Vocabulary Archives - Swissed English

11 May Are punctual in English and punktuell in German the same?

Posted at 17:03h in Vocabulary

Here’s the short answer: punctual (English) and punktuell (Deutsch) don’t mean the same thing. This is another example of a false friend. So what's the difference?

05 May Is eventually in English the same as eventuell in German?

Posted at 16:09h in Vocabulary

Here's the short answer: eventually (English) and eventuell (Deutsch) don't mean the same thing. Luckily for me, this question came up in class and I realised I had been making the same mistake my students were making - another example of a false friend.

So what's the difference? Which word should I use, and when?

06 Apr Is it called a doctor’s recipe, receipt or prescription?

Posted at 16:59h in Swisstakes, Vocabulary

They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but sometimes, going to the doctor can't be avoided. You won't get any recipes from your doctor, however...

05 Apr Make or do?

Posted at 13:04h in Practice, Vocabulary

Do you know when you should use make or do? Learn by doing - scroll down to choose your level and practise when you should use make or do. If you need to revise, check out this post.

10 Oct Fall or autumn?

Posted at 12:53h in Vocabulary

What should I say, fall or autumn? Why are there two words for the same thing?

09 Oct Taken Aback

Posted at 17:51h in Idioms, Vocabulary

Idiom: a figurative expression or phrase that cannot usually be understood from the individual words it is made up of. Originally, many idioms had a literal meaning, lost or forgotten after years of use. There are thousands of idioms in any language, and the English language is said to have over 25,000 idiomatic expressions. Native speakers are able to recognize and understand idioms easily, but they can be quite a challenge for language learners. Here's the first post in a series aimed at shedding light on some of the best-known idioms in the English language.

21 Sep Borrow or Lend?

Posted at 13:56h in Swisstakes, Vocabulary

These two verbs can be very tricky to use properly if your first language uses one verb for both meanings. Such is the case in German and Swiss German, so it comes as no surprise when learners of English make this mistake. I've heard students using these verbs incorrectly a number of times, so let's have a look at how they're used.

29 Aug Fun with literal translations

Posted at 17:49h in Swiss/High German, Vocabulary

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25 Aug Fun or Funny?

Posted at 15:32h in Vocabulary

Have a look at these two sentences - one of them is incorrect:

The party was funny. The party was fun.

Which one is right? Fun and funny are two words in English (out of many!) that sound similar but have slightly different meanings - no wonder so many students confuse the two. Read on to find out which sentence is correct (and why).

21 Jul Word building: Prefixes

Posted at 16:32h in Grammar, Swisstakes, Vocabulary

Prefixes can be quite confusing. Although some languages make use of prefixes like un- or in- to form negative adjectives, mentally translating from one language to another won't always help you get it right. The use of unsensitive instead of insensitive is a common mistake - here's why: