Tag Archives: british

English, knowledge, trivia

#EngKnowledge: Duke and Duchess of Sussex Royal Wedding Trivia

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Meghan-Harry engagement.jpg
Official engagement picture of Duke and Duchess of Sussex by photographer Alexi Lubomirski (Harper’s Bazaar).

Saturday, 19 May 2018, saw the wedding of Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle, who were designed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shortly before the ceremony started. Here are the facts of the 2018 Royal Wedding:

  1. Although there was no set protocol, a royal wedding of the British royal family has always happened on a weekday. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex opted for a weekend wedding to allow as many people as possible to celebrate the occasion.
  2. Having come from a biracial background, the Duchess of Sussex has been considered by many to make the British monarchy more accessible and diverse.
  3. The Duchess has also been involved in numerous charitable works, including issues on equality and women’s health.
  4. Photographer Alexi Lubomirski, who captured the Duke and Duchess’ official engagement pictures, was selected to cover the wedding.
  5. American Bishop Michael Curry captured the world’s attention with a long and powerful address. The Chicago-born bishop spoke passionately about the power of love, quoting Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
  6. The Duke and Duchess’ wedding song, Ben E King’s classic ‘Stand by Me,’ was performed during the ceremony by Karen Gibson and the Kingdom Choir.
  7. Also performing was Sheku Kanneh-Mason. The 19-year-old cellist, who was dubbed BBC’s Young Musician of the Year in 2016, performed 3 songs.
  8. Clare Waight Keller from Givenchy was the designer of the Duchess’ wedding dress. The dress was also complemented by a veil which had flowers from 53 Commonwealth nations embroidered on it.
  9. The Duchess paid tribute to the late Princess Diana by including forget-me-not, Princess Diana’s favourite flower, in her wedding bouquet. The bouquet also contained flowers hand-picked by the Duke from Kensington Palace.
  10. The Duchess of Sussex has followed tradition of placing her wedding bouquet on the tomb of the unknown warrior at Westminster Abbey. The tradition was started by Queen Mother (the mother of Queen Elizabeth II) the day after her wedding to future King George VI.

Those are #RoyalWedding trivia that I can share with you, fellas.

Source: The Sun, ABC Australia, CBC Canada, BBC, The Telegraph, and Harper’s Bazaar.

 

Compiled by @alicesaraswati for @EnglishTips4U on Monday, 21 May, 2018.

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English, slang

#UKSlang: UK slang (10)

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Whilst preparing for a session to be delivered on Twitter, I found some slangs that are quite hilarious. I hope you find them fun, like I do. This time, we’ll talk about some slangs that are mostly used in the UK. Like all slangs, they’re suitable only in casual conversation.

Enough with the speech. Let’s start, shall we?

  1. A bunch of fives. Meaning: a punch in the face.
    • Example:
      • “I’ll give you a bunch of fives.”
      • Meaning: “I’m going to punch you in the face.”
  2. Pants. Meaning: not very good, not great.
    • Example:
      • “That’s pants.”
      • Meaning: “That’s not very good.”
  3. Nineteen to the dozen. Meaning: very fast, at a speedy rate at high speed.
    • Example:
      • “She was talking nineteen to the dozen.”
      • Meaning: “She was talking very fast.”
  4. Pear-shaped. Meaning: wrong result, deviate from expectation.
    • Example:
      • “It’s all gone pear-shaped.”
      • Meaning: “It’s all gone wrong.”
  5. A slice short of a loaf. Meaning: not very clever.
    • Example:
      • “That pretty girl is a slice short of a loaf.”
      • Meaning: “That pretty girl is not very clever.”
  6. As bright as a button. Meaning: clever.
    • Example:
      • “She’s as bright as a button.”
      • Meaning: “She’s clever.”
  7. Spend a penny. Meaning: visit the bathroom.
    • Example:
      • “Excuse me. I need to spend a penny.”
      • Meaning: “Excuse me. I need to visit the bathroom.”
  8. Parky. Meaning: cold.
    • Example:
      • “It’s parky outside.”
      • Meaning: “It’s cold outside.”
  9. Curtain twitcher. Meaning: a nosy neighbor.
    • Example:
      • “You’re such a curtain twitcher.”
      • Meaning: “You’re such a nosy neighbor.”
  10. Fluff. Meaning: fart.
    • Example:
      • “Did you just fluff?”
      • Meaning: “Did you just fart?”

That’s all for now, fellas! So, which one do you like best?

Compiled and written by @miss_qiak for @EnglishTips4U on Saturday, April 29, 2017

 

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English, knowledge

#EngKnowledge: Seven honorary knights of British empire

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This article will talk about the seven honorary knights of British empire. Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Alex Ferguson are all British so you won’t find their names in this list. Let’s just get to the list now, shall we?

  1. Bill and Melinda Gates. Yes, because of Microsoft and their notable charity work. Bill was knighted as Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of British Empire in 2005.

    bill_melinda_gates
    (Source: CNN Turk)
  2. John Edgar Hoover. The first FBI director. Hoover was knighted as Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of British Empire in 1950.

    john-edgar-hoover
    (Source: memoriambook.com)
  3. Angelina Jolie. Not because of her acting, but because she was involved in preventing sexual violence. Jolie received the title Dame Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George in 2014.
    angelina-jolie
    (Source: celebsbios.com)

     

  4. Bono from U2. His concern to end hunger in Africa made him anointed as a knight in British Order. Bono was knighted as Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of British Empire in 2007.

    bono
    (Source: Annie Liebovitz)
  5. Steven Spielberg, because he was able to double the cinema admission in UK since 1980s. Spielberg earned the title Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of British Empire in 2001.
    steven-spielberg-04.jpg
    Best Director nominee Steven Spielberg arrives on the red carpet for the 85th Annual Academy Awards on February 24, 2013 in Hollywood, California. AFP PHOTO/FREDERIC J. BROWN (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images) (source:emaze.com)

     

  6. Mother Teresa, because of her charitable and missionary works in India. Mother Teresa was granted a membership of Order of Merits in 1983, an exclusive order that has limited members.

    mother-teresa
    (Source: anguerde.com)
  7. Benito Mussolini attained the title years prior to World War II. Of course, it was annulled several years later. Mussolini was knighted as Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of The Bath in 1923 and annulled in 1940.

    benito-mussolini
    (Source: adsa.ro)
  8. Here’s a bonus! The late President Soeharto was also given honorary knighthood in 1974. He earned the title Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath.

    suharto2
    (Source: brainly.co.id)

Compiled and written by @bintilvice for @EnglishTips4U on Friday, February 5, 2016

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English, slang, speaking, vocabulary

#UKSlang: UK slang (9)

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Good evening, fellas! How has your day been? I hope it’s been fun. I spent mine in campus, it was fun yet leave my cream crackered right now.  :D

In tonight session, I’d like to share some #UKSlang. Are you guys interested? Check them out, fellas!

  1. Absobloodylootely. Meaning: to agree with someone highly in a rather enthusiastic fashion.
    • Example:
      • Q: Are you going to do?
      • A: Absobloodylootely!
  1. Bob’s your uncle. Meaning: “there you have it!” or “everything is alright.”
    • Example:
      • “You just have to take the first left, and Bob’s your uncle –There’s the restaurant!”
  1. Cream crackered. Meaning: to be really tired and exhausted.
    • Example:
      • “Sorry, I can’t come to your party. I’m cream crackered.”
  1. Chock-a-block. Meaning: closely packed together; extremely full; crowded.
    • Example:
      • “Books piled chock-a-block on the narrow shelf.”
  1. Tickety-boo. Meaning: as it should be; going smoothly; fine.
    • Example:
      • “You don’t have to worry, everything is Tickety-boo.”
  1. Twee. Meaning: overly dainty, delicate, cute, or quaint.
    • Example:
      • “Her bunny-themed tea set is so utterly twee.”
  1. Queer street. Meaning: a difficult situation, such as debt or bankruptcy
    • Example:
      • “Stop buying unnecessary things, that’ll land you in Queer Street!”

It’s a wrap for now. Thank you for joining me. I hope it has been useful for you and…. Have a great day, fellas!

Compiled and written by @AnienditaR at @EnglishTips4U on Saturday, November 7 , 2015

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English, grammar, trivia

#GrammarTrivia: Writing dates

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Let’s identify the different ways we write dates in English!

You might have seen it written as September 27th, 2015.

But it can also be written this way: 27 September 2015.

What is the difference between the two? Which one is correct? The answer is that both are correct. It is simply a matter of using British or American English.

Writing dates with British English

In British English (BrE), the most common way is to begin with day first, then followed by month and year.

Example:

  • 4 July 2015. (4/7/2015)

It can also be written in ordinal numbers.

Example:

  • 4th of July, 2015.
  • Notice that there is an ‘of’ between month and day.

Writing dates in American English

Meanwhile, in American English (AmE), the rule is to begin by month then followed by day.

Example:

  • July 4th, 2015. (7/4/2015)
  • Notice how they use ordinal instead of cardinal number.

Americans also use the 4th of July format, sometimes. But generally they tend to stick to the month-day format.

So which format should I use?

It’s all up to you. Just remember to be consistent with it. Which means, if you are writing a letter, if you begin it with AmE, then you have to continue writing it in AmE.

Source: Cambridge Dictionary Blog

Written @EnglishTips4U on Tuesday, June 21, 2011; and recompiled by @animenur for @EnglishTips4U on Sunday, 27 September 2015

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English, knowledge, speaking

#EngKnowledge: The birth of British and American Accents

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All this time, we have been learning about the difference between British and American accent. You know it when you hear it. But have you ever wondered how these two accents came to be? Online magazine Mental Floss tried to answer the big question in the article “When did Americans lose their British accent?” As you may have known, the history of these two countries are strongly related.

The first English colony in the land that would be America arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1667. They certainly carried the language and accent that they used in their homeland, England. So how did their accent change? Now here comes the most interesting part … It wasn’t the American accent that went through changes, it was the British accent! The current American accent is actually much closer to the ‘original’ British accent.

We must first remember that British and American accents are very diverse. There are various accents used in the UK, such as Geordie, cockney, or Yorkshire. American accents also varied. There are Southern accent, and even black people have their own accent.

What we call “British accent” is actually a standardised Received Pronounciation (RP). Also known as Public School English or BBC English. What we call “American accent” is actually ‘general American accent’ or ‘newscaster accent’ or ‘Network English.’

Back to the story about the English colony in America. Remember, we first had the technology to record human voice in 1860. 300 years after the colony arrived, the difference between the British and American accents was already apparent. Since recording technology wasn’t available in those 300 years, we can’t say for sure when the change happened. But changes in British society might provide us the clue to the answer.
To explain that, first we need to know the major difference between British and American accent: Rhotacism.

Rhotacism is the excessive use of the letter ‘R’ in pronunciation. American accent is rhotic and speakers pronounce the ‘R’ in words such as ‘hard’. Meanwhile, British accent is non-rhotic, making the way they pronounce ‘hard’ sounds more like ‘hahd’.

In the 19th century, there was a hot trend among the upper and upper middle class in southern England to become non-rhotic. The trend was to not pronounce the ‘R’. It became the signifier of class and status. This posh accent was later standardised as Received Pronunciation, and being taught widely by tutors to social climbers.

Slowly but sure, the accent spread across England and is being used by people across levels and professions. Across the pond, there were also societal changes that further strengthen the use of American accent. Big cities like New York, Chicago, and Detroit became the new centers of economic power in the region. The cities are populated by Scots-Irish and North English migrants. Southern English elites have no significance in there. The Received Pronunciation then lost its influence among people in the cities.

Source: Mental Floss

#EngVocab Extra

  1. Came to be. Arti: asal mulanya.
  2. Strongly related. Arti: berhubungan erat.
  3. Apparent. Arti: nyata, terlihat, tampak.
  4. Signifier. Arti: penanda.
  5. Posh. Arti: mewah.
  6. Social climber. Arti: orang yg ingin meningkatkan status sosial (dengan memakai barang mewah, mengubah cara bicara).
  7. Across the pond. Arti: di seberang Lautan Atlantik, cara orang Inggris menyebut Amerika.
  8. Societal change. Arti: perubahan masyarakat.
  9. Further strengthen. Arti: semakin memperkuat.

 

Compiled by @animenur for @EnglishTips4U on Sunday, May 17, 2015

 

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English, knowledge

#EngKnowledge: British Royal Family

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Bet you’ve heard about this today: Prince William and Kate Middleton had welcomed their 2nd child, a baby girl!

So this is the perfect moment to learn some facts about the British monarchy!

  1. Queen Elizabeth II has been serving her country for more than 60 years.
  2. The Queen is a “Queen Regnant”, which means she became queen not because of marriage.
  3. She inherited the throne from her father.
    • Inherited. Arti: mewarisi,
    • Throne. Arti: takhta.
  4. Will Kate Middleton ever be a queen? Contrary to Queen Elizabeth II, she will be a ‘Queen Consort.’ Queen Consort is when a princess becomes a queen by marriage.
  5. Based on her lineage, Kate Middleton turned out to be a distant relative of George Washington.
  6. Queen Elizabeth had declared the family surname to be ‘Mountbatten-Windsor.’ Mountbatten is Prince Phillip’s surname.
    However, anyone with a ‘His/Her Royal Highness Title Prince/Princess’ does not usually require a surname.
  7. When a Royal Baby is born, a town crier will announce it in front of the hospital wing. Two footmen will then place an official declaration outside Buckingham Palace. Two footmen will then place an official declaration outside Buckingham Palace.
    • Hospital wing. Arti: bangsal rumah sakit.
  8. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wife of Prince Charles does not use the title ‘Princess.’ The decision was made out of respect to the late Princess Diana.
    • Out of respect. Arti: demi menghormati.
  9. Every Tuesday, the Queen will hold a meeting with the current British Prime Minister.
  10. Another interesting tradition involving the Prime Minister is when they are elected. The winner of the election is announced, then he/she is going to meet the Queen. Then he/she is going to publicly declare in front of the people: “Her Majesty the Queen has asked me to form a Government and I have accepted.”
  11. Using a postage stamp with the image of the Queen in the wrong way can be seen as a treason.
    • Postage stamp. Arti: perangko,
    • Treason. Arti: pengkhianatan terhadap negara.

Those are my fave facts about British Royal family. Do you have any fave facts?

“Another fact about royal family was Prince Charless cheated with Camilla before Princess Diana got rumour.” – @iamderi

Source:

  • Telegraph UK,
  • yourtango.com

Compiled by @animenur for @EnglishTips4U on Sunday, May 3, 2014

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English, trivia, writing

#EngTrivia: British vs American English Spellings

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Do you know that some British English (BrE) words have different spellings from American English (AmE) words?

In general, there are 10 types of spelling differences between BrE and AmE. Here they are:

  1. BrE (-our) vs AmE (-or). E.g.:
    • armour (BrE) vs armor (AmE)
    • favourite (BrE) vs favorite (AmE)
    • honour (BrE) vs honor (AmE)
  2. BrE (-re) vs AmE (-er). E.g.:
    • centre (BrE) vs center (AmE)
    • Litre (BrE) vs liter (AmE)
    • Theatre (BrE) vs theater (AmE)
  3. BrE (-ae-) vs AmE (-e-). E.g. :
    • archaeology (BrE) vs archeology (AmE).
    • Leukaemia (BrE) vs leukemia (AmE)
  4. BrE (-se) vs AmE (-ze). e.g. :
    • analyse (BrE) vs analyze (AmE)
    • apologise (BrE) vs apologize (AmE)
    • emphasise (BrE) vs emphasize (AmE)
  5. BrE (-l) vs AmE (-ll).e.g.:
    • fulfil (BrE) vs fulfill (AmE)
    • skilful (BrE) vs skillful (AmE)
  6. BrE (-ogue) vs AmE (-og). e.g. :
    • analogue (BrE) vs analog (AmE)
    • dialogue (BrE) vs dialog (AmE)
  7. BrE (-ence) vs AmE (-ense). e.g. :
    • defence (BrE) vs defense (AmE)
    • licence (BrE) vs license (AmE)
  8. BrE (-dge) vs AmE (-dg). e.g. :
    • judgement (BrE) vs judgment (AmE)
    • arguement (BrE) vs argument (AmE)
  9. BrE (-que) vs AmE ( -ck). e.g.:
    • cheque (BrE) vs check (AmE)
  10. BrE (-gramme) vs AmE (-gram). e.g. :
    • programme (BrE) vs program (AmE)
    • kilogramme (BrE) vs kilogram (AmE)

So, which one do you prefer? BrE or AmE?

 

Compiled and written by @iisumarni at @EnglishTips4U on Wednesday, September 19, 2012

 

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English, slang, speaking, vocabulary

#UKSlang: “Bloody hell!”

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Before we begin this #UKSlang session, I’d like you to check out the above video.

It’s a TV commercial by Tourism Australia (Badan Pariwisata Australia), meant to attract international travellers to visit. Released in 2007, the commercial created a huge controversy.

The commercial shows a group of Australian preparing themselves to greet tourists. It ended with the slogan. This is where the controversy is!

2015/01/img_5934.jpg

In this article, we will be discussing “Bloody hell” – its history, how it’s used, and the controversy!

“Bloody hell” is a curse word commonly used in United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries.

There are 2 ways to use it:

  1. As an exclamation (seruan).
    • Example:
      • “Bloody Hell! Did you just posted a pic of me sleeping on Instagram?”
    • We use it like we use “Damn it!” in American slang.
  2. Another way is to include them in a sentence the way we use “Fuck” in American slang.
    • Example:
      • “Why the bloody hell didn’t you send the letters?”
    • “Bloody hell” is considered rude, but different country has different view on how rude it is.

In the UK, the media are not even allowed to print the words. It has to be censored into “b___y“. But in Australia, they are more relaxed about it. That’s why the words appeared in the TV commercial!

When it was first released in the UK, the Tourism Australia caused a stir and ended up being banned because of the words. For the British, the TV commercial was too rude, whilst Australians have no problem with it at all. It’s interesting how even for these English-speaking countries, cultural clash can still happen. Even the Australian Minister of Tourism Fran Bailey had to visit UK to lobby for the commercial to be shown.

But why does “bloody hell” considered rude? There different stories on its origin.

Many sources claim that it is rude because it is ‘blasphemous’ (menghina agama). Some say the words sounds violent because it reminds people of wars.

Others say the words were borrowed from German word “blode” which means “silly, stupid.”

Imagine how it was like when Ron Weasley said “bloody hell” many times in Harry Potter movies, which aimed for kids :D

Either way, “bloody hell” had become a curse word that feels distinctively British.

Here’s a funny video of all the “bloody hell” Ron Weasley said in Harry Potter movies:

“but, i don’t think ‘bloody hell’ is as rude as ‘fuck’, imo :/” – @purwamel

Yup! But apparently the British government thought it was too rude for a TV commercial.

“Is it same with another curse such as “shit” ?” – @ChristinaJeje

Yes. It is quite similar.

“huh? But once I watched Tp Ger on BB*, where one of the presenters said the words, uncensored.” – @afrizalfp

I think there might be a different regulation for commercials, print media, and movies/series.

“If it can make it into such movies (and maybe books, but I don’t quite remember), why so much fuss about it in commercials?” – @RAKemal

Hmmm… we’re not quite sure. Anyone knows why? Please leave a comment down below.

“That’s what I thought. Just that, I’m not sure. Either way, “bloody hell” sounds cooler than “fuck”, though not always.” – @afrizalfp

Image source: adweek.com

Compiled and written by @animenur for @EnglishTips4U on Sunday, January 18, 2015

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English, vocabulary, WOTD

#WOTD: British English (8) – Proper

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In this occasion, we are going to talk about one word that is used a lot in the UK. Some said it’s a slang, whilst some other said you can use it formally.

This is a proper room.

Have you heard of a sentence like the one above? What’s ‘proper’?

Proper means yang seharusnya/pantas. – @syarifmaulanaa

layak/patut. – @gurbachev

Seperti kata gaul kita “yang beneran”, “yang benar-benar” maka arti dari kata BrE “proper” adalah “nyata” (genuine, real) – @EnglishTips4u

Catatan: BrE adalah British English.

‘Proper’ (BrE) bisa diartikan sebagai kata gaul untuk ‘real’ (AmE). Seperti contoh sebelumnya:

  • BrE: This is a proper room.
  • AmE: This is a real room.

Maksud yang ingin disampaikan dari kalimat di atas adalah bahwa: kamarnya lebih baik atau lebih besar dibanding kamar manapun yang ada di sekitarnya atau yang pernah dilihatnya.

Kata ‘proper’ (BrE) di atas ditempatkan sebagai kata gaul (atau slang) dan digunakan untuk menunjukkan bahwa sesuatu lebih baik daripada yang lain.

Question: Nah, jika memang dipakai sebagai kata gaul, apa mungkin dipakai secara formal juga?

Oxford Dictionaries juga setuju bahwa ‘proper’ digunakan sebagai kata gaul (informal) dan kata formal dalam percakapan BrE.

Selain dari itu, adjectival phrase seperti ‘a proper…’

Bahkan adjectival phrase seperti ‘a proper…’ ditemukan di beberapa buku di tahun 80an seperti…

  1. Ann Thwaite’s 1984 biography of Edmund Gosse: ‘He had worked with magnifying slides but he had never had a proper microscope.’
  2. A Proper Tea: An English Collection of Recipes

So ‘proper’ is a proper word, right?

Dari pengalaman pribadi admin selama tinggal di London, ‘proper’ memang banyak digunakan dalam percakapan sehari-hari. Jadi jangan heran kalau kita dengar kata ‘proper’ dari orang Britannia/Inggris yang maksudnya ‘real,’ ‘genuine,’ ‘authentic,’ ‘yang benar.’

Akhirnya ngerti pas Matt Bellamy ngomong ‘I got proper fish’. – @_Aisyahs

liam payne once tweeted “get a proper job!” – @sarah_mutia

 

Source:

 

Compiled and written by @daedonghae at @EnglishTips4U on Tuesday, January 25, 2014

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English, speaking, talk

#EngTalk: British English (7) – Pronunciation

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Did you know that British English have certain pronunciations on certain words?

How would you say “library”? “Greenwich”? “Preliminary”?

This will be our little #EngTalk session today :)

So it was stated that in British English there’s a tendency that they would say things in 2 syllables while…

in American English it’s 3 syllables

So people would say “Greenwich” -> “Grin-witch” when actually to the British is -> “Grinich

A word like “library” people would say “lay-bre-ree” but in British would be “lay-bree”

It’s weird isn’t it that they don’t say the “bra” or “bre” bit

Same with “Preliminary” people woulds say it “pre-lemee-naree” while in British “preleem-naree”

So the “limi” or “lemee” were almost missing too in the pronunciation

Another famous place in London would be “Leicester Square”

People would say the “Leicester” part -> “Lei-ses-ter” while Londoners or British would say it “Leis-ter”

Again, the middle part is not being pronounced or said

For sure from wherever you are, don’t worry on how to say it, in Britain some of them would not mind how you pronounce it

So that’s it for now :) I hope you like the lil #EngTalk :D

Compiled and written by @daedonghae at @EnglishTips4U on December 7, 2013

English, slang, speaking, vocabulary

#UKSlang: UK slang (8)

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  1. Minted (adj.) Meaning: wealthy
    • Example:
      • “Many girls want to be Liam’s friend because he is minted now.”
  2. Collywobbles (n.) Meaning: a feeling of nervousness/discomfort in the stomach
    • Example:
      • “I got a case of the collywobbles before I met Zayn.”
  3. Gabby (adj.) Meaning: talkative.
    • Example:
      • “Harry is a gabby person. The media loves him.”
  4. Miffed (adj.) Meaning: upset/offended/peeved
    • Example:
      • “Niall was miffed when the media was making fun of him.”
  5. Knackered (adj.) Meaning: exhausted
    • Example:
      • “Payne is knackered after having a party last night.”
  6. Earwig (v.) Meaning: to eavesdrop
    • Example:
      • “Horan opens the window to earwig on the conversation outside.”
  7. Flicks (n.) Meaning: the cinema
    • Example:
      • “Tonight, Louis is going to the flicks with his family.”
  8. Peckish (adj.) Meaning: hungry
    • Example:
      • “Tomlinson is peckish after finishing his rehearsal.”

Compiled and written by @fabfebby at @EnglishTips4U on Sunday, October 06, 2013

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English, slang, speaking, vocabulary

#UKSlang: UK slang (7)

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  1. Do. Meaning: party.
    • Example:
      • “Let’s go to a do!”
  2. Jimmy riddle (or just ‘jimyy’ for short). Meaning: take a pee.
    • Example:
      • “Excuse me, I so need a jimmy riddle!”
  3. Taking the piss. Meaning: making fun of someone.
    • Example:
      • “No, you’re not fat. I was just taking the piss.”
  4. Bespoke. Meaning: custom made, just for you.
    • Example:
      • “You can go to the shop over there for bespoke clothing.”
  5. Bung. Meaning: throw it.
    • Example:
      • “Hey, bung me my keys, please.”
  6. Chinwag. Meaning: a sit-down conversation between close friends.
    • Example:
      • “I’m going to have a bit of chinwag with my friends.”
  7. Nosh. Meaning: snack or light meal.
    • Example:
      • “I’m hungry. Let’s go and find some nosh.”
  8. Up the duff. Meaning: pregnant.
    • Example:
      • “After 3 years of marriage, finally my sister is up the duff.”
  9. Full monty. Meaning: the whole thing.
    • Example:
      • “The dinner was magnificent, with a champagne, four-course dinner, and a band – the full monty.”
  10. Flog. Meaning: sell.
    • Example:
      • “I want to flog my mobile phone. Are you interested?”

Compiled and written by @Patipatigulipat at @EnglishTips4U on Friday, May 3, 2013

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English, slang, speaking, vocabulary

#UKSlang: UK Slang (6)

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  1. Best of British. Meaning: good luck.
    • Example:
      • “You’ll have an exam tomorrow? Best of British for you!”
  2. Blinkered. Meaning: unwilling to understand other people or themselves.
    • Example:
      • “He’s very blinkered in his outlook.”
  3. Brill. Meaning: brilliant.
    • Example:
      • “You have to watch this film- it’s brill!”
  4. Cracking. Meaning: extremely good.
    • Example:
      • “Dani scored with a cracking shot into the back of the goal.”
  5. Pass out. Meaning: leave college.
    • Example:
      • “I passed out in 2012 from a State University.”
  6. Engaged. Meaning: busy.
    • Example:
      • “I’ve tried to call you for many times but the line was engaged.”
  7. Easy peasy. Meaning: very easy.
    • Example:
      • “The exam is easy peasy.”
  8. Give us a bell. Meaning: call me.
    • Example:
      • “This is my new number. Give us a bell.”
  9. Gormless. Meaning: clueless.
    • Example:
      • “Andy looked very gormless yesterday.”

Compiled and written by @iisumarni at @EnglishTips4U on Thursday, January 10, 2013

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English, trivia

#EngTrivia: British English (6) – Biscuit

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So, tonight’s session is a bit like fun facts of the word: biscuit. Is everyone familiar with the word?

In Britain, biscuit is a popular snack which would most probably accompany a tea that anyone is drinking.

Although, people still get confused with it, especially if it is unfamiliar in our ears and eyes which one is actually biscuit.

‘Biscuit’ adalah kata yang berasal dari Prancis yang berarti dua kali masak (twice-cooked).

Sebenarnya kata ‘biscuit’ sebagai istilah ‘twice-cooked’ kadang masih dipakai di beberapa restoran.

‘Biscuit’ dalam bahasa Indonesia juga biasanya dibilang ‘biskuit’ yang menjadi jajanan kering dikonsumsi sehari-hari.

‘Biscuit’ di Britania biasanya memiliki dua sisi, bisa dicelup di teh dan kemasannya dipaket.

Contoh ‘biscuit’: biscuit1

Taksonomi ‘biscuits’ antara lain ‘cakes’, ‘crackers’, ‘chocolate covered’ dan ‘chocolate bars’

biscuits

‘Cake’ (kue) bisa dibedakan dengan ‘biscuit’ dari ukurannya dan ‘cake’ biasanya lebih rumit penampilannya dibanding ‘biscuit’. Contoh cake:

cake

Di Inggris, ada yang namanya Jaffa Cakes yang padahal adalah semacam ‘spongy biscuit. Ini membuat orang kebingungan akan ‘cake’.

Jaffa-cake

‘Cracker’ (Dalam British English: biskuit asin) biasanya tidak dicelupkan di teh karena asin.

crackers

Pernah dengar ‘Cheese and Crackers’? ‘Cracker’ tersebut adalah biscuit asin (savoury) tidak manis (sweet) seperti gambar di atas.

‘Chocolate covered’ adalah antara ‘biscuit’ dan ‘chocolate bars’ jadi merupakan ‘biscuit’ yang dilapisi cokelat diatasnya.

choc covered

‘Chocolate Bars’ adalah cokelat batangan dan konon Kit Kat adalah contoh yang bagus dimana dia merupakan transisi dari ‘chocolate covered’ menjadi ‘chocolate bars’.

chocbar

Nah, lalu, apa itu ‘cookie’? Pernah dengar ‘cookies’ juga kan yang bentuknya sering ditemui seperti ini

cookies

‘Cookie’ adalah sebutan ‘biscuit’ di Amerika jadi ‘cookie’ adalah American English-nya (AmE) ‘biscuit’

Ya, ada saja yang beda-beda kata diantara mereka, hehehe

Sekarang ‘biscuit’ dan ‘cookie’ banyak macamnya dan di Indonesia kita mengenal dua istilah ini tapi yang di-bahasa Indonesia-kan adalah kata ‘biscuit’ menjadi ‘biskuit’. Biskuat salah satunya tuh..

biskuat

Semoga #EngTrivia ini menjadi fun facts dan berguna untuk fellas :) Have a great evening!

Sumber: http://www.nicecupofteaandasitdown.com/biscuits/index.php3

Compiled and written by @daedonghae at @EnglishTips4U on January 22, 2013

English, slang, speaking, vocabulary

#UKSlang: UK slang (5)

5 Comments
  1. Lose the plot. Meaning: to behave in a strange or silly way.
    • Example:
      • “I can’t believe Dean did that. He must be losing the plot.”
  2. Head banger. Meaning: a fan of rock music.
    • Example:
      • “Mia’s a head banger. She always goes to her favorite band’s gigs every week.”
  3. Adam and Eve. Meaning: believe.
    • Example:
      • “I don’t Adam and Eve it. It’s not true that Dan is my sister’s boyfriend.”
  4. Apples and pears. Meaning: stairs.
    • Example:
      • “Radit sprained his ankles when she fell down the apples and pears yesterday.”
  5. Cop it. Meaning: to be punished because you’ve done something wrong.
    • Example:
      • “You’ll cop it if your parents find out you’ve stealing.”
  6. Five fingers discount. Meaning: shoplifting.
    • Example:
      • “He was charged with five fingers discount last month.”
  7. Get the nod. Meaning: get the permission.
    • Example:
      • “You’ll need to get the nod from your parents if you want to attend summer camp.”
  8. Gutted. Meaning: extremely disappointed and unhappy.
    • Example:
      • “Gerard was gutted when Mikey broke his guitars.”
  9. Chivvy on. Meaning: ask someone to do something they don’t want to do.
    • Example:
      • “I had to chivvy my brother on doing his homework.”
  10. Hard stop. Meaning: deadline.
    • Example:
      • “I haven’t slept for two days because I have a hard stop for my proposal tomorrow at 7 a.m.”

Compiled and written by @iisumarni at @EnglishTips4U on Thursday, December 27, 2012

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English, trivia

#EngTrivia: British English (5) – Shakespeare and the English Language

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Berikut adalah sebuah #EngTrivia yang sudah dikompilasi admin mengutip dari beberapa sumber yang membahas tentang

…Shakespeare and the English Language – yakni quick facts tentang Shakespeare dan perkembangan b. Inggris

Sekitar 3,000 kosa kata bahasa Inggris berasal dari William Shakespeare tertera di Oxford English Dictionary. Namun sebenarnya ada sekitar 17,000 kosa kata lebih yang pernah ia kreasikan.

Konon, itu adalah empat kali lebih dari kemampuan seorang ahli pembicara yang beredukasi tinggi. Dikatakan Louis Marder, Shakespeare dengan gampangnya menggunakan 7,000 kata lebih hanya pada satu saat itu. Ini lebih daripada kata-kata yang dipakai di Alkitab versi King James sendiri.

Pernyataan yang sering muncul saat belajar teks Shakespeare, orang Inggris maupun non-Inggris, adalah: Hadeh, susah amat sih….

Next tweet explains why :) @_Aisyahs: I ever tried to read the english version of Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth but I couldn’t understand :/

J.M. Pressley mengatakan yang ditulis Shakespeare adalah untuk para penikmatnya 400 tahun yang lalu . Maka, kata-kata yang dipakainya susah dicerna karena dalam 4 abad itu pasti ada perubahan dalam bahasa Inggris. Kalau dlbandingkan Shakespeare dengan Middle English, b. Inggris yang dipakai sekarang lebih dekat dengan yang dipakai Shakespeare.

Saat itu, tidak ada kamus resmi atau buku grammar yang menuntun para orang Inggris dalam menggunakan bahasa Inggris. Pendidikan formal hanya focus pada klasik Latin daripada b. Inggris sehari-hari. Mungkin karena itu atau dengan tidak kehirauan itu, b. Inggris pada saat Elizabeth berkuasa memiliki fleksibilitas dimana Shakespeare lalu menggunakan waktu itu sebaik mungkin dalam mengembangkan bahasa Inggris seluas-luasnya.

Dalam memahami teks ala Shakespeare ada empat hal yang harus diperhatikan dengan baik:

word usage (pemakaian kata), grammar, wordplay (permainan kata) dan versification (penggubahan syair)

Katanya para penduduk saat era Elizabeth atau sering disebut Elizabethan, sangat suka dengan puns (permainan kata) maka dari itu banyak puns ditemukan di dalam teks oleh Shakespeare. Puns ini biasanya bertemakan humor.

Untuk para pembaca sekarang atau yang memiliki tugas menelaah teks-teks Shakespeare, selain mencari tahu interpretasi yang kemungkinan berbeda pada saat itu, tapi juga untuk memperhatikan subtext humor Elizabethan.

“One key is to look for lines with homonyms or repeated words; those are some of the most common giveaways”

Salah satu cara mengidentifikasinya adalah untuk melihat kalimat dengan homonyms atau kata yang diulang-ulang

Perlu diingat bahwa teks-teks Shakespeare ini ditulis sebagai “drama literature-meant to be performed” atau literasi drama yang dipentaskan maka dibuat untuk didengarkan oleh orang-orang, bukan dibaca untuk sendiri maka dari itu Shakespeare memiliki kecenderungan menulis secara bait per bait (verses) seperti puisi (poem, poetry). Verses ini bisa dilihat dimulai dengan huruf besar di kata pertama dan penempatannya di setiap kalimat.

Demikian beberapa fakta tentang Shakespeare and the English Language yang telah admin kompilasi. Jadi, kalau misalnya harus pelajarin karya-karyanya di Sastra Inggris ya jangan kesel duluan deh, gak baik juga. Seperti yang disinggung, William Shakespeare bisa dikatakan salah satu bapaknya bahasa Inggris yang ada di dunia. Untuk cara-cara menelaah teks-teks Shakespeare sebenarnya banyak sekali di internet seperti:

Shakespeare Resource Center (sumber) dan Mr. Shakespeare and the Internet

Hope this #EngTrivia is something intriguing for you all :) Have a great evening

Compiled and written by @daedonghae at @EnglishTips4U on December 4, 2012

English, vocabulary

#EngVocab: British English (4) –Archaic English pronouns

5 Comments

Still continuing on the topic of British English, have you heard about the word ‘thee’ or ‘thou’?

Yea i have. Thee means you. – @cony_fibri

I have! Esp. In holy bible. – @yoshiaozh

Besides bible,Qoran,and other holly books of religion,you can also find example in shakespearian’s poet/poetry. Ex.Sonnet 18 – @SingMardhika7

While discussing previous topics on British English, some of our followers asked about words that were used during Shakespeare times or in the Bible. We will talk about them in this post.

Words such as ‘thee’ and ‘thou’ are usually called Archaic English pronouns. It was stated “The English words ‘thou, thee, thy and thine’ are translated from an emphatic Greek and Hebrew personal pronoun, stressing the identity of the one being addressed to the exclusion of all others.”

These words have been dropped out of the main dialects of Modern English, which is why we don’t use it anymore. These pronouns are now hardly used or no longer used as often as it was.

The following are tables listing the archaic personal pronouns and verb endings which usually follow them. These tables were taken from different sources.

A. By A. Davies, R. Lipton, D. Richoux et al.:

B. By Richard Anthony:

C. By Daniel R. Tobias:

It was rumoured that ‘thou’ and ‘thee’ were for familiar conversation, and ‘you’ and ‘ye’ were considered formal. This was untrue except during two centuries, roughly 1450-1650, including Shakespeare’s time where the previously plural ‘you’ was used in the singular for politeness and respect, while ‘thou’ and ‘thee’ were used for general conversation or even rudeness. Some sources even stated that people in that era were punished for addressing people with wrong pronoun.

Eventually, the politer pronoun ‘you’ drove out nearly all uses of ‘thee’ and ‘thou’; and these terms survived mostly in poetry and religion. The plural ‘you’ was then reinvented in some dialects as ‘y’all,’ ‘youse guys,’ ‘yunz,’ etc.

Several groups of people continue to use these pronouns today as part of their daily speech (although with different grammar), such as those in Yorkshire, Cumbria, East Midlands, and some rural areas of Western England.

Some examples to express the importance of “thou, thee, thy and thine” (from the Bible)

  • John 14:9, “Have I been so long time with YOU, and yet hast THOU not known me?”
    • ‘You’ refers to the crowd, but ‘thou’ specifically addresses only one man, Philip.
  • 1 Corinthians 8:9-12, “…this liberty of YOURS….If any man see THEE which hast knowledge… through THY knowledge…but when YE sin.”
    • The plural forms ‘yours’ and ‘ye’ refer to the liberty and sin of all believers in Christ as a whole, but the singular forms ‘thee’ and ‘thy’ refer only to those individual believers that find themselves in this particular circumstance.

This marks the end of this post on archaic personal pronouns. Should you have any question, feel free to drop a comment below or mention us on twitter.

 

Compiled and written by @daedonghae at @EnglishTips4U on Tuesday; November 13, 2012

 

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