Do they differ?

Here’s  TEXTBOOK English:

John: I used to weigh 225 pounds, but I lost 150 pounds on a fantastic diet!
Tom: That's amazing! How did you do that?
John: It was simple! I ate healthy food and worked hard at the gym regularly.
Tom: Great job! I need to lose weight too!

Here’s  REAL English:

John: I once weighed a deuce and a quarter, but shed a buck fifty on an awesome diet!
Tom: Seriously?! How'd you pull that off?!
John: It was a cinch! I ate right and busted my ass at the gymreligiously!
Tom: You're the man! I need to get rid of my own fat tire!

"never-never land"

never-never land  -  an ideal or imaginary place
Examples: Lester seems to think he lives in some kind of never-never land where people don't have to accept responsibility for their actions.

Making Friends Not Always Easy for Foreign Students

This is the VOA Special English Education Report. 
       A recent story in the Chronicle of Higher Education said many foreign students

Living Under a Rock

This is quite a useful phrase in spoken English. If you are “living under a rock” it means

Leadership Qualities

You know, my father used to always to say that 'a good leader is born, not made'.

 I  mean, when  you  think  about  it  you  can  mould a person into many things, but you 

can't teach them  charisma  or  drive  or  the  courage to follow through on their own

 decisions. I mean, take  Linderman  for  example. He's become a very rich man by

 taking responsibility for his own  decisions.  That's how I've always done business.

about Latin

Latin is considered a "dead" language because it has ceased to evolve, but millions of people study it in school. That's because Latin pops up in medicine and law and is the root of many words in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Romanian and English.

In the Same Boat

This is another great phrase which is used a lot in everyday English.

If two or more people are “in the same boat” it means they are in a very similar situation.  They are experiencing the same things and feelings.