Author Archives: Warren Ediger

If You Aren’t In, You Might Get Left Out!

Bars, night clubs, and dance clubs are popular places for people to get together with their friends at night. A bar is a place for drinking, talking to your friends, and possibly watching your favorite team on a big-screen TV. … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 17 Comments

Traveling California – Pacific Coast Highway

The Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) is certainly not the fastest way to travel from San Diego to San Francisco, but it is, without a doubt (certainly), the most scenic (with beautiful scenery, or views)! The PCH – California Highway 1 … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 12 Comments

Who’s Talking About What, and Where are They?

If you enjoy words and have some time, you might want to hang out (spend time) at www.lexicalist.com for a while. Lexicalist calls itself a “demographic dictionary of modern American English.” You won’t learn much about the meanings of words … Continue reading

Posted in Language & Terms | 10 Comments

Politics as Usual?

Maybe you haven’t noticed, but Americans are often very idealistic. What I mean is this: many Americans, maybe most Americans, believe that you should try to live according to high principles (beliefs about what is right and wrong) even if … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 8 Comments

Supermarkets: The New City Square*

When you say “supermarket,” most Americans imagine a large warehouse-like (like a large building for storing things) building surrounded by a large parking lot filled with cars and SUVs (sports utility vehicles) and people pushing shopping carts filled with groceries. … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 12 Comments

Wanted: Cool Nerds

America will need more “cool nerds” in the future. That’s what a recent New York Times article says. Cool (fashionable, impressive) nerds? The word “nerd” first appeared when I was in school, and it wasn’t cool! No one wanted to … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 18 Comments

The Musician and the Writer

This is the story of Mr. Ayers (pronounced “airs”) and Mr. Lopez, the musician and the writer. It’s “Mr.” because that’s what Mr. Ayers mother taught him when he was young, and that’s how he honors (shows respect to) her … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 4 Comments

Check out the TOEFL

This is the time of the year when students who want to study in the U.S. next fall (September) begin to worry about taking the TOEFL. The TOEFL – Test of English as a Foreign Language – measures students’ ability … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 15 Comments

What’s the Buzz? Buzzwords of 2009

In Jesus Christ Superstar, a rock opera and movie from the 1970s, there’s a song called What’s the Buzz? In the song, the apostles (disciples, Jesus’ followers) ask Jesus the same question again and again: What’s the buzz? Tell me … Continue reading

Posted in Language & Terms | 10 Comments