The Daily minute

Saturday July 24 , 2021
Your daily dose of English in 10 minutes.

A (usually) daily bulletin of English language usage, English grammar and communication skills tips, lifestyle news and other things of interest.

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Culture

Как следить за Олимпиадой в Токио

Welcome. The opening ceremony isn't until Friday, but the Tokyo Olympics are already underway, and even if you're questioning the utility of such a spectacle in the shadow of a pandemic, there are likely events you're excited to watch, athletes you're excited to root for.

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Lifestyle

Согласно результатам опроса, 2020 год стал самым сложным годом в истории

2020 Was the Most Stressful Year on Record, According to a New Poll

Last year was a rough one, to say the least. It turns out that being forced to spend the majority of our time in isolation during a pandemic that also happened to take place during a contentious election year is not exactly great for one’s mental health. That’s a no-brainer, of course, but now we have scientific proof that 2020 was, in fact, the most stressful year on record.

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Word of the Day

chatty (adj.)

Today's word of the day is: chatty (adj.), informal

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Transcription: [ˈtʃæt.i]

Russian Translation: разговорчивый, любящий поговорить

Definition: Someone who is chatty enjoys talking a lot in a friendly way

Example: 1. They are uniformly polite, chatty and cheerful with visitors. — Они всегда вежливы и разговорчивы со всеми посетителями и встречают их в хорошем настроении.

2. Why do our chatty children often have such difficulty talking about books?  — Почему наши дети любят поболтать, но им часто трудно говорить о книгах? 

Synonyms: talkative, communicative, garrulous

Grammar Tip

Adding -ful and -fully

The suffix -ful can form Nouns or Adjectives, like playful or wonderful.

People sometimes make the mistake of spelling this type of word with a double l at the end (wonderfull). Note that it’s always spelled with just one -l:

Examples: dreadful, faithful, playful, powerful

The related ending –fully forms Adverbs. Remember that this suffix is always spelled with two l’s:

Examples: dreadfully, faithfully, playfully, powerfully

Communication Skills Tip

How to disagree with other people

Disagree strongly

  • I totally (completely) disagree with you. — Я совершенно с Вами не согласен.
  • Rubbish! (informal) — Ерунда! (Чушь!)

Disagree weakly

  • I'm not sure about that. — Я не уверен в этом.
  • Yes, but I can't help thinking ... — Да, но я все же думаю ...
  • I agree up to a point ... — Отчасти (до определенной степени) согласен. 
  • I can share your view only up to a certain point. — Я могу разделить Вашу точку зрения лишь отчасти.