What’s the difference between borrow, lend, and loan? Two of them are synonyms and the third is the opposite – lend me your eyes and I’ll tell you about them: Borrow, Lend, Loan
English language
Words of the day (with lots of vowels)
According to a Mexican friend of mine, murciélago (bat) is the only Spanish word with all five vowels.
In English, we have facetiously, which has all 5½ vowels (y is the half) in alphabetical order. I also like the words vacuum and aardvark for the unusual double vowels.
The coolest French word may be jouaient (third person plural imperfect of jouer – to play), which has all five vowels in a row!
And créée (feminine past participle of créer – to create) with its triple E.
Any other vowel-laden words?
Addition vs Edition
These two English words are sometimes confused by native speakers. This lesson will make a nice addition to your English understanding: Addition vs Edition
Word of the day: Wikiality
Definition: A sort of pseudo-reality that exists when you make something up and enough people agree with you. Coined by Stephen Colbert, reporter for Comedy Central’s Colbert Report.
Source: Can Wikipedia Handle Stephen Colbert’s Truthiness? (MTV News)
Of course, that begs the question of what to call the ever-changing “reality” that is found on Wikipedia, since popular terms may be edited nearly constantly throughout the day and an entry is almost never definitive. Instabiliality?
Either and Neither
The English words either and neither can cause some problems for native and non-native speakers of English. Sometimes you can use either one and sometimes you have to choose either one or the other, but neither one is very difficult: Either and Neither
It’s Official: Google is a verb
The verb “to google,” meaning “to look up on Google,” is now in both the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary. I can’t wait to see if French comes up with an equivalent authorized by the Académie française. 😉