The Museum of the City of New York published a new guidebook not long ago, entitled Exploring Historic Dutch New York. It covers the region, not just New York City, and is a nice addition to my collection…
A new book I bought, The French Subjunctive Up Close by Annie Heminway, begins with the following question: “Are you ‘subjunctophobic’?” Me, Going to Concert at St. Bartholomew’s Church; It Did Not Remind Me of Subjunctive This…
Earlier this week I finished Level IV of Pimsleur for both French and German, and now I am almost done with Italian. I know it may sound mindbogglingly dull to redo so many lessons, but I don’t find that…
Despite any doom or gloom that may have emanated from my last entry, I am pleased to report that this week, while volunteering at the Official NYC Information Center, I saw real results from my ongoing language review of French,…
This picture is of the trash area in a cafeteria at one of my corporate client’s locations. I taught an e-mail etiquette seminar to employees of the firm this morning, stopping by the cafeteria beforehand to get some breakfast. …
A few days ago, in the introduction to the book Spanish Verb Tenses by Dorothy Richmond, I read the following reassurance: “…this careful study of the verbs need not be the drudge work so commonly associated with verbs,…
When I look at a list of animal vocabulary in French, or Italian, the words I tend to remember and recognize the best are often animals likely to be found on menus.
I Need to Regrow Some Vocabulary
Like
The other day I observed to my husband, “I haven’t seen John for a while. I wonder if he’s sick.” I was referring to a longtime resident in my building, an elderly man I knew who had…
Dearest Readers, I know I am some weeks behind on this blog. I have received questions about that matter, inquiring about my health and well-being and continuing commitment. My health and well-being and continuing commitment are all intact. I truly…
I tend to complain a lot about my grammar books. My Complete German Grammar by Ed Swick is now full of my irritable comments on grammar-exercise design and how it is not what it should be, but I…
© 2009–2022 Ellen Jovin. All rights reserved.