How about you? Have you experienced something positive (or even unpleasant in your life) and were able to use it to become a better person and succeed in something? Please share them below. Thank you in advance!

My thoughts and prayers to the victims and families of the terror attacks in Barcelona, Spain. I hope my Spanish friends and their loved ones are safe!

I haven't been there yet, but Barcelona is one of the places that I'd love to visit in the future. I heard the city is known for breath-taking and majestic tourist attractions. In addition, most people are friendly and hospitable, the qualities that Filipinos have also possessed.

It seems as if no one is safe anymore regardless of our location. My country has also been battling this war for a very long time now. A lot of people are displaced, lost everything and being discriminated because of their religion, that they came from war-torn places. Nevertheless, no one deserves to be a victim of terrorism.

Let's stand together and unite for the elusive peace in this day and age. Let's be vigilant and aware of our surroundings. Please be safe everyone!

A garden wouldn’t be complete without any visitors. Those flying insects and creepy crawlies, some are indeed scary while others are too cute to touch. Sometimes, it would accidentally end up dead on your palms because you’re quite excited to keep them. You might have asked, “What thingy is it?” Please continue reading and you could learn something interesting about it.

Butterflies are frequent visitors in a garden. Even though they are considered nuisance and pests by some crop growers (because they love to devour your plants until the stems are the only visible part left on the ground), they add color and vibrancy. Furthermore, like any other insects, they play a vital role to keep your flowering plants thrive and bear more produce. Perhaps we need to have a better understanding as to why they exist in the first place. We all know that they are part of the ecosystem where one benefits with the other living things. Why kill them when they only have a short lifespan? Unless of course you see a cockroach, would you fight or flight? I think a better option is to apply ‘squashology’, meaning to kill it kindly ha ha… Kidding!

One particular species of a butterfly is the Citrus Swallowtail. Its main food is obviously anything from the family of citrus plants and trees. One day while I was cleaning in our front yard, I saw some caterpillars on my baby citrus tree. I thought they’re just bird poos. But I noticed they’re moving and the leaves had bite marks. The kiddo inside me whispered, ‘Keep them!’, ‘Keep them!’ I was curious as to whether this might work, so I googled pieces of information about this type of insect. Funnily enough, I got some interesting suggestions from a gardeners’ group on Facebook.

I did keep them. I actually let them grew a little bit larger first (so there’s high probability for them to survive) before I transferred them indoors. The problem was I didn’t have any fancy containers as their temporary shelter. I just grabbed a plastic, take away container and poked plenty of holes on the lid so that the caterpillars could breathe. They’re supposed to be three, but by the time I collected them, one was already missing. It’s probably eaten by birds and geckos lurking outside my home.

For a few days, they’re busy eating and sleeping. And they grew very fast, too! Then they became looking like this. They’re in a pupa stage. Amazing, isn’t it? The first caterpillar stuck herself on the side of the container whereas the other one chose to stay on the stem. What captivated me is the part where the pupa turned into a chrysalis. It took three days to turn into this...(that’s from the time I kept them indoors). And it took at least 12 to 15 days before they reached maturity.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to record a video of their growing phase. Still my photos could speak for themselves. Alas, the time has come for them to transform. The first one unluckily failed to fully develop its wings. Surely it was a struggle so I let her crawl on the vines. The second swallowtail was a success! I named her ‘Blackwidow’. Me, busy as a bee and clueless as to when she’d exactly mature, I let her do her thing. After a couple of days, I finally saw her wings flipping inside the container and maybe shouting ‘Gemme outta here!’, so I hurriedly placed and released her outdoors.

It’s quite remarkable to witness their transformation. If you’re a nature lover like me, you’d definitely agree that nature is undoubtedly surprising. This experience is absolutely priceless! Nevertheless, it’s a bitter sweet feeling to see them flutter up and away. If only I could keep them forever! But they deserved freedom too, right? The fun part though is that Blackwidow likes to roam around in my itsy-bitsy garden. I hope she’ll live longer while fulfilling her duties and be with us as much as she could manage… #myblackwidow

What’s your story? Do you have a similar experience keeping a butterfly or any other winged creatures? Or maybe a dragon, ha ha! Share them on the comment box below!

Thank you very much for taking your time reading my very short blog! 

Know more about this kind of species here.

Good day, my friend!

Why I couldn't find your profile page? Maybe you've decided to leave MyEC temporarily or for good? Whatever your reason is, I'd like to extend my heartfelt thanks for all your positive comments and encouragement on my photos and video shares as well as for liking them. I haven't known you for quite some time but you've showered good vibes on our club. 

I do hope that your reason for deleting your account wasn't about unpleasant experiences here. I wish you'd have a 'change your heart' and be with us again since I've noticed lots of English learners are very pleased with your presence and I'm one of them.

Shall I say see you around?

Wishing you the very best wherever you are! 

Gracias (Thank you)

Robbie

She's blooming! What a thing of beauty!

Have you noticed something wonderful today? Perhaps you experienced something beautiful in your surroundings? Whatever it is, here’s a simple expression that native English speakers use when they find something nice and pretty.

An Urban Dictionary contributor defines a ‘thing of beauty’ as something that is favorable, appealing or just plain nice.

It’s true enough that I heard this expression in movies and TV shows oftentimes. From the way it’s been interpreted on the Internet, this group of words can simply be used for something eye-catching or awesome in a positive way. For example, you’re strolling the beach and you saw something really nice, you might utter, ‘What a thing of beauty!’ (Hmm what could it be - any guess?). I would assume the beach itself is already fabulous as it is, but there’d be lots of other beautiful things and creatures around it.

Here are some other examples;

• Shekhar: “Have you heard what our professor said? Our invention was chosen to represent for the incoming robotic competition in Melbourne.

         Raj: “A thing of beauty, indeed!”

• Marshaa noticed a thing of beauty while she was shopping in a souvenir shop in Prague. She didn’t think twice buying it.

• Whenever you’re feeling down in the dumps, just look around you and you’d find a thing of beauty. It’d make you feel better.

I hope you’ve gotten this expression easily since it’s self-explanatory. By the way, here’s a related idiom that you may find interesting- ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever’.

Wishing you full of beautiful things and blessings as you learn English on MyEC! Thank you in advance for reading this blog! 

Have you seen or experienced anything beautiful lately? Please share it on the comments below.

Sources:

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/

http://www.urbandictionary.com/

Have you smelled a rat? I hope you haven’t because it’s disgusting to do it literally. Today’s expression is not actually about rats or rodents at all but something that misleads people such as scams.

In the English language, people say this expression when we mean we’re suspicious of someone. There’s something wrong in a situation. (BBC Learning English)

You’ve probably encountered a scam or an illegal activity during your lifetime especially this Internet age where a lot of bogus activities can happen. I myself have received emails and text messages from scammers asking about my bank accounts or that I won a prize. By the way, phishing is one of the most common scams nowadays. So if someone sends you an email asking your bank details online, please be very careful and double check the email and the website if it’s really legitimate. Furthermore, if a message is too good to be true, it’s definitely a scam.

Here are some example sentences;

• Rosemary smelled a rat when she received a phone call that she won $1 Billion in a lottery even if she didn’t buy any tickets.

• Someone offered Elen to purchase a gold necklace for just a few bucks. Luckily, she smelled a rat and hurriedly left the building.

• We could even meet dishonest people in real life offering us fake products or services. It’s best to be vigilant and know to smell a rat so we wouldn’t fall to their baits.

Here's another meaning of the phrase 'smell a rat'.

How about you? Have you encountered a situation that you found it smelly as a rat? Share your experience in the comment below. Thank you in advance!

How are you feeling today? Are you happy and excited about something? I hope you’re feeling chuffed!

Here’s a British English expression that means you’re pleased, glad or delighted over something especially in life. It could be about your work, studies, hobbies and things that would make you cheerful. It could also mean something you’ve successfully accomplished.

Here are some examples

• I’m really feeling chuffed gazing at some new blooms in my garden after a long and tiring day of commuting.

• Tim felt chuffed when he passed his licensure examination with flying colors.

According to BBC Learning English, the adjective ‘chuffed’ can be used with an adverb ‘well’. This would make the expression very informal.

• The blind woman was well chuffed to finally witness her daughters’ faces after an eye operation.

• I bet Lucy is well chuffed tonight. She’s going to have a vacation in Hawaii tomorrow with her husband.

We could make this expression a bit formal when we use the adverb ‘rather’ before the adjective ‘chuffed’.

• Omar is rather chuffed to witness the newly established business of his friend.

Here’s another meaning of chuffed.

Have you understood this expression? Could you make some sentences using this expression?

Before you react sarcastically, let me remind you that we are dealing with plants here. So have you killed your plants unintentionally but you felt guilty towards them? If your answer is yes, then you’re not alone.

Most gardeners especially the new ones have committed this crime plenty of times. Even expert horticulturists have admitted themselves feeling abashed by this dilemma. But the good news is that there are simple ways to prevent it from happening again in the future.

Firstly, the most common culprit in killing our plants especially the indoor ornamental ones is over-watering. We’re so worried that our plants should be watered every single day in order to thrive and guess what - we end up accidentally killed them with kindness. Their soils become soggy and later would result in root rot. Make sure to look for tale-tell signs if your plant really needs some water. You might notice that its leaves are wilting so check the soil right away and if it’s really dry (you’d usually dip your finger about an inch deeper from the top soil just to make sure), pour some water until it seeps out at the bottom of its pot. Some plants love moist soil. Actually, it really varies from plant to plant. For example, I usually water my baby Snake plants (Sanseviera trifasciata) once every two weeks. I let its soil dry completely before I water them again.

Secondly, make a research about the plants you have and the variety of what you’d like to collect in the future. Bear in mind that some plants are worth keeping indoors, while others should be placed outdoors primarily because they need lots of sunlight in order to produce their own food and grow prolifically. Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum), Aglaonema and Dieffenbachia (Dumb Cane) plants are some of the best ornamental plants for our homes, but keep in mind they are toxic to kids and pets so consider placing them beyond their reach. Furthermore, by digging some information about the plants you’ve already had would save you from disappointment, wasted penny and the risk of accidentally killing them. Don’t forget to ask the sales assistant on how to take care the plant prior to purchasing it.

My Pink Aglaonema

Finally, I’m very grateful we have Google and YouTube! I’ve been learning some tips and tricks through the Internet. Besides that, many garden experts are kind enough to post their own videos and blogs for us to be knowledgeable about certain plants. They do not hesitate to share their tips and ideas to grow our plants successfully. Some of them would reply to your queries, too. Isn’t it interesting?

So there you have it! These are some of my tips that I found useful for me. Honestly, there are so many tips to share, but I would tackle them in the future. Remember, every day is a learning opportunity, so don’t get disenchanted if some of your plants didn’t survive. I hope this blog has helped you gained some insights to avert you from being a plant murderer. :P

Happy gardening!

Last Sunday, two Coptic churches in Egypt were attacked by terrorists killing more than 40 people who were attending the mass. Most of the victims were Christians participating for the Palm Sunday - the beginning of Lent. It’s an important event for Christians and Catholics alike. 

To all prayer warriors wherever you are, please include in your intentions and prayers those victims of terrible acts of cruelty especially terrorism around the globe particularly in Egypt and Sweden, as well as the poor victims of chemical attacks in Syria.

Prayers are powerful and the good intentions you wish for others could bring serenity to oneself spiritually and physically. Let’s be vigilant and remain resilient amid these horrible times.

May God bless and protect us all!

What comes to your mind when you hear this phrase? I initially thought of it as something hilarious or comical, or when someone is joking. I keep hearing this term often in podcasts and it wouldn’t a waste of time sharing this on MyEC.

Mcmillan Dictionary defines it here. So, we should remember to use this phrase if we want to think about something is surprising and unusual.

If we’re talking about something positive, we can use it with enthusiasm when conversing with someone especially with friends.

Here's a couple of example:

• Funnily enough, I bumped into Emma Watson while watching Beauty and the Beast in a movie house.

• Funnily enough, when I was harvesting some veggies in my garden, I found an apple sprouting in the stem of my tomato plant.

We could also use some related adverbial phrases such as oddly enough, strangely enough or interestingly enough when we want to talk about unusual things or experiences.

How about you? Can you use ‘funnily enough’ in a sentence?

Our world has seven continents. Each continent is unique and distinct on its own. Do you know which continent you belong to?  Well… I, Robbie, of legal age, belong to the Asian continent. Mabuhay! I’m from the Philippines and my country is located in South-East Asia. Risty is a Filipina and works in the United Arab Emirates. I’m glad I have Asian friends. Onee is one of them and she’s from Indonesia. Kal is a thoughtful friend from Sri Lanka. She always likes to send wonderful e-cards on my page. I also have some Indian friends and a sister from Vietnam.

Have you been to Europe? Our Englishclub’s founder, Sir Josef, is from the United Kingdom whereas Mary and Estanis are from Spain. ¡Hola mi amigo y amiga! Did you know our new Miss Universe is from Europe, too? She’s from France. Vive le France! One of the sweetest ladies on MyEC is from London. How about Luci? She’s from the Czech Republic. Our feisty gal is an opinionated English enthusiast. I miss our Greek gal and the fabulous airport security personnel from Baku, Azerbaijan.

On the other hand, Australia is another continent, but it’s also a country. In fact, it’s the sixth largest country in the world. The Australian continent consists of the mainland Australia, New Zealand as well as different small countries such a Vanuatu, Fiji, Palau and so on. How about Africa? It’s the second largest continent in the world. According to the experts, this continent has a diverse language and culture. By the way, our former video moderator is from Egypt.

Do you know what countries belong to the North American continent? Obviously the United States is one of them along with Mexico, Panama and other Latin nations. Canada is the largest country in North America. I’m grateful to meet my uncle from Alberta! The Caribbean, a region consists of different islands, is also a part of North America. I wonder what my Dominican Republic friend is doing lately.

Are you from South America? This is another interesting continent. It’s also known as the Latin America because most countries belong to this group are Hispanics (Spanish). Meanwhile, Brazil is the largest country in this continent and its spoken language is Portuguese since it was colonized by Portugal. I hope my Brazilian friends are doing perfectly well. Bom dia!

Lastly, before I forget, the seventh continent in the world is Antarctica. Have you ever been there? If so, how did you manage to live in a temperature that’s below freezing? Living there must have been a pickle considering the limited supply of food, services (especially the Internet) and ludicrous weather condition. I heard the community there is called McMurdo. But it’s nice to know that this continent is a home for the killer whales.

Oh, look at the time! I gotta go now, I must return to the real world before someone steals my thunder. Thank you for joining with me in our tour around the globe. LOL :)

There you have it! Which continent do you belong to?

If you haven't read the mechanics of this month's writing challenge yet, please check out here.

Hello, MyEC members! How’s your 2017 so far? I hope everything is fantastic and you’re still fond of Englishclub.  For this month, I would like to introduce to all of you our new writing challenge about ‘lexical sets’. Are you familiar with this vocabulary term? If not, let’s learn this topic together shall we?

A lexical set is a group of words which are all about the same topic and which all belong to the same part of speech. The group of words consists of nouns, gerunds, verbs, adverbs, or even adjectives. (BBC Learning English)

We should remember that lexical sets have the same function and form. Let’s have some examples so you could better understand this topic.

If we want to talk about a lexical set of ‘drinks’ or ‘beverages’, we would think about- tea, coffee, soda, water and juice. It’s a group of drinks, right? More importantly, they (the words) are all nouns and belong to the same topic (drinks). Here’s another lexical set about household chores- cleaning the windows, cooking a stew, sweeping the floor and washing the dishes. Have you noticed all these words end in –ing form and belong to the same type of activity in a home?

However, we cannot say a set is lexical if there’s one or more activities differentiate the other from the rest. For example, do you think is this a lexical set? Reading materials - books, magazines, pamphlets, newspapers, television. Obviously, this is not a lexical set. Although all of these words are nouns, television is not usually use as a reading material.

How about this one? See if you can spot an error to this lexical set - countries – France, Venezuela, Australia, Buenos Aires, Thailand, and United Arab Emirates. Hint; one of them is a city!

This is a very useful activity to improve our vocabulary. If you’ve understood the lesson, let’s make this more interesting by writing a short blog.

Your Task 

• Make your own set of lexical words. You may write them in a piece of paper to serve as your guide. Choose whether you want to use nouns, verbs, adjectives or even interjections. For example; Lexical set – Sports – basketball, tennis, golf, archery and chess.

• Here’s a more challenging part, from the list you’ve prepared, write a story or an article out of those words. Use those words in one or more paragraphs. Try to be creative and use your wild imagination.

• Highlight the words you’ve chosen as you write them in your sentences. This would make easier for us to check if you’re applying what you’ve learned.

Example:

I’m a sports fan, in fact I liked basketball. I dreamed of becoming a famous basketball star when I was a kid. I also like tennis. Unfortunately, I have a weak body so I opted and focused in playing chess.

• Challenge your friends to participate in this activity. Don’t forget to share the link of your blog below and use the title, ‘Writing Challenge: Lexical Set- Sports (or your preferred topic)'.

So, are you up for the challenge? Start making your own list and impress us with your writing skills. Good luck!

What’s your story?

Here's my writing challenge entry. :)

Do you like pretty things? How about a scenic view in the comfort of your own home? Who doesn’t like nature- the plants, trees, as well as its fresh scent they bring to our surrounding?

One of my goals for 2017 is to improve my garden. I’d like to be a green finger again. For the past years I’ve neglected it and wasn’t able to have a concrete plan on how to make the plants grow prolifically. I usually planted them everywhere without the idea if the soil and space were good enough for the plants to grow and nurture.

There are times that I was impatient to remove those filthy snails and slugs that lurking in my backyard. In addition, little birds and grasshoppers always stole the fruits and ate the entire plants even before they reached maturity. They were thorns in my side (problems that keep annoying you).

It’s funny that I’ve decided to write this blog as a reminder to myself, that there’s still hope even though there were super typhoons which hit and damaged my garden in the past years. Every day is a new beginning, isn’t it? I ought to believe in myself that there’s a possibility to make this garden bloom again. Better yet, to bring back its vibrancy.

How about those aphids? They like to pretend cute stardust, but they’re pests. I hope I would be able to manage them patiently as long as I allot more time to eliminate them completely. I should really learn to nip them in the bud before they strike again. Gardening goals, remember?

To make these goals working however, I started making compost and recycling food scraps. It’s one way of doing my fair share to the environment. Ideally, it’s an inexpensive way of making natural fertilizers! Gardening should be fun, right? Not a shake in the leaf (to feel anxious or nervous). There are times weeding wasn’t enjoyable so as cleaning the whole backyard. But I realized it’s a part of gardening and a cheap form of exercise. It helps our minds to clear things off from the stress brought by the negative news.

Now, I should get back to my garden before this blog becomes a lengthy one. Besides, I should really get my hands dirty to make my goals work. I hope this idea will come up roses (to be successful or positive in something) before another year ends. Wish me luck!

How about you? What are the common dilemmas you’ve encountered during gardening? Kindly join this challenge and share what your garden looks like along with the tips and tricks about managing it wisely. Looking forward to seeing your participation to this month’s writing challenge.

Happy gardening!

Let’s go green! Welcome back for another writing challenge. This month I’d like you to write something about a blissful place. No, I’m not talking about your travel or recent vacation, but it’s much appealing than you think – a garden! Do you have one? Mine is a bit disorganized that’s why I’d like to challenge you to share about your garden or plants that you’ve been taking care of recently. We could find some inspiration and new ideas that’d be useful to fellow plant lovers. Moreover, it’s a great way to practice our written English while exchanging some tips and tricks in managing the garden.

The aim of this activity is to practice using complex sentences as well as the proper usage of vocabulary words related to plants and gardening. Here's a useful lesson about sentence structure.

Your Task:

1. What’s your garden look like? Practice describing it. Is it big or small? Try to use new vocabulary words.
2. What types of plants or trees that we can find in your garden? You could include some photos! You can highlight the name of the plants and some words that you find new to you. They stick to your readers’ minds better.
3. Do you find gardening as an exciting activity or just a past time? Tell us your overall impression about your garden. You can include some tips to better manage a garden.
4. Write two to three paragraphs answering the questions above. Share the link of your blog on the comment box below with the title- Writing Challenge: My Garden/Plants. You could come up with a unique title too. Don’t forget to proofread your blog!

If you don’t have a garden, you can still join the challenge by simply blogging about a garden that you’ve visited. What about your neighbor or a friend’s garden in your area?

So if you’re up for the challenge, let’s start blogging and make our MyEC community bloom again with your interesting ideas and fabulous gardens.

Here's my writing challenge entry.