Garfield!

Yesterday, I went to the bookstore and I found a very interesting book. It's a dictionary to be exact.

The famous Merriam-Webster Dictionary produced another edition.

It's a Merriam-Webster and GARFIELD Dictionary!!!

Product Description:

Garfield makes using a dictionary fun and easy! Nearly every spread presents an entertaining comic strip illustrating the use of a featured word. It includes over 65,000 meanings, and Garfield's Daffy Definitions. Great for all ages!

(Source: www.amazon.com)

What do you think? Although I haven't bought this book yet, but I think it's a brilliant idea! Learning will never be boring since there's something in it which can entertain you.

For me, comic strips are also one of the reading materials I like to use when studying English and Garfield is one of the most entertaining and funny comic strips I like to read.

I think it's cool to study English especially if a funny and entertaining character like Garfield will be helping you on your Vocabulary improvement! Especially now that Garfield can be seen in the dictionary! hehe

You might ask why I like Garfield so much. Let me share to you some strips of Garfield and you'll know why it's a good way to learn English and be entertained by Garfield. (^_^)

1.

Are you familiar of the word 'mumu'?

Mumu or muumuu is a loose Hawaiian dress.

Tell me:

Do you have a pet like Garfield?

2.

Frolic means play.

Meadow is a grassy area.

Hang out means to spend time somewhere.

Tell me:

Where do you often hang out?

3.
Deal is an agreement between people.

Tell me:
Are you afraid of getting old?

^_^

Take a break. Have a joke!

One way of learning English is reading a funny story or even a comic written in English. It will increase your English comprehension and lighten your day.

Let me share to you some jokes I got from iteslj.com.


Teacher: Today, we're going to talk about the tenses. Now, if I say "I am beautiful," which tense is it?
Student: Obviously it is the past tense.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teacher: Why are you late?
Student: There was a man who lost a hundred dollar bill.
Teacher: That's nice. Were you helping him look for it?
Student: No. I was standing on it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Customer: Excuse me, but I saw your thumb in my soup when you were carrying it.
Waitress: Oh, that's okay. The soup isn't hot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

A man goes to the doctor and says, "Doctor, wherever I touch, it hurts." The doctor asks, "What do you mean?" The man says, "When I touch my shoulder, it really hurts. If I touch my knee - OUCH! When I touch my forehead, it really, really hurts." The doctor says, "I know what's wrong with you - you've broken your finger!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two factory workers are talking.The woman says, "I can make the boss give me the day off."The man replies, "And how would you do that?"The woman says, "Just wait and see." She then hangs upside-down from the ceiling.The boss comes in and says, "What are you doing?"The woman replies, "I'm a light bulb."The boss then says, "You've been working so much that you've gone crazy. I think you need to take the day off."The man starts to follow her and the boss says, "Where are you going?"The man says, "I'm going home, too. I can't work in the dark."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fred is 32 years old and he is still single. One day a friend asked, "Why aren't you married? Can't you find a woman who will be a good wife?" Fred replied, "Actually, I've found many women I wanted to marry, but when I bring them home to meet my parents, my mother doesn't like them."
His friend thinks for a moment and says, "I've got the perfect solution, just find a girl who's just like your mother."
A few months later they meet again and his friend says, "Did you find the perfect girl? Did your mother like her?" With a frown on his face, Fred answers, "Yes, I found the perfect girl. She was just like my mother. You were right, my mother liked her very much."
The friend said, "Then what's the problem?" Fred replied, "My father doesn't like her."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Laughter is the best medicine. When you’re down or feel bored in learning English, read a funny article, story or joke. It will change your mood and somehow make you feel good about studying English.

Tell me:

Share a joke you know. I’ll be waiting…

^_^

Watch out for typos!!!

In the past post, I have introduced ways how to learn the English language. One of them is reading English books, newspapers or magazines.

I love reading and that hobby helped me improve a lot on my English skills. In reading, you’ll be able to acquire more knowledge as well as new English words which you can use in the future.

Whenever I read news, I usually look up to interesting or funny news first before proceeding to more serious topics. Why? Interesting or odd news gets my attention and it would help me engage more on reading English news. It is very important to engage yourself in to something you like rather than something which isn’t exciting.

Let’s read the interesting news I found a while ago.



SINGLE SPELLING MISTAKE CAN DERAIL JOB APPLICATION

TORONTO (Reuters) – Typing mistakes in a job application can kill a would-be employee's chance of landing a job as employers bet that a sloppy resume means the applicant will do a sloppy job.

A telephone survey of 100 senior Canadian executives showed that more than a fifth of executives said a single typo on a resume or cover letter could cost a potential employee a job, while 28 percent said two mistakes would kill their chances.

The survey, published on Tuesday, was carried out by online job search firm Accountemps.

"The resume is an applicant's first chance to impress the hiring manager," said Kathryn Bolt, president of Accountemps' Canadian operations. "Mistakes on one's application materials may prompt employers to assume there also will be mistakes made on the job."

But 19 percent of the executives said they would still consider an applicant with four or more typos on their resume.

Common mistakes include: "Dear Sir or Madman", "I'm attacking my resume for you to review", "Following is a grief overview of my skills" and "Have a keen eye for derail.”


Source: www.yahoonews.com. “Single spelling mistake can derail job application.” Reuters. July 15, 2009. July 19, 2009.



Vocabulary:
derail = ruin
***[Her resume derailed her chance to get the job.]
sloppy = carelessly or not done well
***[He was fired because of his sloppy presentation.]
typo = typographical error or printing error
***[He found many typos in her application form.]



What do you think should be the correct spelling of these typos?
1. "Dear Sir or Madman"
2. "I'm attacking my resume for you to review"
3. "Following is a grief overview of my skills"
4. "Have a keen eye for derail.”




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Answers:
1. Dear Sir or Madam
2. I’m attaching my resume for you to review
3. Following is a brief overview of my skills
4. Have a keen eye for detail
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


As you can see, a single mistake will completely change the meaning as well as the reader’s view. So when you write an application, presentation or whatever writing piece it is, be sure to check or read again.




Tell me:

Do you think application letters or resumes are important when applying for a job? Why?

Do you have any unforgettable experience during a job interview concerning your resume?

^_^

Shake it off!!!

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well.

The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

Finally he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered anyway; it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well.

At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing.

He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up.

Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt.

The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less

^_^

Easy to say but I know it's hard to do. However, there's no harm in trying. Don't you think so? Let me know your thoughts...

(^_^)/

What is your FAVORITE ENGLISH WORD? ^-^

My favorite English word is invincible.

**** INVINCIBLE (adjective) == powerful or unbeatable

"I am invincible."

Whenever I hear the word ‘invincible’, I have this very good feeling. I feel very motivated. I can do everything and do something or win something.

I like a positive outlook that is because of my past.

When I was very young, I used to have self-pity. I feel like I’m not smart, I’m not pretty, I’m not lucky…everything is negative about me. But one day, I feel like it’s time to spread my wings and show people what I am and what I can do. I started participating in every activities, showing up my abilities or skills and be recognized as someone who has a talent. I felt very good.

From then, I realized that I can be invincible if I want. Though there are times I lose or fail at something, I still keep in mind that I am invincible and I can do and win over something next time.

How about you? What is your favorite ENGLISH word and why?

^.^