FunVOCAB | Languages, communication and travel at their best

The English learner’s guide to British phrases

03-November-2021 · by Verbalist

British English is much like the people of Britain themselves: down-to-earth and full of character. We compiled the list of our favorite British phrases, 25 of them, that we believe will confuse anybody who didn’t grow in the UK. These phrases aren’t just handy for holding a conversation though – they’ll also give you an insight into just how the Brits tick!

Fun ways to learn and teach the English alphabet

19-March-2021 · by Verbalist

There are many different methods for teaching the alphabet, and ways you can make it fun for the students; here is our FuNTASTIC way: READ MORE

Don’t be hangry! The importance of slang words and portmanteaus

10-January-2021 · by Verbalist

The nice thing about language is that it changes to reflect the times. The Internet has spawned lots of funny English words. Sometimes we also coin our own words and phrases for new things. Most of these new words are portmanteaus, which is the term that describes a word that’s constructed by taking some parts of two words, and making a new one. This is also known as a blend in linguistics.

Probably the best known portmanteau words are READ MORE

Learn English by listening to great stories – Sherlock Holmes stories read by actor Benedict Cumberbatch

22-September-2020 · by Verbalist

An English audio book is the perfect solution when you are learning the English language. Not only will you be able to practice your comprehension, but you will also learn the correct pronunciation of many everyday words. When you listen to books you are able to follow along with the text and hear how an English speaker will pronounce different words you are unfamiliar with. This is the best way to learn new vocabulary and how to use specific grammar skills when speaking, reading and writing. Today, Verbalists Education brings you one of the best and most exciting audio books.

Did you know that Benedict Cumberbatch is not only a great actor but an amazing narrator as well! Benedict Cumberbatch reads these four new Sherlock Holmes stories by John Taylor: ‘An Inscrutable Masquerade’, ‘The Conundrum of Coach 13’, ‘The Trinity Vicarage Larceny’ and ‘The 10.59 Assassin’. READ MORE

Internet slang and SMS texting language that you should know

26-April-2016 · by Verbalist

Love them or hate them, these are the newly created words and abbreviations on everyone’s lips, that is keyboards 🙂

Nowadays, our communication often happens online, so the Internet has developed almost its own language. This language is even more casual and has many abbreviations (shortenings of words and phrases). The English language on the Internet changes almost every day, as sayings, images and videos “go viral”.

Much of Internet slang is made up of abbreviations and shortenings, and some of the most commonly used Internet abbreviations are: READ MORE

Why is there an ‘r’ in Mrs.?

18-March-2016 · by Verbalist

There are a couple of odd things about the title Mrs. First, the word it stands for, missus, looks strange written out that way in full. In fact, except in the jokey context of “the missus,” meaning the wife, you almost never see it written out. “Missus Claus” looks far more awkward than “Mister Rogers.” Second, the abbreviation has an ‘r’ in it, and the word doesn’t. Why is there an ‘r’ in Mrs.?

Originally, Mrs. was an abbreviation for mistress, the female counterpart of master. There were various spellings for both forms—it might be maistresse/maistre or maystres/mayster—and variation in pronunciation too. The word mistress had a more general meaning of a woman who is in charge of something. A governess in charge of children was a mistress, as was a woman head of a household. The abbreviated form was used most frequently as a title for a married woman.

Eventually, the title form took on a contracted, ‘r’-less pronunciation, and by the end of the 18^th century “missis” was the most acceptable way to say it. (A 1791 pronouncing dictionary said that to pronounce it „mistress“ would “appear quaint and pedantic.”) The full word mistress had by then come to stand for a paramour, someone who was explicitly not a Mrs. READ MORE

What are the weirdest languages of the real and fictional worlds?

13-February-2016 · by Verbalist

Let’s zoom on the weirdest or most extraordinary languages of the real and fictional worlds. Discover the complexity of Yupik languages, the particularities of Caucasian Archi, spoken by only a thousand people, or dip into fantasy worlds through the Sindarin used by Elves or the Aklo of Lovecraft creatures.

A great way to travel from the upper to the lower worlds, via the two hemispheres of the real world! READ MORE