Vocabulary Lessons – Lingoisms

What’s the difference between hear and listen?

ShaunMunro — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 04:42:54 +0000

The verbs “hear” and “listen” are both used for sound. This is why they can be a little confusing and are often used in the wrong way. But after this simple explanation you will understand how to use them well. At the end try our quick quiz so you can put what you learn into action.

Let’s start with “hear” first.

Hear

Hear is a verb meaning it is an action. Hear is also an irregular verb, meaning that the form changes in the past tense. In the past tense “hear” becomes heard.

We use the word “hear” when sounds come into our ears without paying attention or focusing on the sounds. In fact, most sounds are sounds that you “hear” because it’s hard to focus on all the sounds that come into your ears at once. Think about being in a city, you can hear many things like cars driving by, people taking, or dogs barking but you are not paying attention to all these sounds at once.

Here are some example sentences using the word “hear”

Did you hear the plane go over our heads?
She heard the car crash.
The explosion could be heard across the city.

Hear can be used to also express news that is being told. In this instance, you would use the word hear like…

“I hear that Jane is pregnant,”
“I heard t hat Joe lost his job.”

Finally, hear can be used to express who you hear from. For example,

“I hear from Jane, the her husband is sick.”
“I heard from my teacher that the test is tomorrow.”

When using hear in this form you have to use the structure hear from + someone.

When deciding to use hear think decide whether it is an active effort or is it passive, meaning it just happens without effort.

Listen

Listen is when we are concentrating on and actively trying to hear something.

We can listen to a noise that is happening now, like a song or speech, or we can listen for something or a noise that we are expecting to happen, like the doorbell or footsteps.

You can hear without listening, but you cannot listen without hearing.
Listen is also a verb because it is an action. Listen is a regular verb because you just add -ed to the end in order to make the word past tense. So in the past tense “listen” becomes listened. You would use listen in statements like:

“Please listen t o the tour guide very carefully.”
“Did you listen to the lecture?”
“I listened for the door to shut as they left.”
“I listened to the radio this morning.”

Keep in mind to use “listen” when someone is actively trying to hear a noise or paying attention.

Practice Time! (Answers at the bottom)

I can _____ the baby crying. She must be hungry.
a. hear
b. listen
Hey! _____, it’s that spooky sound again.
a. Hear
b. Listen
We _____ the car crash and ran outside to help.
a. heard
b. listened
She was talking very quietly; did you ____ what she just said?
a. hear
b. listen
OK, this is important, so please ____ carefully.
a. Hear b. Listen

So, I know you are all dying to know what you made on the quiz, here are the answers (I am trusting that you did not cheat.)

1. Hear- you would use “hear” in this statement because she was not actively listening for the baby cry but she did hear the sound when it happened.

2. Listen- you would use “listen” here because the person making the statement is trying to get you to actively pay attention to a noise.

3. Heard- again, you would use “heard” ( hear in the past tense) because the noise came to you even though you were not listening for it on purpose.

4. Hear- you would use “hear” because it is asking if you could hear the sound that the person was making, you were not intentionally listening for what they said.

5. Listen- you would use “listen” in this sentence because you are asking someone to pay attention carefully to what is being said.

Ok, let's review!

Just to recap, keep in mind that hear i s passive and just happens to you, whereas listen means you are actively trying to hear a noise.

The post What’s the difference between hear and listen? appeared first on Lingoisms.

What’s the difference between language and dialect and accent?

ShaunMunro — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 22:04:29 +0000

When learning a new language, it can be difficult especially when you take into consideration that every language has differing dialects and accents.

When you can understand the difference in language, dialect, and accent, you can more easily learn and speak the language. Though the differences in the three can be subtle, they will have a great impact on your knowledge and ability.

First, what do language, dialect, and accent mean?

Language

Language can be defined as a code or system for communication that is specific to a country or culture. To know a language means that you can speak it in a way that others who know the same language can understand. There is a difference, however, in knowing the sounds of a language. Knowing the sounds means that you have an understanding of which sounds are used in that language and also knowing how those sounds can be combined to make new sounds.

A language can be spoken mostly in one country like Japanese in Japan or Fijian in Fiji or a single language can be spoken in many different countries like English, which is the main language in the USA, Canada, England and Australia.

World languages by number of speakers (in millions)

English

Chinese

Hindi

Spanish

Arabic

Dialect

Dialects are variations on the same language that have developed over time and are usually specific to a geographic region. Some variations are actually now considered languages when they were once just dialects. For example, Spanish, Italian, and French used to be dialects of Latin but are now considered to be their own language. The meaning of dialect will be more clear when we compare language and dialect.

Canadian English is a dialect just like Okinawan Japanese. These titles refer to the region of the speaker as well as the proper language. More on this to come.

Accent

Accents are defined as being part of a dialect and refer to the way in which people, or a region of people, make the sounds for words or how they pronounce words. Accents are generally considered to be part of a dialect.

You can also use accent for the way that people speak a foreign language. I’m Canadian, for example, so I would speak Japanese with an accent because I don’t sound like a native Japanese speaker.

So what's the difference between language, dialect and accent?

The best way to explain this is by looking at the differences between language and dialect and dialect and accent.

Language and dialect

Let’s start with the most difficult to differentiate. A simple way to see the difference between dialect and language is that a language typically has a written and a spoken form or system while a dialect is only spoken.

But, this is oversimplifying the difference.

The term language is typically used to refer to the standard for a specific language. This means that it is the proper form of the language that follows the rules and sounds of that language. A dialect is more of the vernacular without a written system. Vernacular is defined as the way in which ordinary people speak a language. People typically do not follow all of the rules of a language when speaking. Some vocabulary words may also differ between dialects of a language.

For example, many countries have assigned English as their language of choice. If a British English speaker went to America, the two individuals from each country could communicate with relative ease because they both speak English. However, because the British English dialect differs from the American English dialect, there may be specific terms or phrases that are unknown to the American English speaking person.

When you are referring to what a person speaks, it is common to do so the way shown in the previous paragraph. By saying American English, American refers to the person’s dialect while English is referring to the language they speak. Other examples include Mandarin Chinese or Puerto Rican Spanish.

For something fun, here is a list some common vocabulary differences between American, British and Australian dialects.

Typically, a dialect will not get elevated to the title of language except if a new nation is created and they name the dialect as their language of choice.

Dialect and accent

These two terms frequently get used in the same way, however, they are not the same thing. Accents are just the way that people pronounce words in a language while a dialect is a much larger part of a language. Dialects include not only pronunciation but also the grammar and the vocabulary that a group or region of people use.

So when someone talks about how a region speaks differently, they are more than likely talking about a dialect and not an accent. For example, let’s look at the American Southern states. In the American South, terms like “y’all” are commonly used whereas the rest of the nation says “you all.” Also, consider the terms for carbonated drinks, in the South, they use the term “soda” when other regions of the nation may use the terms “pop” or “coke.” These examples demonstrate that there is not necessarily a difference in pronunciation, but a whole different word that is being used to refer to the same item.

American Southern English should therefore be considered a dialect and not just an accent.

When thinking about accents, think about how someone sounds when speaking another language. An Italian speaking English will still speak English with their Italian accent. So, they are using the appropriate English words but they are pronouncing them differently.

Some linguists, a person who studies languages, have taken to using the term “variety.” By using variety instead of dialect or accent, we can create groupings instead of specific differences. So you can say geographic varieties, social varieties, or standard varieties.

How this effects you...

While these differences in language, dialect, and accent don’t seem like they will impact the learning of a new language, it is important to know these differences so that you can understand if what you are studying is part of the language or part of a dialect.

Consider first learning the language to make sure you understand the standard for any language. Then move to learning dialects. Like, for example, the dialect of the area you are living in or planning to visit. Learning the dialect of the region you are in also goes a long way in having interesting conversations with people from that region. They will often feel overjoyed that you have taken the time to learn the dialect and will treat you kindly. From there, you can work on reducing your accent (accent reduction) when speaking the language.

There is no right or wrong way to learn a new language, but it can tend to be easier to start big and then work towards mastering the subtleties within a language.

Thanks for reading!

The post What’s the difference between language and dialect and accent? appeared first on Lingoisms.

What’s the difference between sick and ill?

ShaunMunro — Thu, 25 Feb 2021 22:56:20 +0000

Everyone feels unwell at times. And this is going to be something you’ll need to communicate to others like your parents, children, friends, or your boss at work. So what does each word mean and when should you use each one. Let’s first look at each word in more detail

What does "sick" mean?

Sick has a general meaning of feeling unwell. However, we use it when we feel physically unwell and usually for a short period of time; from an hour to a few days. We don’t usually need to go to the hospital when we are “sick.”

Next, let's learn what "ill" means.

“Ill” also means to feel unwell but we usually use it when the situation is for a longer time than sick. Often we use ill if we have to go to the hospital. Ill often means we have a disease which lasts for a long time.

Bonus:

This is strange, but both “sick” and “ill” can also be used in the opposite to mean “great” as well. This is often used in slang and is used by the young generations.

eg. That ski jump was sick. (He made a great jump)

eg . Those are some ill beats. (That is great music)

So when should you use "sick" or "ill"?

Sick

We use it most often when we have a cold or the flu. The symptoms [signs] of being sick include nausea, vomiting, headache and fever for example.

We also use sick often when have food poisoning. This means we eat some bad food that makes us feel sick.

eg. After eating lunch today I felt sick for about 3 hours.

If you can’t go to work because you are feeling unwell, we usually use the word sick.

eg. I can’t come in to work today because I’m feeling sick

Ill

Ill” is usually used for longer term and usually more serious physical health problems. An “illness” might mean you have to go to the hospital.

eg. I was seriously ill in hospital for 3 months.

We usually use “ill” more often for mental problems than “sick.” That’s why we say “mental illness” or “mentally ill” not “mental sickness” or “mentally sick”

eg. Depression is common among people who are mentally ill.

Let's look at some common expressions using "sick" and "ill"

Expressions using the word "sick"

car sick, air sick, sea sick – use use these expressions for different kinds of motion sickness.

eg. Driving on mountain roads make me feel car sick.

worried sick – you are very very worried, usually about someone

eg. His mother was worried sick when her son came home late from school.

sick as a dog – you are feeling very very sick

eg. I didn’t go to school for 2 weeks because I was sick as a dog.

Next, let's look at some expressions with "ill"

fall ill – this means to become ill (formal and not used as often)

eg. Since I have fallen ill, I worry that I might have to quit my job.

ill will – bad feelings or actions towards someone / unfriendly

eg. He had ill will towards his boss after he got fired.

ill-advised – something not recommended to do

eg. Travelling during the pandemic is ill-advised.

Quiz (answers below)

1. I felt pretty (sick/ill) after eating some old fish.

2. It is estimated that about 25% of the population has some form of mental (sickness/illness).

3. Taking ferries makes me sea (sick/ill)

4. We are happy my father came home today after being seriously (sick/ill) in the hospital.

5. I started feeling (sick/ill) with a cold today so I can’t go to your party.

Answers: 1. sick 2. illness 3. sick 4. ill 5. sick

In summary...

Sick and ill are very similar. So if you are talking about being unwell with physical symptoms like fever, vomiting, or sore throat you should use “sick.”

If you are talking about a more serious health problem in which you might have to go to the hospital or is related to mental problems you should probably use “ill”.

However, if you use the wrong word in a sentence, the chances are not that many people will notice nor will it cause any serious communication issues.

I wish you all good health!

Thanks for reading as always!

The post What’s the difference between sick and ill? appeared first on Lingoisms.

What’s the difference between a condo and an apartment?

ShaunMunro — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 22:05:46 +0000

In today’s lesson we will be looking at what’s the difference between an apartment and a condo. Since apartments and condos are quite different and are suited to different kinds of people, if you are looking to rent a new place this lesson could be important for you.

First let’s look at the definition of each and an example sentence.

An apartment:

An apartment is a type of home in a building of many residences that is owned by a large company. Everyone who lives in the apartment pays money [rent] to this company to live there. They often include amenities (services) like free wi-fi, electricity or water whereas condos do not.

ex. Before renting this apartment we have to meet with the manager of the company who owns this apartment to have an interview before being accepted.

A condo:

A condo is a type of home in a building of many residences that is usually owed by an individual person. Also, they often have nicer facilities [places or equipment], like a gym or a pool, than apartments because condos are being sold to buyers unlike apartments which are not. Owners of condos can also rent their homes to others. Renters of apartments cannot usually do this.

ex. I have lived in this old apartment for a long time and I would love to move. I have saved up some money so hopefully I can buy a condo this year.

What are the advantages of living in an apartment to a condo?

One of the biggest advantages of apartments comes when you have problems. For example, when something breaks in your apartment like your heater stops working or your dishwasher or fridge breaks, you can get some help right away. The building manager is often at or lives at the apartment so they can fix it quickly. This is very convenient.

Also apartments are usually a little cheaper because they are usually a bit older and have less perks or facilities like a gym or pool or meeting rooms etc.

Apartments are usually run by big companies so they are more reliable than an individual owner, especially a new one who doesn’t know much about managing a condo yet. You will probably get better and quicker service from an apartment.

However, as apartments are older you may have less security as technology may be a bit outdated [old]. There are generally more break-ins. This actually happened to me in an apartment and my Nintendo was stolen along with my friends Mario and Luigi…How cruel! So this is something to think about.

Also, as apartments are usually older, they are often in areas outside the city or areas that haven’t been connected to popular new transportation hubs [stations with many connections].

Ok, so then what are the advantages of living in a condo to an apartment?

A big advantage of living in a condo is that they are usually newer and have more features like pools, gyms, meeting rooms and sometimes even private movie theatres.…wow, pass the popcorn! They also have more style with modern day designs. Forget that shag carpet from the 60’s.

There is also just a feeling of higher status [social level] when living in a condo. Something to brag [talk proudly] about to your friends.

Condos are also more likely to be located near a station with quick access to the city.

They are also safer in general. Because they are newer, all the latest safety features are installed like key fobs on doors and elevators, cameras, and the newest locks and gates.

However, for all of those features, you are going to being paying more. Rents for condos can be significantly higher than those for apartments in similar areas.

Condos are often smaller as condo companies want to put more condos in buildings to make more money from sales. Apartments in the 90’s had more space because land values were cheaper.

Another big one is being kicked out [forced to leave]. In an apartment, you can be fairly safe in knowing that you can stay as long as you want. Unless the apartment company decides to tear down [destroy] the building to build a new condo. However, in a condo, the owner could choose to sell at any time and the new owner my not want to rent the apartment and you will be forced to leave. This can be one large point of worry.

Hmm...so should you choose to rent an apartment or a condo?

If you are looking to spend less, don’t want to fix anything and don’t care about things like a gym or pool, then an apartment will probably be the best choice.

However, if money is not an issue, you like the status of living in a safe modern condo close to the city with a pool, gym, and you want to invite your friends over for a private showing of your new YouTube video on the big screen, then a condo might be the choice for you.

Well, I hope that helps you understand what the difference is between an apartment and a condo a little bit more.

So tell me about you. Do you live in an apartment or a condo? What do you like or dislike about it? Are there different features of each in your country? Do you have any tips for people looking to rent a new place soon?

Please leave your comments below.

As always, thanks for reading!

The post What’s the difference between a condo and an apartment? appeared first on Lingoisms.

What’s the difference between ice cream and gelato?

ShaunMunro — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 19:36:01 +0000

Do you have a sweet tooth (Someone who loves to eat sugar and sweets)? Well, if so, today lesson is perfect for you. We are looking at the difference between ice cream and Gelato. Ice cream and gelato are just two of many different kinds of frozen desserts but they are probably the two most popular kinds you will find at your local ice cream parlour (shop). However, they are a little different so this lesson could help you decide what to get the next time you are standing in line at your favourite ice cream parlour.

First let’s look at the basic definition of each one.

What is ice cream?

Ice cream is probably the most well known of all the cold desserts. It has as been around the longest and said to have been invented in ancient China.

Ice cream is made of just a few ingredients: milk, cream, a sweetener, like sugar, and some flavourings. Sometimes ice cream also includes egg yolks.

What is gelato?

Gelato is not just ice cream from Italy. It is also made of milk, cream, and a sweetener and some flavourings. (Although often without the egg yolk.)

They sound like the same thing…Hmmm So what’s the difference between ice cream and gelato???

The differences. Here's the "scoop."

The differences come in the amounts or proportions of each ingredient and how they are made.

Ice cream has more milk and cream. Ice cream must have at least 10% fat from milk or cream to be called ice cream. Gelato has less fat from milk or cream, usually about 4-9%. Because gelato has less fat, it is generally thought of as more flavourful.

Ice cream is churned (mixed) faster than gelato. This gives it more air and makes it lighter and more fluffy. Gelato is churned slower which means it is denser (heavier) and that means the flavours are stronger.

Gelato is served warmer, usually about 10-15 degrees warmer. This makes it softer and since it isn’t as cold and doesn’t make your tongue as numb (no feeling), you can actually taste the flavours more.

Also, gelato is usually served with a flat spatula which is also used to mix the gelato more and keep it soft. Ice cream is served with an ice cream scoop because it is harder than gelato and doesn’t need to be mixed.

Lastly, gelato is usually a little more expensive than ice cream. This is due to it’s more flavourful taste and often it’s thought of as more of a specialty and more exotic (coming from a different country) than ice cream.

For more fun, check out this “cool” video below!

So which is better for YOU?

If you are looking for a dessert than is colder, harder, has more of a buttery and creamy texture and is better on the pocketbook (cheaper), ice cream may be your best choice.

If you are looking for more flavour, something softer and has less fat, then gelato is the way to go.

More options?

But you said “ice and gelato are just two of many kinds of frozen desserts.” That’s right I did. As an added bonus, here are a few more wonderful desserts to try and how they are different. There is even one for you vegans (people who don’t eat any animal products) out there!

Sorbet:

Sorbet is made of fruit puree or fruit juice, a sweetener, and some flavouring. That’s it. No milk or dairy products so it is perfect for you vegans out there. It is thought of as healthier because of the less fat and calories but be careful there is still as lot of sugar.

Sherbet:

Sherbet is basically the same as sorbet except for one thing. There is a little milk, cream or buttermilk which makes it a little creamier.

Frozen yogurt:

Frozen yogurt has basically the same ingredients as ice cream except instead of milk or cream, yogurt is used. This means it has a little less fat than ice cream. It is also usually served in a cup instead of a cone like ice cream. People also tend to put toppings on a frozen yogurt cup like fruit, nuts or even candy….yum!

Soft serve:

Soft serve is also like ice cream but it has much more air churned inside which makes it softer. It also has a little less milk fat. The most famous example is probably the ice cream cone at your local McDonalds.

So tell me about you…

Which do you prefer ice cream or gelato. Have you ever eaten any of the bonus desserts? Which was your favourite? Are there any other interesting frozen desserts from your country that you can share with us?

Please leave your comments below.

As always, thanks for reading!

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