Heartland English School – Word of the Day

Theme: Expressions with “WORK”

Words:  in the works

Meaning:  Is already being discussed, planned or prepared and will happen soon

Pronunciation:  /In ð∂ wεrks/

Examples:

• I heard that a Sheldon-centred prequel to ‘Big Bang Theory’ is in the works.
• Plans are in the works to convert from bus rapid transit (BRT) to light rail transit (LRT) in Winnipeg.

Theme: Expressions with “WORK”

Words:  workshop  (n.)

Meaning:  1. a room/building where things are made or repaired using machinery; 2. a lecture or discussion on a particular topic where people share knowledge

Pronunciation:  /wεrk-šαp/

Examples:

• According to legend, Santa has a workshop where he makes all the toys for Christmas with the help of elves.
• Students who will take the IELTS test might want to attend an IELTS workshop or Heartland’s IELTS class.

Theme: Germanic vs Latinate Synonyms

Words: cloth vs material (nouns)

Meaning: fabric

Examples: Silk is a beautiful, natural cloth, originally produced in China. This famous material started to be produced in Italy about 800 years ago.

Any Differences? Cloth only means fabric, but material can mean the matter from which anything is made; for example, plastic is a common material. Or: the reporter used material from many sources to write her article.

Theme: Germanic vs Latinate Synonyms

Words: seat vs chair (nouns)

Meaning: a piece of furniture or a place to sit

Examples: My classroom has several chairs. A car, a bus and a stadium have seats.

Any Small Differences? A chair is usually for one person, and is usually a separate piece of furniture inside a house, restaurant, or indoor place, but a seat is more public, and could be anything: her favourite seat was a rock in the park. A seat can also be the part of the chair upon which you sit. Your seat can even be your gluteus maximus, because you sit on it!

Theme: Germanic vs Latinate Synonyms

Words: freedom vs liberty (nouns)

Meaning: the power or right to do what you want

Examples: Most Canadians have the freedom to travel outside Canada, but convicted criminals do not have that liberty.

Theme: Germanic vs Latinate Synonyms

Words: belly vs abdomen (nouns)

Meaning: part of the human body, between the waist and pelvis; stomach

Examples: Her belly hurt. She had pain in her abdomen.

Any Small Differences? Belly is less formal than abdomen. Abdomen is more scientific, and is used when studying anatomy.

Theme: Germanic vs Latinate Synonyms

Note: English began as a Germanic language, combining languages of northern Europeans such as those of the Angles, Danes, Vikings, and the Saxons. But because England was invaded by the Latin-speaking Romans about 2000 years ago, and by the French-speaking Normans of France about 1000 years ago, English has a lot of synonyms with either Germanic or Latinate origins. Latinate words are often considered more formal than Germanic words. However, the most common words in normal English conversation are almost all Germanic.

Theme: Germanic vs Latinate Synonyms

Words: dirt vs soil (nouns)

Meaning: loose earth; the ground

Examples: The dirt in Manitoba is black. However, the soil in Prince Edward Island is red.

Any Small Differences? Dirt is a little more informal and negative than soil; soil is used more in agriculture.

Related adjectives: dirty/soiled

Theme: adjectives with the suffix -less

Word: spineless (adj.)

Meaning: weak and cowardly; easily frightened, or not willing to take risks

Example: A spineless person might let everyone else make all the decisions for them.

Example: He was a spineless man, who ran away frightened at the first sign of trouble.

Theme: adjectives with the suffix -less

Word: spineless (adj.)

Meaning: weak and cowardly; easily frightened, or not willing to take risks

Example: A spineless person might let everyone else make all the decisions for them.

Example: He was a spineless man, who ran away frightened at the first sign of trouble.

Theme: adjectives with the suffix -less

Word: priceless (adj.)

Meaning: Having so much value, that it is impossible to put a price on it. Very, very valuable.

Example: The medieval paintings in this museum are priceless.

Example: Time that you spend with your family is priceless.