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Schadenfreude meaning: pleasure at another person's misfortune
When a rival makes a mistake, someone may feel a small and uncomfortable pleasure. English has a borrowed German word for that feeling: schadenfreude.
Open lessonSchadenfreude: meaning and careful use
A boastful player misses an easy shot, and a rival tries not to smile. That uneasy pleasure at somebody else's bad luck is schadenfreude.
Open lessonSecond and third conditionals: unreal situations and regret
You miss a train and think about an earlier choice. If I had left sooner, I would have caught it. Later, you imagine a different job: If I worked closer to home, I would walk there.
Open lessonSemantic: meaning and use in language
Two sentences can use the same words in a different order and mean different things. The difference is semantic when it changes what the sentence says or implies.
Open lessonSerendipity meaning: a lucky discovery by chance
You go into a bookshop to escape the rain and find the exact guide you needed. That happy, unplanned discovery is serendipity.
Open lessonSerenity meaning: a state of calm and peace
The station is crowded and loud. Then you step into a small garden where the air is still and nobody is rushing. The feeling there is serenity.
Open lessonSkeleton in the closet: meaning and careful use
During a profile interview, a reporter asks whether the candidate has any skeletons in the closet. The reporter means hidden information that could embarrass or harm the candidate's reputation. The question is personal and can sound accusatory.
Open lessonSpoken grammar: natural conversation patterns
In conversation, people rarely speak in the full, carefully planned sentences found in a report. They leave out repeated words, use short responses, and choose softer phrases when they need time or want to sound less direct.
Open lessonStance adverbs: show attitude and certainty
Compare these two messages: The meeting has been moved online. Apparently, the meeting has been moved online. Apparently tells the listener that the speaker is reporting information rather than stating a direct fact.
Open lessonSubject and auxiliary inversion
You probably say I have never seen a view like that. Move never to the start for emphasis and the order changes: Never have I seen a view like that. The auxiliary have comes before the subject I.
Open lessonSubordinate clauses: form, function, and punctuation
Because the bus was delayed, we arrived late. The first part gives a reason, but it needs the main clause to make a complete sentence.
Open lessonSubstitution words: one, ones, do, and so
English often lets you leave out words that the listener already understands. Instead of repeating the same noun or action, choose a substitution word that points back to it.
Open lessonSummarising: keep the main point
A useful summary helps someone understand the message quickly. It does not try to keep every example, date, or side comment. First find the main point, then keep only the details a reader needs to understand that point.
Open lessonSuperfluous: meaning and examples in English
A report may include a detail that adds nothing. A bag may contain an item you never use. Superfluous is a formal word for that extra, unnecessary thing.
Open lessonSwan song: meaning and use in English
At the end of her career, a musician plays one last concert. You can call that concert her swan song.
Open lessonSycophant meaning: praise used to gain favour
A colleague may praise every decision made by a manager. If the praise is meant to win favour rather than express a real opinion, sycophant is a useful word.
Open lessonTOEFL preparation tips: build an organized English study routine
A long study list can make TOEFL preparation feel busy without making it clear what to practise next. A better routine gives each session one small job, such as finding the main point in a short academic text or giving a timed spoken answer, then leaves a record of what to review.
Open lessonTentative: plans, suggestions, and uncertain actions
Tentative means not final or certain, or showing caution and hesitation.
Open lessonThat and which: choose the right relative word
Compare these two messages: ‘The files that need signatures are on my desk.’ ‘The files, which need signatures, are on my desk.’ The commas change what the writer says about the files.
Open lessonThat in reported speech: when to use or omit it
After the meeting, Daniel says, "The shipment is delayed." You can report the news in two natural ways: Daniel said that the shipment was delayed, or Daniel said the shipment was delayed.
Open lessonThe English subjunctive: formal recommendations and wishes
The committee recommended that the report be published. Why be rather than is? The sentence is not describing a present fact. It gives a formal recommendation about what should happen.
Open lessonThe Himalayas and Mount Everest: use articles with names
A travel article can mention the Himalayas, Mount Everest, the Nile, and Nepal in one paragraph. The names look similar because they are all places, but English does not treat them in the same way. The type of name helps you choose the article.
Open lessonTop-drawer: meaning and use in English
After hearing a pianist at a small festival, Maya says, ‘That was top-drawer.’ She means that the performance was excellent, not that it was stored in a drawer.
Open lessonTortuous and torturous: understand the difference
A road can be tortuous because it bends again and again. A delay can be torturous because it makes people suffer. The words look close, but the extra r changes the meaning.
Open lessonWhat you will find here
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