Thursday, March 5, 2020

I Heard It Through The Grapevine Explaining The Saying With Help From Marvin Gaye

I Heard It Through The Grapevine Explaining The Saying With Help From Marvin Gaye Many students of mine have asked me about the saying:I heard it through the grapevine.“What does this mean,” they ask me, bemused. “It makes no sense.”Well, actually it does make sense to English speakers. To hear something through the grapevine means to hear some news or gossip verbally, or in an informal fashion.We say “I heard it through the grapevine” generally when we want to protect our sources and don’t want to reveal where  our information came from.The grapevine was informal slang for the telegraph, a word-of-mouth communication network that was used in the US in the late 19th century.The telegraph was soon christened the ‘grapevine telegraph’ because it physically looked like the twisting grapevines found in a vineyard due to poor workmanship in hoisting the telegraph poles and cables.Saying information came from the ‘grapevine’ also suggests it is gossip among the lower classes who were generally found working in vineyards.There was also the suggestio n that information coming ‘through the grapevine’ wasn’t the most reliable since during the US Civil War messages carried by word of mouth were often intercepted and changed.Lets listen to the song that made the saying famous sung by Marvin Gaye.What news do you think he heard through the grapevine?What were the consequences of what he heard?

English Money Vocabulary - Learn English Expressions and Phrases

English Money Vocabulary - Learn English Expressions and Phrases Here you will learn English money vocabulary words. Money matters are always of interest and importance to us. We either need it or need to know what to do with it!! Lets read this short text and review some vocabulary words. Michael and Mary wanted to buy a house of their own. They had lived in rented accommodation since they got married almost two years ago. They could not afford  to buy a house for cash as prices were too expensive. They were broke  after spending a lot of money on the wedding. They had used their credit cards  to pay for the honey moon and were trying to earn  money now to repay that debt.They made an appointment with the bank manager to see if they qualified for a loan. Their friends had taken out a mortgage  with the same bank and recommended that Michael and Mary should do the same. It came as a blow  to them when the manager told them that they could not lend  them any money yet until they demonstrated an ability to save enough money for the 10% deposit. They were very sorry now that they had wasted  so much money on the holiday.A few months later they got a very welcome and unexpected surprise. An elderly aunt, without any children of her own, died and left some money in her Will to Michael. This inheritance  would be enough for the initial deposit and the bank manager confirmed they could now borrow the balance to purchase their first home. English Money Vocabulary Words TO AFFORD   when you have sufficient or enough money to buy what you need.BLOW(n)   when you realise you cannot buy the item or goods you want. It comes as a blow when you understand the situation.TO BLOW(v)  MONEY   to spend money on useless things.BROKE   when you have no money in the short or long term. You might be waiting to get paid by your employers and have no money in your bank account until you get your salary.MORTGAGE   a way in which you can buy a house by using money borrowed from a financial institution. The house is registered in your name but the Financial Institution register a mortgage (charge) over the property until the money is repaid.LOAN (n)  and TO LEND (v)   the Financial Institution offer a person(s) a loan to buy a house or other asset. This is repaid together with interest over an agreed period, usually a number of years.The Financial institution agreed to lend me the money to buy a car. It was called a car loan.CREDIT CARD   a plastic card which allows yo u to purchase goods and articles up to an agreed limit without using cash.The credit card company issues monthly statements and the customer repays the balance on a regular basis.TO WASTE   where you spend all your money on goods or things which have no real value.You waste your money on things where the value drops very quickly.TO EARN   where money is given to you for work you have done.He worked for a month and earned a very good salary.TO INHERIT (v)   when someone dies they usually leave a Will. This sets out what they wish to be done with their assets (cash, house and other assets). A person who is lucky to be mentioned in the Will receives some cash or other asset. They inherit that asset. INHERITANCE (n)RECEIPT a piece of paper that will provide you with proof of payment if there is something wrong with the goodsINVOICE an official document that businesses issue as a request for payment. This states the amount due and when payment is expected. This is also useful for tax r eturns. BILL when we go to a café or restaurant this is what we ask for English Money Vocabulary - Infographic Enjoyed this infographic? Here's what you can do next: Practise English Money Vocabulary Check how well you remembered English money vocabulary, try this exercise. True or false?  Enter the correct answers in the comments below:You inherit money from a relative when he/she dies and leaves you a sum of money in their last Will.A credit card is a card your friend sends you to wish you a happy birthday.A mortgage is when a bank lends you money to purchase a flat and they take a legal charge over that property.A loan is a sum of money you get from a bank but you are not obliged to repay it.