the wolf's mouth

Thanks, Antonio, for the translation of 'good luck'; in bocca al lupo, 'in the wolf's mouth' ! The England team will need plenty of good luck from now on....

You mentioned learning the word 'lob', meaning 'long throw or kick', from reading BBC news reports. You already have a very wide vocabulary, but when you meet new words in an English language text, what is your usual strategy? Do you look words up in a dictionary? Do you prefer to guess the meaning of new words? How do you decide which new words to look up? I'd be interested to hear what strategies you use to increase your vocabulary.

Your description of London's special atmosphere is lovely! My Dad was born and brought up in London and today left York to attend his secondary school reunion. He is 71 and will drive very slowly, taking 5 or 6 hours to get there. He is interested in finding out more about his family history (quite a popular hobby here) and, as well as going to his school reunion, plans to visit the village where his great-grandfather lived. How much do you know about your family history? Is it something your Mum talks about?

A few language tips based on your last posting... You list the places you visited in London, introducing the list with 'some of them were...' Instead you could try 'they included:...', a useful phrase for listing some members of a group you are describing.

When you agree with Cindy's opinion of the lighting in Kubrick's film, instead of 'what you said is the truth', you could try, 'you're absolutely right' or (more informal), 'you're absolutely spot on'. A very small point - 'he lit the film...' sounds better than 'he lighted the film'. Finally, try, 'I really like...' instead of 'I like very much...'. Your English is already excellent, so these are only small suggestions!

I looked at the headlines on the sports pages of today's newspapers. None of my predictions for headlines using 'Rooney' were correct! However, you correctly predicted my favourite headline Antonio, which combines Joe Cole with Cologne where the match was played.......'Joe de Cologne'! Another newspaper had 'Woe de Cologne' to show their sadness at Owen's injury, I guess. One newspaper had the simple (but effective??!!) 'Time roar, it's Ecuador!' I must remember to say in bocca al lupo for England on Sunday....

I look forward to hearing more from you!

Rachel

P.S. It's fine to call me Rachel, not Ms Wicaksono.

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