House vs. home

Somebody whose name is Ramamoorthy from India asked me about the difference between “home” and “house” and “die” and “death”.

House vs. home

House always refers to a building. Size and substance matter.

Home can refer to a building, but also to the surrounding, to where you reside, where you are from, or where you are comfortable.

Look at the examples below:

I stay in my new house but I do not feel at home yet.
I am going home.
You can see my grandmother in the house.
I stay at home all day. (I am not really inside the house, maybe outside or surrounding)
I stay in the house all day. (I am always inside the house)

Before the word “home”, we do not need to put the article. While before the word “house”, we can put the article. Look at the examples above. Focus to the words “at home” and “in the house”

Die and death

Die is a verb
Death is a noun
Dead is an adjective

His father died yesterday (the past tense of die is died)
His father’s death is mystery
His father was dead yesterday.

That’s all for today, I hope useful for Ramamoorthy and all of you.
Have a nice day!

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Happy New Year in ten languages

Hello World, I wish you Happy New Year 2009!

Arabic : Kul ‘am wa antum bikhair

Chinese : Xin Nian Kuai Le

Dutch : GELUKKING NIEUWJAAR!

French : Bonne Annee

German : Prosit Neujahr

Greek : Kenourios Chronos

Indonesian : Selamat Tahun Baru

Japan : Akimashite Omedetto Gozaimasu

Russian : S Novim Godom

SUNDANESE : Wilujeng Warsa Enggal



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Merry Christmas in ten languages

Hello readers, today, December 25, 2008, is Christmas day. So in this opportunity I would like to wish you Merry Christmas. May your home will be filled with peace and joy.

Also I would like to wish you Merry Christmas in ten languages as follow:

Dutch: Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! or Zalig Kerstfeast

French: Joyeux Noel

German: Froehliche Weihnachten

Greek: Kala Christouyenna!

Hindi: Shub Naya Baras

Indonesian: Selamat Hari Natal

Italian: Buone Feste Natalizie

Japanese: Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto

Korean: Sung Tan Chuk Ha

Mandarin: Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan



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To differ vs. to differentiate, a difference vs. a differentiation, and to be different

Let’s read a paragraph below carefully:

There’s a contest in my college. The contest is to make a story about the culture in a country. Every student must make a different story in different country. This is not hard because one country has the difference from the others. But two students accidentally make a story about the same country. The lecturer then asks them to differentiate their stories. The differentiation is done well by the two students, but the difference is only in the words. And now the two stories become different. The two stories differ although in the same country.

Can you differentiate the words in italics and bold?

Well let’s see the explanation below:

Different: an adjective to show that something is not the same with the others

Difference: a noun showing that something is different from the others

Differ: a verb to know if something is different from the others, you can use this verb instead of using to be different.
e.g.: apple and orange are different or apple and orange differ

Differentiate: a verb to make something different from the others
If two things are the same and you want them different, you would say: I want to differentiate them, not: I want to differ them. “differ” not followed by an object and it is used when two things are already different. You can also say: It differs from the others or It is different from the others

Differentiation: a noun showing the process to make something different from the others. By other words: When the differentiation is finished you will know the difference.

Now please the paragraph again so you will find the difference.

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Frequently used abbreviations in US

Many American Students from Indonesia say that speaking is easier than listening. It is because of using abbreviation of some words or phrases that not only make those words/phrases sound confusing but also become so fast to say that finally difficult to understand.

Below are some very popular abbreviation and used frequently. You will see those in pronunciation because it’s commonly used in speaking. But some are commonly used in writing such as in Novel, magazine, and so on, for these words/phrases will be given the sign asterisk (*).

Standard ==> Abbreviation ==> Example ==> Notes

And ==> ‘n ==> where ya going? ==> ya can be followed one and more words.

Because ==> ‘cause (*) ==> I hate her ‘cause she’s very arrogant

Does she ==> dushi ==> Dushi speak English?

Give me ==> gimme (*) ==> Gimme the money!

Going to ==> gonna/gonnu (*) ==> I’m gonna give you my shoes/I’m gonnu ask him.

Get out of here ==> get outta here (read: ged oudda here)


and many others.

Do you wanna know the others? Don’t miss it to read next posting!


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Fruits in Slang English

Finally! Now I can write again after several days I couldn’t. I went to hometown and took a rest and refreshed my thoughts.

In my hometown I found and ate lots of fruits such as apple, banana, orange, and so on.

Do you know if we can say slang way with the fruit-name? Let’s learn now!

Apple

Apple of one’s eye:
e.g.: She is the apple of her father’s eye. It means that she is her father’s favorite.

Banana

To be bananas = to be crazy
e.g.: I am so bored, I’m going bananas.

Top banana = main boss
e.g.: he is the top banana in his company. It means he is the main boss in his company.

Orange

To compare apples and oranges = to compare two things that simply can not be compared.
e.g.: that’s ridiculous, you’re comparing apples and oranges.

There are still many other fruits used in slang way, including vegetables. Read more books or watch movies to know them! The more you read books the more you get them. I will write again when I find some of them.
Cheer!

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Is it commenter or commentator?

Someone asked me which one is right: commenter or commentator. Before we continue, let’s see and compare the origin of those words:

To comment ==> comment ==> commenter
To commentate ==> commentary ==> commentator

Both “to comment” and “to commentate” have the same meaning. To comment or commentate means to make or write comments.

So commenter is one who makes or writes comments. I find that commentator is widespread in sports reporting and journalism. A commentator is an expert who observes and comments on something. I think that commentator is used to name a commenter as his professional job.

For me it’s OK to use commenter or commentator to appreciate your contributors to your blog entry or your writing who have commented and given their opinions about your writing.

I use commentator to call one who comments on my blog, as for me, he or she is my inspiration and he (or she) has given me spirit. He (or she) is an expert that can lead me to a progress.

However I appreciate you very much if you would like to be a commentator on this writing especially and on my blog generally. In addition, in this chance I would like to give many thanks to Seno who has become Top Commentator on my blog.

Finally, should you have any other opinions about this topic or disagree with my opinion, don’t hesitate to write your comments below.
Be a good and top commentator!
Cheers!

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To be in the pink

Hello everybody! How are you today? Are you in the pink? Good, I am in the pink too right now. Although I am feeling blue but I’m in the pink.

When we are in a good or perfect condition especially of health, we can say we’re in the pink. How to know the difference between pink as a color and the expression above? To find out let’s read the conversation below:

Jane : Hi, John, how’re you today?
John : Hi, Jane, I’m in the pink, let’s go around!
Jane : Where’re we going? But I’m not ready yet.
John : OK, I’ll wait for you here.
Jane : Thanks, I’ll get dressed first, wear my favorite clothes.
John : OK, go!
(After 15 minutes)
Jane : Hi, John, I’m ready now. Let’s go!
John : Oh my! You look more beautiful with that pink dress.
Jane : Thank you.
John : I like the girls in pink. They will look so pretty.

Well so, “to be in the pink” is an expression. The word “pink” must be used after “to be” and “the”.

I’m sure you have many other usage of the word pink. Please share to us by doing comment below.

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The man in blue looks so blue

I am sure that you all have known the word blue. Yes the word blue represents a color. Besides, blue has some other meaning. One of them is the sadness feeling. See the examples below:

Blue as a color:
The sky is blue
I have many blue t-shirts at home.
What is the color of his eyes? Blue
The man in blue is my father.

To represent a sadness feeling:
I am feeling so blue to hear that your brother is in jail.
Why do you look so blue today?
I am very blue to see your condition.

Now try to determine the meaning of blue in the sentence below!

Look, Jane! The man in blue looks so blue to know that his daughter plays a role in a blue film.

Do you have any other examples of using the word blue? Or perhaps you want to correct any mistake of this entry if any? Please tell us here by giving your comments below!

Bye and thanks for having read, mwach!


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Football Vocabulary

BASICS

a match
two teams playing against each other in a 90-minute game of football

a pitch
the area where footballers play a match

a referee
the person who makes sure that the players follow the rules. Normally wears a black shirt and shorts, and has a whistle

a linesman (referee's assistant)
the person whose main duty it is to indicate with a flag when the ball has gone out of play or when a player is offside

a goalkeeper
the player in goal who has to stop the ball from crossing the goal-line. The only player who is allowed to handle the ball during open play

a defender
a player who plays in the part of the football team which tries to prevent the other team from scoring goals, e.g. 'Kolo Touré is a defender and plays in defence for Arsenal and Ivory Coast'.

a midfielder
a midfielder - a player who plays mainly in the middle part of the pitch (or midfield), e.g. Michael Essien is a midfielder and plays in midfield for Chelsea and Ghana

an attacker
also called a forward; a player whose duty it is to score goals, e.g. Samuel Eto'o is an attacker and plays in attack for Barcelona and Cameroon

a skipper
the player who leads a team, also called the captain

a substitute
a player who sits on the bench ready to replace another team-mate on the pitch. Can also be used as a verb, e.g. the manager was not happy with his attacker and substituted him after 60 minutes

a manager
the person in charge of a team and responsible for training, new players and transfers. For example, Alex Ferguson is the manager of Manchester United

a foul
a violation of the rules. For example, if a player other than the goalkeeper handles the ball in the penalty box (or penalty area) it is a foul and a penalty is given to the other team

a booking
a yellow card shown to a player by the referee for a serious foul. Two bookings or yellow cards result in a red card or sending-off

full-time
the point of the game when the referee blows the final whistle and the match is over. Normally after 90 minutes and any added injury or stoppage time

injury time
also called stoppage time, added minutes at the end of the regular playing time at half-time or full-time. Entirely at the referee's discretion and normally indicated by an official on the sideline (or touchline)

extra time
if a match has no winner at full-time, 2 x 15 minutes of extra time may be played in some competitions

offside
in a position which is not allowed by the rules of the game, i.e. when an attacking player is closer to the opposing team's goal-line at the moment the ball is passed to him or her than the last defender apart from the goalkeeper

SCORING

the score
the record of goals that indicates who is winning. The final score is the result that decides who has won the match . Can also be used as a verb, e.g. the attacker scored a beautiful goal

to concede
to allow a goal in, the opposite of scoring a goal. For example, Ghana conceded only four goals in the World Cup qualifying group 2

a goal
a successful attempt at scoring achieved by putting the ball over the goal line into the goal past the goalkeeper. For example, Gyan Asamoah has scored a beautiful goal for Ghana

an own goal
a goal scored accidentally by a member of the defending team that counts in favour of the attacking team

the lead
when a team scores first it is "in the lead", i.e. winning the match at the point of scoring. For example, Fabrice Akwa's early goal gave Angola the lead after 72 minutes but the final score was 1-1 (one all)

an equaliser
a goal that cancels out the opposing team's lead and leaves the match tied or drawn. Can also be used as a verb, e.g. Marouan Chamakh equalised for Morocco after 40 minutes and brought the score level

to win
a match in which a team is victorious and beats the other team. A win normally gives the winning team three points, the losing team does not get any points. More commonly used as a verb, e.g. Brazil won the World Cup in 2002

a draw
a match that ends in a tie, i.e. has no winner or loser. The teams get one point each for a draw. Can also be used as a verb, e.g. Congo drew 0-0 (nil all) with Senegal in June

a defeat
a match that is lost, the opposite of a win. For example, Sudan suffered a home defeat to Zambia in September 2002

to knock out
to eliminate another team from a competition. For example, in the last World Cup Brazil knocked out England in the quarter-finals

a penalty shoot-out
in a knock-out competition, a penalty shoot-out takes place if a match is a draw after full-time or extra-time. Five players from each team take a penalty each, and if the score is still level after that, one player from each team takes a penalty in turn, in order to decide who wins the match

a goal difference
If team A has scored four goals and team B one, the goal difference is three

a head-to-head
a way of deciding which team is ranked higher if two teams are level (or equal) on points. For example, if team A and B both have six points, but team A beat team B in the head-to-head game, team A will be ranked above team B

a play-off
an extra match to decide which of two or more teams should go through to the next round. For example, Australia beat Uruguay on penalties in a play-off to qualify for the World Cup 2006

the away-goal rule
in some competitions, e.g. the UEFA Champions' League, a rule that rewards teams for scoring away from home over two legs (or matches). For example, in 2005 AC Milan beat PSV Eindhoven 2-0 at home (in Milan) but lost 1-3 away in Holland. So both teams had scored three goals and conceded three goals, but because AC Milan had scored a goal away from home it went through to the Champions' League final on the away-goal rule


TYPES OF SHOT

to kick
to hit something, or somebody, with your foot. In football, the players kick the ball.

to shoot
to kick the ball towards the net at one end of the pitch (the goal) in an attempt to score a goal

the kick-off
the first kick of the game when two players from the same team in the centre circle play the ball and start the match. Also the first kick after half-time or after a goal has been scored

a goal-kick
a kick taken from the 6-yard line by the defending team after the ball has been put over the goal line by the attacking team

a free-kick
the kick awarded to a team by the referee after a foul has been committed against it

a penalty
a free shot at goal from 12 yards (11 metres or the penalty spot) awarded by the referee to a team after a foul has been committed in the penalty area

a corner
a kick from the corner flag awarded to the attacking team when the ball has crossed the gaol-line (or byline) after last being touched by a player of the defending team

a throw-in
a throw is taken from the sideline (or touchline) after the ball has gone out of play. The only time a player can handle the ball without committing a foul

a pass
a kick of the ball from one player to another. Can also be used as a verb, e.g. the defender passed the ball to the midfielder

a cross
a pass from the side of the pitch into the penalty area in an attempt to find an attacker and score a goal. Can also be used as a verb, e.g. the defender crossed the ball into the penalty area

a one-two
a passing move in which player 1 passes the football to player 2, who immediately passes it back to player 1

a header
the "shot" that occurs when a player touches and guides the ball with his or her head. For example, El Hadji Djouf scored with a fine header. Can also be used as a verb, e.g. the defender headed the ball back to the goalkeeper

a backheel
a kick where the ball is hit with the heel (or the back) of the foot. Can also be used as a verb, e.g. Nwankwo Kanu back-heeled the ball to Thierry Henry

to volley
to kick a moving ball from the air before it hits the ground. Can also be used as a noun, e.g. Jay Jay Okocha's beautifully-struck volley beat the goalkeeper at the near post

a clearance
a defensive kick that is intended to put the ball out of danger, e.g. Peter Odemwingie's clearance went out of play for a throw-in

READING THE PRESS

one-touch football
an often admiring reference to a style of football in which a team can pass the ball quickly from one player to another without the need to control it with more than one touch

the long-ball game
an often disapproving reference to a style of football in which a team prefers to play long balls in the hope that an attacking player will get them, flick them on or score

keep possession
to be able to keep the ball and prevent the opposing team from touching it. The opposite of "lose possession" or "give the ball away"

they are dangerous on the counter-attack
referring to a team that can switch quickly from defence to attack and score goals in that way

put eleven men behind the ball
referring to a team that defends with all the players and is not very interested in scoring goals. For example, many visiting teams put eleven men behind the ball and are happy with a 0-0 draw when they play Real Madrid at the Bernabéu stadium

send the keeper the wrong way
refers to the way in which a player can fool the goalkeeper and pretend to shoot at one side of the goal while the ball goes in another direction. This expression is used often during penalties

a clinical finish
referring to a well-placed, controlled shot from a scoring position that ends in a goal. For example, Tunisia's Hatem Trabelsi controlled the pass and scored with a clinical finish

his/her first touch let him/her down
this means a player was unable to control the ball (or pass) with his or her first touch and as a result lost precious time or even possession

they are strong in the air
referring to a team that has a lot of (tall) players who can head the ball very well. As a result, they are strong in the air, may prefer the long-ball game, and score a lot of goals with headers while not conceding any or many headed goals themselves

they have a big physical presence
referring to a team that has a lot of big and physically strong players and, as a result, prefers a very robust style of play. For example, Bolton Wanderers have a big physical presence and are a difficult team to beat in the Premiership

the goalkeeper is quick off his/her line
referring to a goalkeeper who is fast and makes quick (and normally correct) decisions as to when to leave the goal in order to prevent an attacking player from reaching a pass or cross

that shot stung the goalkeeper's palms
referring to a shot on goal that is so hard that the goalkeeper might well have felt pain when he/she stopped it with his/her hands

a prolific goal scorer
referring to a player, normally a striker, who scores or has scored a lot of goals. For example, Henrik Larsson is a prolific goal scorer for Sweden

the foul earned him/her a suspension
referring to a foul that is punished by a yellow or red card and results in the player being banned from playing in the next game(s). For example, the two-footed tackle earned the defender a suspension and he will miss the next game

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FOOTBALL (SOCCER)

Do you like to play football? Or just like to watch it?
What is Football?
Football is one of the world's most popular games. It is played in nearly every country, by everyone from kids in vacant lots and back streets to professional players in giant stadiums. Professional football is watched by billions of people all over the world, and is probably the world's most popular spectator sport.


History

The earliest known form of the game was developed in China around 500 B.C. It was known as cuju ('kick-ball') and was played with a leather ball. The object was to kick the ball into a net stretched between two goal-posts. By 800 A.D. there was a well-organized professional league in China, and similar games were also being played in Korea and Japan.

The earliest form of the game that we know of in Europe was played in England around 1100 A.D. It was played between big teams, sometimes whole villages, on a large field, and the ball could be thrown, kicked, or carried towards the opponent's goal. There were very few rules and games were often wild and rough. The game was repeatedly banned by the authorities because of the violence and injuries it caused.

How The Game Works?

The modern game first developed in England in the 19th century. The Football Association was set up in 1863 and the 'Laws of the Game' were drawn up in the same year. In 1882 the International Football Association Board (IFAB) was formed, and this organization still oversees the rules of the game. Then FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) was founded in 1904 to run international competitions. FIFA still runs the World Cup, as well as regional competitions such as the European and Asian Cups.

The modern game is played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. Players pass the ball to each other by kicking or heading it, with the aim being to score goals by getting the ball into the opponent's goal. The game lasts for two 45-minute halves, and the team scoring the most goals wins. Draws are common, but if a winner has to be found, a game can go into extra time. If the score is still tied after thirty minutes of extra time, a 'penalty shootout' can decide the winner.

In general play, the goalkeeper is the only player who can touch the ball with the hands or arms. All the other players can kick or head the ball only. Players can tackle an opponent in order to get the ball from them, but must do so without pushing or tripping the player. Pushing and tripping, along with other illegal actions such as 'handball' and 'offside', are fouls that can be penalized with a free kick. If a foul is committed in the penalty area near either goal, the referee can award a penalty kick, meaning a player can have a free shot at goal, with only the goalkeeper being allowed to try to block it. If a player commits a more serious offence, such as dangerous play, the referee can issue a yellow card as a warning, or issue a red card, in which case the player is sent off and cannot be replaced by a substitute. Teams are normally allowed three substitutes, which can be used to replace players because of injury, or for tactical reasons.

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