Lesson 1

A good trick if you are unable to spell anything is to claim your misspelling is the British version. In Britain, claim it's the US spelling.
This is similar to the trick I recommend if you can’t remember how to spell practice/practise.
In the UK – and most English-speaking countries, I think - the noun has a c, and the verb has an s.
But in the US, they both have a c.

So if you can’t remember whether it’s the noun or the verb that has the s, you can just always spell it with a c, and say you were going for the American spelling.

I talked about a video by Word World, and today I recommend you go and read a book on their site called Snug as a Bug in a Rug.

Snug means warm and cosy.

And snug as a bug in a rug is a cute saying. Something that you might say to a child, for example, if you’re trying to encourage them to go to bed.

When you get in your nice warm bed with your teddy bear, you’ll be snug as a bug in a rug!

In this story, a bug can’t get to sleep, so his friends suggest places he could sleep, like a mug and a jug. But they’re not very comfortable, and then someone suggests a rug … and finally he is snug.


STICK NEWS

Kia ora in Stick News today two men were busted trying to rob a bank by drilling into it from a shop they had rented above it.

Two men in Albania rented a shop above a bank and decided to rob the bank.
They tried to drill a passageway from the shop into the bank vault.
But someone heard the noise and called the police.
Police said they arrested the would-be robbers when they were in the last stages of finishing the tunnel.
And that was Stick News for Wednesday the 22nd of September.
Kia ora.


Have you seen a movie called Small Time Crooks?
No. Why?


We’re doing renovations!


I’d like to make a deposit.
Hang on a sec …


Spoilsports!


Word of the Day

Today’s word is applicious.

You won’t find this word in your dictionary, because it’s not an official word. But can you guess what it means?

I bought a packet of chips the other day. And on the back they have a spiel of how good these chips are … and the last sentence is: And these taste dippaliciously great.

And then I was reading a free magazine from the supermarket – because my life is so exciting – and I found a similar word: applelicious.

So obviously, it’s a combination of apple and delicious. And on the page they have some apple recipes which they say are delicious.

You can make a word like this by adding -licious to any kind of food that you like.

bananalicious
avocadolicious
chocolicious
pastalicious

These are the kind of words that usually pop up in advertising, rather than in conversation. But you could always try throwing them in to your conversation. For example, when someone asks you how lunch was, you could say: It was noodlicious!

Like on Point Break?

Step 1: Repeat Dominic’s lines.
Step 2: Read Dominic’s lines and talk to Sarah.

Dominic If you were going to rob a bank, how would you do it?

Sarah I would wear a mask.

Dominic Like on Point Break?

Sarah Exactly.

Dominic How about your voice?

Sarah What about it?

Dominic Would you use your normal voice?

Sarah Oh yeah, it might be good to try and disguise it.

Dominic You could try putting on an accent.

Sarah Yeah, that’s a good idea. Although I’m not that good at accents so I don’t know how convincing it would be.