The Life of Charles Dickens

Modern Spoken & Written Phrase

Wake up Call

This is a great phrase that is often used in modern spoken or written English.  That is a “wake up call“.

Oasis in the Desert

MARK:    And there the perfect moment happens I ask her to marry me. With George.

SARAH:  I don't like that man.

MARK:    I'm sorry.

Mystery of the White Hats

Mystery of the White Hats

Suspects

• Captain Stark
• Chet
• Doug
• Ernie

There are 4 clues in this mystery.

"I remember the white hats," said Grandpa. "And I remember the men who wore them."

It had stayed with him all these decades, along with a story even he didn't believe,

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