Afandi English

2021-03-25 19:00:48 #64 Our favourite mistakes: Writing

Which ones are correct?
a) There are many countries in Europe, for example France, Germany and Italy.
b) There are many countries in Europe, for ex France, Germany and Italy.
c) There are many countries in Europe, ex France, Germany and Italy.
d) There are many countries in Europe, e.g. France, Germany and Italy.

The answer is a) and d)

Why?

For ex is not a recognised abbreviation. It could be misunderstood as foreign exchange. Just ex means former, or as a noun former partner (“I haven’t seen my ex since we got divorced”).

Use e.g. instead. It comes from Latin, stands for exempli gratia and is perfect for use in writing. But not in speaking.

@afandi_english Open / Comment

2021-03-25 09:41:21 Dear students & teachers, our reading club is today again! Don't miss it! See you at 3pm! Open / Comment

2021-03-24 19:08:05 #20 University Vocab: Credentials

After we complete our studies we will get some kind of paper, right? Degree, diploma, certificate – what’s the difference between these credentials (=proof that someone is qualified; always in plural)?

Degree is the most valuable of them because it is always academic and you can only get it from a standard university course. There are bachelor, master and doctorate degrees.

Diploma is something you can get from a college or practical job training, not usually from academic education.

Certificate is the umbrella term (=general word) for all kinds of degrees, diplomas and everything else. You can get a certificate for anything you participate in, such as competitions, conferences, workshops and so on.

Most importantly, don’t confuse “diploma” with “degree”, and you’ll be fine!

@afandi_english Open / Comment

2021-03-24 11:41:47 A moving video with our mysterious song from Thailand. Open / Comment

2021-03-24 11:30:44 Good job!

Thailand was the correct answer. The style was not quite revealing, but guitar songs are quite popular all over Southeast Asia while playing the guitar is a popular hobby there. Most of you may have guessed it from the language which sounded somehow Asian. Thai language is tonal (=having tones that change the meanings of a word) and just like Chinese is more centred on vowels, diphthongs (=double vowels) and triphthongs (=triple vowels). Thailand is also a forward-thinking (=preparing for the future) nation in love with modernity, hence the use of English in the song.

Haiti was wrong. It’s a French-speaking country in the Caribbean. While the style could fit the Caribbean, the language does not.

Albania was wrong. The style of the song seems unlikely for Southeastern Europe. Albanian language is by the sound of it Eastern European but structurally quite obscure (=mysterious, unclear) actually. It’s Indo-European but not related to any other Indo-European language.

Namibia was wrong. The country is located in Southern Africa and speaks mainly English. Even if the song was in some tribal (=of a tribe, a traditional community) language it still sounds nothing like an African song. For that it is too romantic in a soft way, one might argue. Open / Comment

2021-03-23 19:09:14 #28 Afandi Quiz: Mysterious song

Today’s quiz is about a mysterious song from a mysterious country! Can you guess where it’s from? Pay attention to the language and style.

@afandi_english Open / Comment

2021-03-22 19:04:08 Open / Comment

2021-03-22 19:04:00 #5 Infographic: Valuable brands

Big international companies have a lot of power, sometimes more power than governments. Check out today’s infographics to see what brands were the most valuable in 2020 and which countries they come from. Watch the video to see the value of brands changing over the last 20 years.

Technology brands have become the biggest by far, and it’s pretty much a race between the US and China within the economically dominant world regions North America, Europe and East Asia.

@afandi_english Open / Comment