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Word of the Month: Fabric

Shana Goodwin, November 1, 2022

What does the word "fabric" mean in English? Be careful: the word fabric has a false cognate in Spanish: “fábrica,” which means “factory.” However, we do use the verb “fabricate” to mean “to make or build,” which is much closer in meaning to the Spanish...

Word of the Month: Introduce

, October 1, 2022

What does the word "introduce" mean? The most common meaning of the word introduce is #1; to make someone or something known by name. As seen in meaning #3, introduce can also mean to insert something, as its often confused false friend in Spanish (introducir) suggests...

Word of the Month: Realize

Shana Goodwin, September 1, 2022

The word realize can be confusing because in Spanish, the verb “realizar” means “to perform or carry out,” (basically, the second meaning of the verb realize in English. It’s much more common to use a verb like “to complete” or “to do” rather than realize...

Word of the Month: Potential

Shana Goodwin, August 1, 2022

What does the word “potential” mean? As an English teacher, I’m inspired every day by my students’ potential: they all have dreams and goals that they are working hard to fulfill, and I know they’ll go far!

Word of the Month: Lecture

Shana Goodwin, July 1, 2022

What does the word “lecture” mean? This word has a false cognate in Spanish: “lectura,” which means “reading,” so my students often use lecture incorrectly, when they mean to say “reading.” The words both come from Latin, but the Spanish translation of lecture is closer to “conferencia.”...

Word of the Month: Career

Shana Goodwin, June 1, 2022

What does the word “career” mean? The word career has a cognate in Spanish: “carrera.” However, this word is mostly used (at least here in Paraguay) to refer to one’s chosen university field of studies rather than one’s professional career. It’s important to note that in English, the word does not refer to...

Word of the Month: Free-for-all

Shana Goodwin, May 1, 2022

While May’s “Word of the Month” isn’t really a word you might find yourself using a lot, it’s a great example of a compound word. Compound words can be confusing...

Word of the Month: Majestic

Shana Goodwin, April 1, 2022

What does the word “majestic” mean? Recently, some of our staff members went on a camping trip to Iguazú Falls on the border of Brazil and Argentina. We arrived at Iguaçu National Park quite early in the day, and hopped on a tour bus for the scenic drive down to the waterfall. On the way, we saw a small capybara ...

Word of the Month: Resource

Shana Goodwin, March 1, 2022

As ESL teachers, we are constantly adding to our resource library, or our supply of books, games, useful websites, and other material we can use for classes. Of course, our most important resource is our teaching staff, or our human resources. We couldn’t exist without them!

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