SOME CURIOSITIES YOU DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

06 FEBRERO 2020 01 BIS

Autora: Verónica Amaro Bermejo

The world of languages is fascinating. Every language has got its own history. Please find below some interesting curiosities about the English Language.

English is the most internationally recognized language in the world. However, Chinese is the most spoken followed by Spanish.

United States is the country with the most English speakers, second is India, Third is Pakistan, and, fourth is Nigeria. The United Kingdom (UK) would be in a fifth position where the majority of the population speaks English.

English language comes originally from the North East of Germany and the Nederland. It is the only important language does not have a “Royal Academic” or any organization looking after it. In France there is “Académie Francaise”, in Spain exists the “Real Academia de la Lengua Española (RAE)” and German has “Rat fiir deutsche Rechtscheiburg”. These organizations are responsible for controlling the development of their languages, in terms of vocabulary, use and grammar.

By the other hand, more than 80 per cent of the information, stores computers worldwide, is in English.

The British accent started to be used in London and its surrounding area during the American Revolution.

English is the official language in 77 countries which includes more than 50 colonies. The first English Dictionary was written in 1755.

There are approximately 1.000.000 words in English (just for you to know, there are only 88.000 words in Spanish, quoted from RAE). Nonetheless, officially you will only find 350.000 in dictionaries. Moreover, an average English speaker uses a maximum of 2.800 words daily.

The English alphabet only has 26 letters and 44 different sounds. This is one of the reasons Spanish speakers have so many problems when it comes to English pronunciation. A continuing problem for Spaniards is that their language is phonetic, whereas English is not.

Finally, I hope you have found this information useful and that you are able to use it sometime in the future! 

4 Junio 2022 1
Keep an eye in English

TRADITIONAL BRITISH DISHES YOU NEED TO TRY.

TRADITIONAL BRITISH DISHES YOU NEED TO TRY.

 

Autor: Verónica Amaro Bermejo

 

Shepherd’s Pie

 Shepherd’s Pie is primarily made from minced lamb and potatoes. Many families will make this dish using beef, but then it should actually be referred to as Cottage Pie, as shepherds only herd sheep (duh). 

Most Brits would agree that Shepherd’s Pie is best eaten at home with your family and, in fact, the dish is not often served in restaurants.

 Beef Wellington

Beef Wellington is a fillet of steak coated in patê and then rolled in pastry. Although the dish shares its name with the famous Duke of Wellington, it actually shares no link with the British nobility. In reality, it is thought that Beef Wellington was based around the French dish filet de bœuf en croûte (fillet of beef in pastry).

Beef Wellington is served in posh pubs and restaurants up and down the country.

 

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4 junio 2022 11
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READING COMPREHENSION.

READING COMPREHENSION.

Autor: Jimena González Sanz.

 

Simply put, reading comprehension is the act of understanding what you are reading. While the definition can be simply stated, the act is not simple to teach, learn or practice. Reading comprehension is an intentional, active process that occurs before, during and after a person reads a particular piece of writing.

What is the reading process? What do we do during the reading process? The following ideas can sum up the main things that happen on each stage.

The reading process has three stages: The initial stage, prereading or before reading, then the second one that happens while reading and the third and last one is the post reading or exploring and extending your reading. 

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3 abril 2022 11
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PHRASAL VERBS

PHRASAL VERBS.

Autor: Jimena González Sanz.

 

Hi everyone! Welcome back to our English space where you can find interesting websites and ideas to improve your learning English learning. Today we are going to tackle a complex topic: phrasal verbs.

A phrasal verb is a phrase that consists of a verb with a preposition or an adverb, or both. In many cases the meaning of the phrasal verb cannot be deduced from its separate elements. In addition, many phrasal verbs are polysemous i.e., they have more than one meaning. There are also difficulties with the grammar of phrasal verbs, particularly with the position of the particles, in that some phrasal verbs are ‘separable’ (the particle can be moved), while some are ‘inseparable.’ Quite apart from all this, there are literally thousands of them

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