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As the first day of fall/autumn quickly approaches, we examine the origins of both words and find out which is the most widely used. Read on! (See below for a vocabulary builder.)   I grew up in Canada and always called the season between summer and winter, 'fall.' Now that I live in Europe, I seem to favour and use 'autumn' more. Both names are widely-used. Let's look at their origins before we find out whether one word is preferred over the other. Some say that fall is the North American word for the season, but the term actually originated in or before the 16th century, which was before the development of North American English. I've read that people used to call the season 'fall of the leaf' and 'fall of the year,' before it was shortened to the word fall sometime in the 17th century. So, even though fall is widely used in Canada and the U.S., its roots go back too far for it to have North American origins. Let's look at the word autumn now. Autumn came to English from the French word automne in the 15th or 16th century and became more widely-used in the 18th century. Over time, fall became archaic and autumn became the preferred word for the British English speakers. Quick summary: Autumn is most common in British English and Fall is the preferred word in North America, but both words can be used interchangeably and understood by any native English speaker. Australian English also prefers the word Autumn. Comment below and let us know which word you use/prefer. Adapted from: http://grammarist.com/usage/autumn-fall/  Favour - prefer; use more than the other
Origins - the point or place where something begins. Roots - first known starting point; origin Widely-used - popular, common Archaic - old-fashioned, obsolete, out of date Preferred - to set or hold before or above other persons or things; like better, choose rather than Interchangeable - Capable of being used in the place of one another, Is there any other vocabulary you're usure of? Please comment below and let us know so we can clear up any confusion.
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 Here are some very common words - used quite differently depending which country you're in. Please feel free to share these infographics with your friends, family or students who are learning English! If you like my free lessons, you'll LOVE my online lessons! Contact me to ask about a FREE trial lesson and let me show you how I can help you reach a more advanced, more confident level of English. I work with intermediate - advanced learners who are on their road to fluency. Let me help get you there faster!   You know I love it when you get involved, so go ahead and comment below! Which words would you be more likely to use, British or American?   Here are some very common words - used quite differently depending which country you're in. Please feel free to share these infographics with your friends, family or students who are learning English! If you like my free lessons, you'll LOVE my online lessons! Contact me to ask about a FREE trial lesson and let me show you how I can help you reach a more advanced, more confident level of English. I work with intermediate - advanced learners who are on their road to fluency. Let me help get you there faster!   You know I love it when you get involved, so go ahead and comment below! Which words would you be more likely to use, British or American?   I'll be posting a new vocabulary infographic for you every week for the next couple of months! Please feel free to share them with your friends, family or students who are learning English! If you like my free lessons, you'll LOVE my online lessons! Contact me to ask about a FREE trial lesson and let me show you how I can help you reach a more advanced, more confident level of English. I work with intermediate - advanced learners who are on their road to fluency. Let me help get you there faster!   You know I love it when you get involved, so go ahead and comment below! What words would you be more likely to use, British or American?  I'll be posting a new vocabulary infographic for you every week for the next couple of months! Please feel free to share them with your friends, family or students who are learning English! If you like my free lessons, you'll LOVE my online lessons! Contact me to ask about a FREE trial lesson and let me show you how I can help you reach a more advanced, more confident level of English. I work with intermediate - advanced learners who are on their road to fluency. Let me help get you there faster!   You know I like you to get involved, so go ahead and comment below! What words would you be more likely to use, British or American?  Do you like to get pampered at the spa? Are you nervous about booking an appointment in English? If you read on, I can help you overcome your fear by teaching you the vocabulary for some of the most popular spa treatments and some quick tips on how to book an appointment for these treatments.  First, I'd like to teach you the vocabulary for some of the more typical spa treatments. Have a look below.  Manicure (commonly called: mani) - a cosmetic treatment of the hands involving shaping and sometimes painting of the nails, removal of the cuticles, and softening of the skin.
Pedicure (commonly called: pedi) - a cosmetic treatment of the feet and toenails, often involving various, additional options such as a paraffin wax treatment (which softens the feet), polish or a salt scrub.
Massage - the rubbing and kneading of muscles and joints of the body with the hands, especially to relieve tension or pain.
Facial - a beauty treatment for the face
Body scrub - a type of beauty treatment in which the skin is cleansed and exfoliated, much like a facial but for your body.
Aromatherapy - the practice of using the natural oils/essential oils extracted from flowers, bark, stems, leaves, roots or other parts of a plant to enhance psychological and physical well-being. Aromatherapy can be applied in many different spa treatments.
 There are so many different types of spa treatments available these days - check out this list of bizarre, unique and...interesting treatments.   I'll soon prepare a more detailed lesson on booking and scheduling appointments, but for now, let's take a quick look at the different examples I used above, plus some extras. These examples are polite, cordial and acceptable when booking any type of appointment and cordial. There's no need to feel nervous! I promise. Just try to relax - after all, that's why you're going to the spa right? To relax! Practice out-loud to yourself or a friend (or even a pet!), first. You'll feel so proud of yourself after you book your own appointment. in-person and/or telephone requests
telephone request only
Have you ever been to an English-speaking spa? Did you get the service you'd hoped for? What kind of treatment did you have? Be sure to comment below and join the conversation.   💞 As you can see, sympathy is not the same in Italian or Spanish as it is in English. Am I missing any other languages in which 'sympathy' refers to KINDNESS? 🤷 HAPPY FRIDAY! 💐   I'll be posting a new vocabulary infographic for you every week for the next couple of months! Please feel free to share them with your friends, family or students who are learning English! If you like my free lessons, you'll LOVE my online lessons! Contact me to ask about a FREE trial lesson and let me show you how I can help you reach a more advanced, more confident level of English. I work with intermediate - advanced learners who are on their road to fluency. Let me help get you there faster!   You know I like you to get involved, so go ahead and comment below! What words would you be more likely to use, British or American?  In today's lesson, we're going to look at different ways native English speakers talk about pregnancy. We have a lot of fun ways to talk about and announce a pregnancy. Some of them are a little OTT (over the top) and some are so clever - just look up Pinterest pregnancy announcements for some examples. The word pregnant is still the most used word, but let's look at some other commonly used, more fun words and expressions - and of course, how to use them.    Please note: when talking about pregnancy, it's common to use the word WE as a way to say 'my partner and I.' WE = a woman and her partner (husband, boyfriend, spouse, life partner, etc.)  pregnant - to have a baby developing in the uterus
expecting (a baby) - to be pregnant; can be used with or without the words 'a baby.'
having a baby - to be pregnant
have a baby on the way - to be pregnant
  preggo - pregnant (also spelled: prego) I've often seen this word in online forums.
preggers - a cute way to say pregnant
(to be) eating for two - to be pregnant - eating foods for you and for your unborn child
(to have) a bun in the oven - Pregnant. Bun = baby, Oven = womb
(to have) a pea in the pod - Pregnant. Pea = baby, Pod = womb
(to have) a joey in the pouch- Pregnant. Joey = baby, Pouch= womb
swallowed a watermelon seed - a fun way to refer to pregnancy
(to get) knocked up (vulgar) - to become pregnant, usually unplanned
 Would you like to see more lessons like this one? Be sure to comment below with any vocabulary questions or comments. 
In this post, we're going to look at different ways women talk about Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). Although this isn't a typical subject for an English teacher to prepare a lesson about, the truth is all of us women experience a monthly visit from our period and our symptoms begin before its arrival.
If you're not comfortable with this subject please look away because we're going to get real. We're going to look at all things period-related, including alternative names that native speakers use for these symptoms and occurrences. We're going to use a little humour as well, so hold on to your panties, ladies! 
Period - a flow of blood and other material from the lining of the uterus occurring monthly in sexually mature women who are not pregnant, lasting for about a week. medical name: menstruation
PMS - premenstrual Syndrome: the physical and emotional symptoms that occur in the one to two weeks before a woman's period arrives
Cramps - a tightening of the muscles of the uterus. medical name: dysmenorrhea; a symptom of PMS
Bloated - to feel an uncomfortable 'heaviness' in your abdomen; water retention - a symptom of PMS
Sore/Tender breasts - when the glands in your breasts produce extra estrogen and it causes pain and tenderness; a symptom of PMS Feminine Products - a variety of different products, used to absorb menstruation
(to be) PMS-ing - To feel the symptoms of PMS.
Bitchy (vulgar) - to feel aggravated, angry, frustrated, annoyed. To be in a negative mood; it can be a symptom of PMS - or it can be for other reasons ;)
Aunt Flow - A funny expression to refer to your period.
Monthly Visitor - An expression that refers to your period.
That time of the month - another way to say that you are on your period.
Riding the cotton pony (vulgar) - a more vulgar way to say that you are on your period.
Would you like to see more lessons like this one? If you have any vocabulary questions, be sure to comment below! 
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About Your English CoachAlannah is a CELTA (University of Cambridge) qualified English language teacher from Canada who lives in Italy with her wonderful husband. She's been teaching English since 2006 and has taught many different nationalities in both Canada and Italy. Archives
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