English From Zero to Hero
Too Much Sitting May Make Your Brain Smaller Are you sitting comfortably? Well, don't get too comfortable — it could be bad for your brain. A new study suggests that spending too much time sitting could make your brain smaller and affect your mental…
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Can You Commit These Expressions to Memory?
Are you the kind of person who only needs to hear something once to be able to remember it? Or maybe you have to write everything down, or often have people reminding you about things?
Whatever type of memory you have, one of these expressions should help you describe it:
People with a "photographic memory" are able to remember a lot of details about something they have seen — as though their mind has taken a photo of it. On the other hand, if you have a "mind like a sieve," everything you see or learn seems to fall out of your brain soon after.
With forgetful people, it's sometimes necessary to "jog their memory," or do or say something to help them remember.
But if you have told someone the same thing over and over again and they still can't remember it, you might feel like your words are "going in one ear and out the other." We use this phrase when someone hears something, but forgets it very quickly.
When you are able to remember something exactly, like the words of a poem, or a recipe, you can say you have "committed it to memory." You can also say that you have "learned it by heart," which likely comes from the ancient belief that the heart controlled our thoughts and emotions.
And if you have such a strong or clear memory of something that it would be impossible to forget it, you can say that it is "etched into your memory."
#Common_Phrases
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English From Zero to Hero
Can You Commit These Expressions to Memory? Are you the kind of person who only needs to hear something once to be able to remember it? Or maybe you have to write everything down, or often have people reminding you about things? Whatever type of memory…
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A Consistent Sleep Schedule Could Save Your Heart
We often hear that getting seven to nine hours of sleep is good for your health.
But a new study has found that going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day could be just as important as how long you sleep.
The study looked at sleep patterns in more than 72,000 adults over eight years. It found that people who went to bed and woke up at different times each day had a 26% higher risk of serious heart problems like heart attacks, strokes and heart failure.
This was true even when they got the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep.
Even after considering other health factors like age, exercise, smoking, alcohol use and diet, the link between irregular sleep and heart problems stayed strong.
Researchers used a score called the Sleep Regularity Index (SRI) to measure sleep consistency. The SRI ranges from 0 (very irregular sleep) to 100 (very regular sleep).
Participants were put into three groups: regular sleepers, with an SRI above 87.3; moderately irregular sleepers, with an SRI between 71.6 and 87.3; and irregular sleepers, with an SRI below 71.6.
People with higher SRI scores had a much lower risk of heart disease. Even a moderate score of 77.1 was linked to a 15% drop in heart risk.
Changing your sleeping and waking times can confuse your body's internal clock. And this may affect how your body handles things like blood sugar, stress, and even how your heart works.
This is why keeping a consistent sleep schedule matters. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends, experts say.
Getting enough sleep is important, but keeping your sleep schedule consistent could make a big difference for your heart!
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English From Zero to Hero
A Consistent Sleep Schedule Could Save Your Heart We often hear that getting seven to nine hours of sleep is good for your health. But a new study has found that going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day could be just as important as how…
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Dining Etiquette: Why It Feels Wrong to Eat First
In most cultures around the world, it's seen as polite to wait until everyone has received their food before you start eating. But we often have one rule for ourselves, and another for other people.
For example, if we're at a restaurant and our friend's food comes first, we'll often say, "Go ahead, eat!" But if our own food arrives early, we'll probably feel we should wait.
A new study explains why we hold ourselves to stricter standards than others.
Researchers from the UK and the Netherlands did six experiments with almost 2,000 people, mostly in the US. In each test, people imagined a meal with a friend. Sometimes they got their food first, other times their friend did.
When they had to imagine themselves getting food first, most people said they should wait before eating. But when they imagined their friend getting food first, they said it was OK for the friend to eat right away.
The researchers said this happens because of something called a "self-other difference." We feel our own emotions, such as guilt or awkwardness, very strongly, but we can't fully grasp what others are feeling.
When we are the ones eating first, we feel guilt or worry, and we think we might look rude or selfish. But when someone else is in the same situation, we assume they are fine, even if they are not.
Even when people were asked to think about how their friend might feel, the results didn't change much. Nor did they change when people were told they had permission to eat first.
This shows the problem isn't just about rules or social expectations — it comes from the way the human mind works. We see our own discomfort clearly, but we don't fully notice it in others.
So when you tell a friend, "Go ahead, eat!" just remember — you might not feel as comfortable if the roles are reversed!
#Reading
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English From Zero to Hero
Dining Etiquette: Why It Feels Wrong to Eat First In most cultures around the world, it's seen as polite to wait until everyone has received their food before you start eating. But we often have one rule for ourselves, and another for other people. …
dining-etiquette-why-it-feels-wrong-to-eat-first
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#Idiom
♣️ A person who is rich and successful because they have worked hard, not because they were born into a rich family
♣️ Educated people who enjoy discussing social, political and cultural issues
♣️ Someone is treated as if they are less important than others in society
♣️ Ordinary people in a political or sporting organisation, not the leaders
♣️ A large number of people who do not express their opinions publicly
♣️ People in business or politics with a lot of influence or power, although they are not well known to the public
♣️ Smth or someone that a lot of people dislike or disapprove of
♣️ Someone who is new in a place or organisation and has many things to learn about it (informal).
❄️ A self-made man
♣️ A person who is rich and successful because they have worked hard, not because they were born into a rich family
❄️ The chattering classes
♣️ Educated people who enjoy discussing social, political and cultural issues
❄️ A second-class citizen
♣️ Someone is treated as if they are less important than others in society
❄️ The grass roots
♣️ Ordinary people in a political or sporting organisation, not the leaders
❄️ The silent majority
♣️ A large number of people who do not express their opinions publicly
❄️ The (men in) grey suits
♣️ People in business or politics with a lot of influence or power, although they are not well known to the public
❄️ Public enemy number one
♣️ Smth or someone that a lot of people dislike or disapprove of
❄️ New kid on the block
♣️ Someone who is new in a place or organisation and has many things to learn about it (informal).
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English From Zero to Hero
#Idiom 🕸 People in society 🕸 ❄️ A self-made man ♣️ A person who is rich and successful because they have worked hard, not because they were born into a rich family ❄️ The chattering classes ♣️ Educated people who enjoy discussing social…
#Idiom
🕸 Power in society 🕸
The people with power and influence
Win by a very large majority
Arrange an election in a dishonest way
Someone with no official position in government or an organisation but who secretly controls it
Being famous; written about in the media and seen on TV
Is in control, often secretly
The vote of older people (also, the grey pound)
The most important person in a company or organisation (informal)
Used to refer to a way of making money quickly, easily and often dishonestly, usually through your position in society
🕸 Power in society 🕸
❄️ The movers and shakers
The people with power and influence
❄️ Win by a landslide
Win by a very large majority
❄️ Rig the election
Arrange an election in a dishonest way
❄️ The power behind the throne
Someone with no official position in government or an organisation but who secretly controls it
❄️ Being in the public eye
Being famous; written about in the media and seen on TV
❄️ Pull the strings
Is in control, often secretly
❄️ The grey vote
The vote of older people (also, the grey pound)
❄️ Mr Big
The most important person in a company or organisation (informal)
❄️ On the gravy train
Used to refer to a way of making money quickly, easily and often dishonestly, usually through your position in society
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These Phrases Won't 'Throw You to the Wolves'
Have you ever met "a wolf in sheep's clothing?" That's someone who people think is nice but who actually can't be trusted and might be dangerous. Here are some other idioms based on wolves you'll often hear in English.
If you trust the wrong person, they might "throw you to the wolves" — or put you into trouble or danger to get themselves out of it. For example, if they did something wrong, they might say that you did it instead.
"Keeping the wolf from the door" means to have just enough money for the things you need to live. You might not have a lot of money, but you can afford to eat and have somewhere safe to live.
If someone is often rude and doesn't know how to act in public, you might say that they "were raised by wolves." This phrase probably comes from stories of lost children being raised by wolves. A wolf family might be able to keep a child alive, but they certainly won't teach them good manners!
When someone calls for help when they don't need it, they are "crying wolf." This phrase comes from the story of a boy who kept saying there was a wolf when there wasn't — and when there really was a wolf, no one believed him.
Both humans and wolves have always lived in groups, and survive best in nature when they aren't on their own. However, if you meet someone who does like to be alone and do things by themselves, you can call them "a lone wolf."
#Common_Phrases
#Reading
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English From Zero to Hero
These Phrases Won't 'Throw You to the Wolves' Have you ever met "a wolf in sheep's clothing?" That's someone who people think is nice but who actually can't be trusted and might be dangerous. Here are some other idioms based on wolves you'll often hear…
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How Forest Bathing Helps Our Health
When life gets stressful, one of the best things you can do is go outside into nature. In Japan, a lot of people like to take part in shinrin-yoku or forest-bathing.
Forest bathing means spending time in a natural environment to relax, giving yourself a moment of calm and quiet among the trees. Some people may meditate or do breathing exercises, and others just enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the forest.
Shinrin-yoku was named by Forestry Agency boss Tomohide Akiyama back in 1982, and has since become a part of Japanese culture. And while most people can already agree that spending time in nature is good for you, there is increasing scientific evidence for this.
Qing Li from the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo explained to The Japan Times that while most people already know that spending time in a beautiful forest can reduce stress, there wasn't evidence for the health benefits.
So in a study published in 2007, he took a group of 12 male "healthy but tired" office workers from Tokyo aged 37 to 55 on a three-day forest bathing trip to Nagano. Blood tests when they got back showed that their "natural killer cells" — white blood cells that protect the body from disease — were higher than before.
And in a different study, forest bathing was introduced to people living in cities — who generally are more likely to be affected by stress — and the results showed that they had lower levels of stress and lower blood pressure.
If you live far from a forest, don't worry — research has also found that even spending time in a park in a city can provide the same benefits.
#Reading
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English From Zero to Hero
How Forest Bathing Helps Our Health When life gets stressful, one of the best things you can do is go outside into nature. In Japan, a lot of people like to take part in shinrin-yoku or forest-bathing. Forest bathing means spending time in a natural…
how-forest-bathing-helps-our-health
<unknown>
AI GENERATED
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These Rhyming Phrases Are 'Easy-Peasy' to Use
There are hundreds of English words and phrases that are made by putting two rhyming words together. Not only are these words fun to use in conversation, they're "easy-peasy" — or very easy — to learn.
Let's say you're going to the movies with your partner, but you get to the cinema and find that there are hundreds of people there. You could say that it's "chock-a-block," meaning that it is very full of people or things.
Your partner might suggest seeing a horror movie instead of getting tickets to the blockbuster everyone else is at the cinema to see. But you might say that horror movies give you the "heebie-jeebies." The "heebie-jeebies" is a state of being scared or worried.
When you finally choose a film to see, the tickets could cost much more than you expected. You might think to yourself, "Holy moly, these are expensive!" This phrase is used in a similar way as "oh my God," and you can say it when you're surprised by something.
Let's say you're in the car on the way home from the cinema and someone rear-ends you. After checking the damage to the car, you might say to your partner, "Don't worry, it's just a fender bender" — meaning a small accident.
But after talking for a few minutes to the person who crashed into you, you might have to say, "Alright. Let's get down to the nitty gritty: do you have insurance?" The "nitty gritty" are the most important parts or details of something.
#Common_Phrases
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English From Zero to Hero
These Rhyming Phrases Are 'Easy-Peasy' to Use There are hundreds of English words and phrases that are made by putting two rhyming words together. Not only are these words fun to use in conversation, they're "easy-peasy" — or very easy — to learn. Let's…
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'Come Out Swinging' with These Boxing Idioms
Boxing is one of the world's oldest sports — it was even in the very first Olympics in ancient Greece. Here are some expressions that come from boxing.
Can you "roll with the punches?" This means being able to deal with a series of problems or difficulties — like a boxer moving to stop their opponent from landing full-power punches.
Maybe you've been rolling with the punches at work, but a better job has become available. You might decide to "throw your hat in the ring," which means to tell people that you want to be involved in something. The phrase comes from how people used to throw a hat into a boxing ring to say they wanted to fight.
If a lot of your coworkers want the job, you may need to "come out swinging," which means to react to or begin something in a quick or aggressive way. When a boxer comes out swinging, they start the fight by punching straight away.
You don't want someone "beating you to the punch" and getting the job before you. The phrase means to do something before someone else can, and comes from boxers winning by landing the knockout punch before their opponent.
To make sure someone doesn't beat you to the punch, it might help to "have someone in your corner," like a manager who can tell the other bosses how great you are. This phrase refers to the corners of the boxing ring, where each fighter has people who give them help and support.
#Common_Phrases
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English From Zero to Hero
'Come Out Swinging' with These Boxing Idioms Boxing is one of the world's oldest sports — it was even in the very first Olympics in ancient Greece. Here are some expressions that come from boxing. Can you "roll with the punches?" This means being able…
come-out-swinging-with-these-boxing-idioms
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💢 Each to his own
💢 Every man for himself
💠 Each to his own
is used to say that it is acceptable for people to have different preferences
🔰 Ex:- I find it hard to believe that anyone enjoys gardening.
Ah well, each to his own.
💠 Every man for himself
said of people trying to save themselves from a difficult situation without trying to help anyone else
🔰 Ex:- It was not the behaviour of a friend.
“My dear boy,” he said. Have you not yet learnt that it’s every man for himself?
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Debate Better: How to Avoid 'Ad Hominem' Arguments
"Attack the argument, not the person."
You may have seen this advice shared online — and you'll probably have also seen many people completely ignoring it.
It's known as the ad hominem fallacy, or an ad hominem attack — when criticism is directed against a person rather than at what they're saying.
Or, as Yvonne Raley put it in Scientific American: "an argument is rejected, or advanced, based on a personal characteristic of an individual rather than on reasons for or against the claim itself."
That's the fallacy — attacking the wrong thing, whether on purpose or not. Ad hominem is a Latin term that literally means "to the person."
Online, ad hominem attacks are often simply abusive — calling people stupid, or criticizing their spelling — and they can turn a debate into a tennis match of personal insults.
In politics, they're often used as a way to discredit a rival.
For example, let's say a country's minister for health is known to be a smoker, or is always seen eating junk food. Critics may say that this makes the person unqualified to be in charge of the department for health.
But as long as the politician's personal life doesn't influence their professional decisions, we could describe these criticisms as ad hominem attacks — and they can actually make us lose sight of the decisions a politician has made.
But according to philosopher Douglas Walton, on some occasions — for example, if a politician has been caught lying, or in situations that suggest they may not be good moral judges — attacking the person might be fair, especially if they're telling people to vote for them because they can be trusted to be honest or moral.
So where do we draw the line? In Scientific American, Raley suggested asking ourselves how relevant a politician's character is to their ability to perform in office — or how relevant a person's past is to their knowledge of an issue.
But if you're just calling someone stupid because they disagree, that's probably not appropriate.
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English From Zero to Hero
Debate Better: How to Avoid 'Ad Hominem' Arguments "Attack the argument, not the person." You may have seen this advice shared online — and you'll probably have also seen many people completely ignoring it. It's known as the ad hominem fallacy, or an…
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