WELCOME... THIS IS VOCABULARY!!! MOST COMMON BUSINESS IDIOMS, PART 3!!!

Hi everybody and welcome to this new entry of Montcada in English. As many of you know English is the main language in business world nowadays. It is well known that for negotiations is important to speak in a correct and polite way but sometimes there are some expressions that are used to explain in a more colloquial way without being informal, a specific situation. Those common expressions are known as Idioms. This is the third part of the most common business idioms list. Enjoy it!

IDIOM	WHAT IT MEANS		EXAMPLES
hands are tied		If you do not have any control over a situation, your "hands are tied."		I would love to get you a job at my company, but my hands are tied. Management isn't hiring any additional employees this year.
have someone's work cut out		If you have a lot of work to do or a particularly difficult assignment, you "have your work cut out for you."		She has to sell $35,000 worth of products by the end of the month. She has her work cut out for her.
hit the nail on the head		To "hit the nail on the head" means to do or say something 100% correctly.		I agree with John 100%. I think he really hit the nail on the head.
in a nutshell		"In a nutshell" means in a few words.		In a nutshell, this book is about how to motivate employees.
in full swing		If a project is "in full swing," it means that it has been completely started and that it is progressing or moving as fast as it ever will.		Construction on the new site is in full swing now.
in the black		If a company is "in the black," it means that they are making a profit.		We're not having a great year, but at least we're in the black.
in the driver's seat		To be ¨in the driver´s seat¨ means to be in control.		I'm not used to being in the driver's seat. I should probably buy some management books.
in the red		If a company is "in the red," it means that they are not profitable and are operating at a loss.		When I started my own business, we were in the red for the first two years. We didn't see a profit until the third year.
keep your eye on the ball		To "keep your eye on the ball¨ means to focus and concentrate on what you want to achieve.		I know we can do it. We just need to keep our eye on the ball and not lose our focus.
last straw		The "last straw" means the last annoyance, disturbance, or betrayal which causes someone to give up, lose his or her patience, or become very angry.		Our boss was unhappy with Brian's performance for a while, but when he came to work three hours late without calling, it was the last straw.
learn the ropes		To "learn the ropes¨means to learn the basics of something.		I like my new position. I´m starting to learn the ropes.
long shot		A "long shot" is something that has a very low probability of happening.		Winning the lottery is a long shot, but millions of people still buy lottery tickets.
loophole		A legal "loophole" occurs If a law is unclear or omits information. This lack of legal clarity allows people or corporations to take advantage of the situation and pay less in taxes or gain some other advantage.		Some people complain that millionaires avoid paying taxes by finding loopholes in tax laws.
lose ground (opposite is to "gain ground")		To "lose ground" means to lose some type of an advantage (market share, for example) to a competitor.		Apple lost some ground to Samsung last quarter.
lose-lose situation (also called a "no-win situation")		A "lose-lose situation" is when someone has to choose between various options and all the options are bad.		It's a lose-lose situation. If they lay off more workers, they'll get bad press. If they don't lay off more workers, they won't be able to compete.
nine-to-five		A "nine-to-five" is a job during normal working hours. The term came into existence because many work days start at 9 AM and end at 5 PM.		She was tired of working a nine-to-five job, so she took her savings and started a restaurant.
no brainer		If a decision is really obvious or really easy to make, the decision is a "no brainer."		Taking the new job was a no brainer. They offered me more money, a better schedule, and more vacation days.
no strings attached		If something is given without expecting anything in return, it is given with "no strings attached."		They will let you try the product for free with no strings attached. If you don't like it, there is no pressure to buy it or give them anything in return.
no time to lose		If there is "no time to lose," it means that there is a lot of pressure to complete something quickly.		I told them I'd send the email by the end of the day and it's already 4:45. I need to get to work. There's no time to lose.
not going to fly		If a solution isn't effective, people say that it "isn't going to fly."		I don't think that idea's going to fly. Let's keep generating ideas.
off the top of one's head		If someone says something "off the top of his or her head," it means that he or she gives a response without thinking about it for a long time or doing any research on the subject.		I have no idea how many branches they have. Off the top of my head, I'd say about 20.
on a roll		If someone is "on a roll," it means that he or she has had several successes in a row.		Our profits have been above our projected numbers for five months in a row. We're really on a roll.
on the ball		To be "one the ball" means to be alert and aware of things.		My new personal assistant is working out well. He's really on the ball.
on the same page page		If two people are "on the same page," they are in agreement about something.		Let's go over the details of what we agreed on just to make sure that we're on the same page.
on top of something		To be "on top of something" means to be in control of a situation and aware of changes.		I read a lot to stay on top of the latest changes in my industry.

WELCOME... THIS IS CULTURE!!! WHAT DO PEOPLE DO ON THANKSGIVING DAY?

Hello everybody! Welcome to this new entry of Montcada in English. Today I’d like to talk about how we celebrate Thanksgiving Day in the United States. Enjoy it.

As we spoke in the previous post, Thanksgiving Day in the United States is a holiday which is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.

What do people do?

In many American households, the Thanksgiving celebration has lost much of its original religious significance; instead, it now centers on cooking and sharing a bountiful meal with family and friends. Turkey, a Thanksgiving staple so ubiquitous it has become all but synonymous with the holiday, may or may not have been on offer when the Pilgrims hosted the inaugural feast in 1621. Today, however, nearly 90 percent of Americans eat the bird—whether roasted, baked or deep-fried—on Thanksgiving, according to the National Turkey Federation. It is traditionally a day for families and friends to get together for a special meal. Besides the turkey, the meal often includes a stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, pumpkin pie, and vegetables. Thanksgiving Day is a time for many people to give thanks for what they have.

Typical Thanksgiving Meal 

Thanksgiving Day parades are held in some cities and towns on or around the festivity. These parades have also become an integral part of the holiday in cities and towns across the United States. Presented by Macy’s department store since 1924, New York City’s Thanksgiving Day parade is the largest and most famous, attracting some 2 to 3 million spectators along its 2.5-mile route and drawing an enormous television audience. It typically features marching bands, performers, elaborate floats conveying various celebrities and giant balloons shaped like cartoon characters. Some of them also mark the opening of the Christmas shopping season. Some people have a four-day weekend so it is a popular time for trips and to visit family and friends.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade

Beginning in the mid-20th century and perhaps even earlier, the president of the United States has “pardoned” one or two Thanksgiving turkeys each year, sparing the birds from slaughter and sending them to a farm for retirement. A number of U.S. governors also perform the annual turkey pardoning ritual.

President Obama pardoning the turkey

Most government offices, businesses, schools and other organizations are closed on Thanksgiving Day. Many offices and businesses allow staff to have a four-day weekend so these offices and businesses are also closed on the Friday after Thanksgiving Day. Public transit systems do not usually operate on their regular timetables.

Thanksgiving Day it is one of the busiest periods for travel in the USA. This can cause congestion and overcrowding. Seasonal parades and busy football games can cause disruption to local traffic.

Well people… Have a nice Thanksgiving Day!!!

C Ya!

WELCOME... THIS IS CULTURE!!! HISTORY OF THANKSGIVING DAY!!!

Hello everybody! Welcome to this new entry of Montcada in English. Today I’d like to talk about one of my favorite traditions from the United States: Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated in Canada and the United States as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. It is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Several other places around the world observe similar celebrations. Thanksgiving has its historical roots in religious and cultural traditions and has long been celebrated in a secular manner as well.

Prayers of thanks and special thanksgiving ceremonies are common among almost all religions after harvests and at other times. The Thanksgiving holiday's history in North America is rooted in English traditions dating from the Protestant Reformation. It also has aspects of a harvest festival, even though the harvest in New England occurs well before the late-November date on which the modern Thanksgiving holiday is celebrated.

In the English tradition, days of thanksgiving and special thanksgiving religious services became important during the English Reformation in the reign of Henry VIII and in reaction to the large number of religious holidays on the Catholic calendar. Before 1536 there were 95 Church holidays, plus 52 Sundays, when people were required to attend church and forego work and sometimes pay for expensive celebrations. The 1536 reforms reduced the number of Church holidays to 27, but some Puritans wished to completely eliminate all Church holidays, including Christmas and Easter. The holidays were to be replaced by specially called Days of Fasting or Days of Thanksgiving, in response to events that the Puritans viewed as acts of special providence. Unexpected disasters or threats of judgement from on high called for Days of Fasting. Special blessings, viewed as coming from God, called for Days of Thanksgiving. For example, Days of Fasting were called on account of drought in 1611, floods in 1613, and plagues in 1604 and 1622. Days of Thanksgiving were called following the victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588 and following the deliverance of Queen Anne in 1705. An unusual annual Day of Thanksgiving began in 1606 following the failure of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 and developed into Guy Fawkes Day.

In the United States, the modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition is commonly, but not universally, traced to a sparsely documented 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts. The 1621 Plymouth feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest. Pilgrims and Puritans who began emigrating from England in the 1620s and 1630s carried the tradition of Days of Fasting and Days of Thanksgiving with them to New England. Several days of Thanksgiving were held in early New England history that have been identified as the "First Thanksgiving", including Pilgrim holidays in Plymouth in 1621 and 1623, and a Puritan holiday in Boston in 1631. According to historian Jeremy Bangs, director of the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, the Pilgrims may have been influenced by watching the annual services of Thanksgiving for the relief of the siege of Leiden in 1574, while they were staying in Leiden. Now called Oktober Feesten (which is not the same as the German’s Oktober Fest), Leiden's autumn thanksgiving celebration in 1617 was the occasion for sectarian disturbance that appears to have accelerated the pilgrims plans to emigrate to America. In later years, religious thanksgiving services were declared by civil leaders such as Governor Bradford, who planned the colony's thanksgiving celebration and fast in 1623. The practice of holding an annual harvest festival did not become a regular affair in New England until the late 1660s.

Thanksgiving proclamations were made mostly by church leaders in New England up until 1682, and then by both state and church leaders until after the American Revolution. During the revolutionary period, political influences affected the issuance of Thanksgiving proclamations. Various proclamations were made by royal governors, John Hancock, General George Washington, and the Continental Congress, each giving thanks to God for events favorable to their causes. As President of the United States, George Washington proclaimed the first nationwide thanksgiving celebration in America marking November 26, 1789, "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God".

George Washington

The first Thanksgiving was actually celebrated on Feb 21, 1621 when a band of starving pilgrims at Plymouth Rock were saved at the last minute by the arrival of a ship from Dublin bearing food from Ireland. The Boston Post, the largest circulation newspaper in the 1920s and 1930s, discovered the earlier date for the Thanksgiving ritual. It showed that the traditional date of the autumn of 1621 was actually incorrect. According to the "Observant Citizen," a columnist for the Boston Post, the Pilgrims in the winter of their first year were starving and faced the end of the their project to colonize the new world when “a ship arrived from overseas bearing the much needed food." Because of anti-Irish prejudice at the time, the "Observant Citizen" neglected to name it as an Irish ship, but it was actually The Lyon and “its provenance and that of the food was Dublin Ireland.” It turns out, from records at the Massachusetts Historical Society, that the wife of one of the prominent Plymouth Rock brethren was the daughter of a Dublin merchant and that it was he who chartered the vessel, loaded it with food and dispatched it to Plymouth. The "Observant Citizen," whoever he was, never admitted the Irish connection, even though a number of Irish organizations challenged him on the issue. Nonetheless, the Massachusetts historical records revealed the tale, giving the Irish a fair claim to saving Thanksgiving.

The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth, oil on canvas by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe (1914)

In modern times the President of the United States, in addition to issuing a proclamation, will "pardon" a turkey, which spares the bird's life and ensures that it will spend the duration of its life roaming freely on farmland.

The traditional representation of where the first Thanksgiving was held in the United States has often been a subject of boosterism and debate, though the debate is often confused by mixing up the ideas of a Thanksgiving holiday celebration and a Thanksgiving religious service. According to author James Baker, this debate is a "tempest in a beanpot" and "marvelous nonsense".

Local boosters in Virginia, Florida, and Texas promote their own colonists, who (like many people getting off a boat) gave thanks for setting foot again on dry land.

These claims include an earlier religious service by Spanish explorers in Texas at San Elizario in 1598, as well as thanksgiving feasts in the Virginia Colony. Robyn Gioia and Michael Gannon of the University of Florida argue that the earliest Thanksgiving service in what is now the United States was celebrated by the Spanish on September 8, 1565, in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida. A day for Thanksgiving services was codified in the founding charter of Berkeley Hundred in Charles City County, Virginia in 1619.

According to Baker, "Historically, none of these had any influence over the evolution of the modern United States holiday. The American holiday's true origin was the New England Calvinist Thanksgiving. Never coupled with a Sabbath meeting, the Puritan observances were special days set aside during the week for thanksgiving and praise in response to God's providence".

Thanksgiving in the United States was observed on various dates throughout history. From the time of the Founding Fathers until the time of Lincoln, the date Thanksgiving was observed varied from state to state. The final Thursday in November had become the customary date in most U.S. states by the beginning of the 19th century. Thanksgiving was first celebrated on the same date by all states in 1863 by a presidential proclamation of Abraham Lincoln. Influenced by the campaigning of author Sarah Josepha Hale, who wrote letters to politicians for around 40 years trying to make it an official holiday, Lincoln proclaimed the date to be the final Thursday in November in an attempt to foster a sense of American unity between the Northern and Southern states. Because of the ongoing Civil War and the Confederate States of America's refusal to recognize Lincoln's authority, a nationwide Thanksgiving date was not realized until Reconstruction was completed in the 1870s.

On December 26, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a joint resolution of Congress changing the national Thanksgiving Day from the last Thursday in November to the fourth Thursday. Two years earlier, Roosevelt had used a presidential proclamation to try to achieve this change, reasoning that earlier celebration of the holiday would give the country an economic boost.

WELCOME... IT'S GRAMMAR TIME!!! QUESTION WORDS, PART 3!!!

Welcome everbody to this new entry of Montcada in English. This is the last part of the question words explanation. Today I’d like to focus on Why and How.

Why is used to obtain an explanation or a reason about something or someone. (I want to know the reason). In Spanish, why means Por qué. Normally the response of why begins with Because, which means Porque in Spanish.

For example:

Why do we need a nanny? ---------------------------- Por qué necesitamos una niñera?

Because we are going out ----------------------------- Porque vamos a salir.

Why are they always late? ---------------------------- Por qué siempre llegan tarde?

Because they live so far ------------------------------- Porque viven muy lejos

Why does he complain all the time? --------------- Por qué se queja todo el tiempo?

Because he is spoiled --------------------------------- Porque es malcriado

How is used to describe the manner that something is done. So, when I want to know the way to do something. The translation of How in Spanish is Cómo

For example:

How do you cook paella? ------------------------------ Cómo cocinas la paella?

How does he know the answer? --------------------- Cómo sabe la respuesta?

How can I learn English quickly? -------------------- Cómo puedo aprender Inglés rápidamente?

With how there are a number of other expressions that are used in questions:

How much – refers to a quantity or a price (uncountable nouns)

For example:

How much time do you have to finish the test?

How much is the jacket on display in the window?

How much money will I need?

How many – refers to a quantity (countable nouns)

For example:

How many days are there in April?

How many people live in this city?

How many brothers and sister do you have?

Read more about How much vs. How many.

How often – refers to frequency

For example:

How often do you visit your grandmother?

How often does she study?

How often are you sick?

How far – refers to distance

For example:

How far is the university from your house?

How far is the bus stop from here?

Well people, as far as I concerned I’m done!!! I hope this information will be useful for you!!!

C Ya!

WELCOME... THIS IS SPORTS!!! THE MOST POPULAR SPORTS IN AMERICA, PART 1!!!

Hello everybody! Welcome to this new entry of Montcada in English! Today I want to bring you another top 10 list, but this time is all about sports. So, I will talk about the Top 10 Most Popular Sports in America. I’d like to make myself clear. The list is about the most popular sports in America, not my top 10 favorite sports (which is a little bit different). Well, let’s get down to business and let’s get the ball rolling.

So, sports of different kinds play an important role in American society. These sports have earned tremendous popularity across USA, but most importantly they are the vehicles for transmitting such values as fair play, justice and team work. Sports have contributed to social and racial integration and over history, they have been a social glue bonding the whole America together.

Early American personalities like President Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin stressed the need for sports such as running and swimming. In the 20th century, American presidents like Dwight D. Eisenhower, Theodore Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy continued to encourage sports among the Americans.

The list will be divided in two parts. Here we are with the first part.

10. Martial Arts

Martial arts are the traditions of combat practices and are practiced for various reasons: self-defense, physical health and fitness, competition, entertainment purposes, as well as physical, mental and spiritual development.

Actually, the term Martial Arts has become associated with the fighting arts of eastern Asia. But it was originally referred to the combat system of Europe, in early 1550s. The term Martial Arts derived from the Latin word Arts of Mars, the Roman God of war. Not only in Europe, this activity have also gained popularity in America. It has been a mandatory in US military to learn it as a form of self-defense.

 

Randy Couture vs Brock Lesnar, UFC World Heavyweight Championship, 2008.

The US government is also encouraging Martial Arts as a form of sport. In 2007, the wholesale value of martial arts related sports equipment in America was estimated 314 million USD. The participation in the same year was at stunning 6.9 million. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has become the most popular activity related to Martial Arts in the USA.

9. Motor Sports

Like the rest of the World, Americans initially began to use their public streets as a track of automobile races. As time progressed, and it was realized that these venues are not safe for the public as they offered relatively little crowd control. Promoters and drivers in America discovered that horse racing tracks could provide better conditions for motor sports than public streets. Since then, there was a huge development in the racing motor sports in America.

 

Mario Andretti, one of the greatest NASCAR drivers.

United States are quite capable of arranging famous motor racing events such as Indianapolis 500 (which is the most popular open wheel racing event in USA), NASCAR (which is the result of enormous expansion of stock car racing), Formula 1 or Motorcycle racing, commonly known as MotoGP championship (which after American football, is the 2nd most watched in America).

8. Pro-wrestling

Professional wrestling in the United States, until the 1920s, was viewed as a legitimate sport. This view did not endure into the 1930s, as professional wrestling became identified with modern theatrics, or admitted fakeness, moving away from being a showcase for true competition. The scripted nature of the art has made critics view it as an illegitimate sport, particularly in comparison to boxing, mixed martial arts, amateur wrestling, and the real sport itself, wrestling. No major promoter or wrestler denies that modern professional wrestling has predetermined match outcomes.

 

The Inmortal Hulk Hogan

Through the advent of television in the 1950s and cable in the 1980s, professional wrestling began appearing in powerful media outlets, reaching never before seen numbers of viewers. It became an international phenomenon with the expansion of the World Wrestling Federation. Throughout the 1990s, professional wrestling achieved highs in both viewers and financial success during a time of fierce competition among competing promotions, such as World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment, World Championship Wrestling, and Extreme Championship Wrestling.

 

The Nature Boy Ric Flair, 16-times World Heavyweight Champion

The nature of professional wrestling changed dramatically to better fit television, enhancing character traits and storylines. Television also helped many wrestlers break into mainstream media, becoming influential celebrities and icons of popular culture. Names such as Gorgeous George, Bruno Sammartino, The Nature Boy Ric Flair, The Steiner Brothers, Ricky The Dragon Steamboat, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, Macho Man Randy Savage, Shawn Michaels, Bret The Hitman Hart, Sting, The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Kurt Angle, Triple H, Chris Jericho, CM Punk, John Cena or Randy Orton have become authentic American icons.

  

Stone Cold Steve Austin & The Undertaker

7. Tennis

Tennis was first played in America at the home of Mary Ewing Outerbridge at the Staten Island Cricket club in New Brighton Staten Island, New York in 1874. In 1880, USA held the American National Tournament for the first time in history. The United States Tennis Association was formed on 21 May, 1881 to build up rules and organize tennis tournaments.

Pete Sampras & Andre Agassi, great rivals - better friends

America has possessed a glorious memory in the history of tennis. The sport is equally popular in men and women. Although these days the most dominant male players are not Americans, it is well known that many of the greatest players ever are from the USA. Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Jim Courier, Michael Chang, Ivan Lendl, Andy Roddick or Todd Martin are only a few of the biggest names in the game. It must be emphasized that girls are not behind in the list of achievements. Monica Seles, Jennifer Capriati, Martina Navratilova, Billy Jean King, Lindsay Davenport, Venus and Serena Williams are worthy representatives of American greatness in women's tennis.

Venus & Serena Williams

The America’s national singles championships is currently known as the US Open. The first US Open was took place in 1881 at Newport, Rhode Island and it was made officially one of the tennis majors from 1924.

6. Golf

Golf began many centuries before the Europeans migrated to America. Presumably, they brought the game across the Atlantics. This game took a while to become popular in the USA.

Jack Nicklaus & Tiger Woods, the greatest American golf players in history

American Professional Golfers Association (PGA) was formed in 1916. The catalyst in this procedure was the department store owner Rodman Wanamaker.

America is considered as the heartland of golf. There are hundreds of beautiful golf courses around the country. America’s history of golf is much enriched. For sure is undoubtedly one of the most popular sports in the country.

Tiger Woods is probably the most iconic golf figure in the USA, but the one who is considered as the best golf player ever is other American: Jack Nicklaus, winning a total of 18 career major championships, while producing 19 second-place and 9 third-place finishes in them, over a span of 25 years.

I hope you have enjoyed the first 5 sports from this Top 10 list...

C Ya!!!