British etiquette expert, William Hanson writes that “pudding is not dessert, and dessert is not pudding.” But what exactly does that mean?
He says that dessert was, and still is, the fruit course that comes after pudding. So pudding is what we here in Germany call “Nachtisch”. It’s what comes after the main course. The rhubarb crumble, the lemon meringue pie and the chocolate cheesecake.
A new worker was told to paint the white lines down the middle of a road. On his first day he painted four miles. One the next day he painted two. And on the day after that, he painted under a mile.
When his boss came to see how far he had got, he was asked why he had not managed to paint as much as on the first day. He replied, “I have done the best I could. I keep getting further and further away from the paint can”. 😉
I was talking to a client the other day who coaches executives. We spoke about the difference between negative stress and burnout.
This article (link to: mindtools.com) offers a good explanation and even has a burnout self-test so that you can check yourself.
You’ve always wanted to know how to translate the most important swear words into English? This little slideshow from Deutsche Welle can help you. You’ll find words like ‘stupid fool’, ‘coward’ and ‘idiot’. My favourite? ‘You’re crazy’!
How do great speakers capture their audience’s attention? According to Sims Wyeth they start with the unexpected, make the presentation about their listeners, get to the point and don’t waffle on, keep their presentation interactive and short and use clear headlines that imply action.
Get more ideas in Sims Wyeth’s article here.
I normally tell people to use the active voice if they can. But, of course, there are certain situations where you need the passive. But when is it used and how is it formed?
The BBC World Service’s Learning English website gives us a short and sweet explanation with some clear examples.
