Ba Lao Shi Perfect English

24/10/2025

Halloween was originally an ancient Celtic celebration of the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, which was thought to be November 1. It’s original name was “Samhain.” The Celts thought this time was when the world of the dead was closest to the world of the living, so they put on costumes and lit fires to drive off spirits. The Irish carved original carved turnips into Jack-O’-Lanterns, but when the tradition spread to America, pumpkins began to be used. As Christianity spread, these traditions merged with the Christian observances of All Saints' Day (November 1st), which Pope Gregory III had named in the 8th century to honor saints, with the evening before being called, All Hallows' Eve, which evolved into “Halloween.” Today it is one of the most popular holidays around the world and is celebrated by retailers for the consumer spending it inspired for costumes, candy, and special events. Enjoy the video! Happy Halloween!
https://youtube.com/shorts/4syzVBYYENI?si=Jjt0Kz2wGeJ9882s

聖節最初是凱爾特人慶祝豐收結束和冬季開始的節日，冬季通常在11月1日。它最初的名字是「薩溫節」（Samhain）。凱爾特人認為此時亡靈世界與生者世界最為接近，因此他們會穿上亡靈服裝，點燃篝火來驅趕亡靈。愛爾蘭人將最初的蘿蔔雕刻成南瓜燈，但當這項傳統傳到美洲時，人們開始使用南瓜。隨著基督教的傳播，這些傳統與基督教的諸聖節（11月1日）融合。諸聖節由教宗格里高利三世於西元8世紀命名，以紀念聖徒。萬聖節前夕被稱為「萬聖夜」（All Hallows' Eve），後來演變成「萬聖節」（Halloween）。如今，萬聖節已成為全球最受歡迎的節日之一，零售商也藉此慶祝萬聖節，因為它激發了消費者在服裝、糖果和特殊活動上的消費。請欣賞這段影片！萬聖節快樂！
https://youtube.com/shorts/4syzVBYYENI?si=Jjt0Kz2wGeJ9882s

A Happy Halloween message from Ba Lao Shi Perfect English.

16/10/2025

https://youtu.be/K76ODuHag3I?si=hLkt_pOzU8xdXyXX

I just posted my newest read-aloud video of the extraordinary 1993 Caldecott Medal-winning “Mirette on a High Wire.” This is a wonderful story, written and illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully. Set in 19th century Paris, it is about a plucky young girl named Mirette, daughter of Madame Gateau, who owns a boardinghouse that caters to performers from all over the world. She befriends a retired high wire walker named Bellini. It is a fun, uplifting story about bravery, friendship, and never giving up. Ms. McCully’s illustrations are gorgeous, each page is like a French Impressionist painting and make you will feel like you are in Paris during those wonderful days! You can clearly see the words and practice reading aloud and pronunciation and learn some great vocabulary. Subscribe to my YouTube channel and never miss a video!

我剛剛發布了我最新的朗讀視頻，視頻內容是1993年凱迪克獎獲獎作品《高空走鋼索的米雷特》。這是一個精彩的故事，由艾米麗·阿諾德·麥卡利創作並繪製。故事背景設定在19世紀的巴黎，講述了一位名叫米雷特的勇敢年輕女孩的故事。她是蓋托夫人的女兒，蓋托夫人擁有一間專門接待世界各地表演者的公寓。她與一位名叫貝里尼的退休高空走鋼索演員成為了朋友。這是一個充滿樂趣、鼓舞人心的故事，講述了勇氣、友誼和永不放棄的精神。麥卡利女士的插圖精美絕倫，每一頁都如同一幅法國印象派畫作，讓你彷彿置身於那些美好時光中的巴黎！你可以清楚地看到文字，練習朗讀和發音，也能學習一些很棒的詞彙。訂閱我的YouTube頻道，不要錯過任何影片！

Robert Badal reads the 1993 Caldecott Medal winning "Mirette on the High Wire," by Emily Arnold McCully. Set in 19th Century Paris, where performers from al...

06/10/2025

Happy Mid Autumn Festival 2025! 2025年中秋節快樂!

28/09/2025

“get a kick out of it” — enjoy something: “I get a kick out of you!” (famous song by Frank Sinatra)

“has a kick to it” — a drink that is either strong alcohol or caffeine.
“This double espresso has a real kick to it”

“kicking a dead horse” — futilely trying to do something that will not succeed “Trying to get a stupid person to listen to reason is like kicking a dead horse.”

“kick ass,” “kicked ass,” Kicking ass” — verbs that indicate physically beating someone or winning convincingly or doing a great job. “Kick ass” can be used as an adjective and can also mean “great” or “powerful. “Kick butt” is a variation.
“We kicked ass in our sales presentation.”

“A kick in the ass” — a strong encouragement in the form of a criticism. “Some students need a kick in the ass to make them study.”

“kicking back” — relaxing, sometimes shortened to “kickin’ it.” “I like to kick back on the sofa in front of the TV.”

“a kickback” — receiving secret, possibly illegal, payment or commission for arranging a sale or deal. “The political who approved the construction project got a kickback from the building company.”

“kick in” — a phrasal verb that can also be an adjective in its participle form. As a verb, it usually means a second phase of an action is starting after a first one has already been going. “The economy began to improve once the effects of the stimulus spending kicked in.”

“kick off” — a noun referring to the opening kick of a football game, used as an idiom to mean the beginning action of a campaign, political, promotional, celebratory, etc. Can also be used as a verb.
“We kicked off our sales campaign with a lucky draw promotion.”

“Kick someone when they are down” — to criticize or perform some kind of negative action when someone is already suffering, often given as a negative admonition to not do it. “My colleague’s wife just died and the boss wants to fire him. He shouldn’t kick him when he is down.”

“Kickstart” (verb), “kickstarter” (noun) — a foot-operated, crank-like mechanism to manually start a motorcycle engine. Often used to mean give a boost, with a new plan or money, to a project. “We are going to kickstart our company expansion by offering a bonus for new accounts.” There is a crowdfunding platform called “Kickstarted” to help startup businesses raise money by selling new products.

“kick the bucket” — die. “When I kick the bucket I don’t want a big funeral.”

“kick the habit” or “kick a habit” — quit an addiction or quite doing an addicting behavior.
“Smoking is expensive and terrible for your health and the health of people around you. You need to kick the habit.”

“kick upstairs” — to transfer a person or problem to a higher level of management. “The sales team couldn’t figure out wha to do with the payment issue, so they kicked it upstairs.”

“that’s the kicker” — a problem in an otherwise acceptable situation. “I really like that brand of car, but it is not very reliable. That’s the kicker.”

17/09/2025

Do yourself a favor and switch off your phone tonight and read a good book instead. 幫自己一個忙，今晚關掉手機，讀一本好書。

08/09/2025

The words “holiday” and “vacation” are sometimes used like they are the same, but are they? Yes and no, but it also depends on where you are.

Specifically, a “holiday” is a day recognized by the government — and usually banks and many businesses — as a day of no work and no school and is sometimes called a”legal holiday.” These can differ from country to country. For example, in most Western Countries, Christmas is a holiday, whereas in China, it is not, but Chinese New Year, is a holiday and lasts 4 days.

In American English, a “vacation” is a period of time with no work (or school) and can also be used to refer to leisure travel. For example, all American students look forward to “summer vacation,” an extended time with no school.

In British English, “holiday” is used instead of “vacation.” English students love their “summer holiday.”

When used to refer to time off work or school or travel, both words use the preposition “on” :

“My boss is on holiday in Italy.”
“My boss is on vacation in Italy.”

“Vacation” comes from the Latin “vacare” — “to be empty or, free,” which expanded into the Latin word “vacationem“ which means “being free from duty.” A new word is “staycation,” which refers to taking a vacation but not traveling anywhere. “Vacare” has a lot of related English words, like “evacuate,” “vacant,” and “vacuum.”

“Holiday” come from Old English “haligdæg” or "holy day,” denoting a Christian festival day. It was extended to mean a “day of joy.”

Whichever word you use, it is something we all need!

「holiday」和「vacation」這兩個詞有時被誤認為是同一個字，但它們真的是同一個嗎？是也不是，但這也取決於你在哪裡。

具體來說，「holiday」是指政府（通常是銀行和許多企業）認可的無工作、無上學的日子，有時也被稱為「法定假日」。各國的法定假日有所不同。例如，在大多數西方國家，聖誕節是法定假日，而在中國，聖誕節不是，但農曆新年是法定假日，為期4天。

在美式英語中，「vacation」是指一段不用工作（或上學）的時期，也可以用來指休閒旅行。例如，所有美國學生都期待著「summer vacation」（暑假），一段不用上學的漫長時光。

在英式英語中，「holiday」取代了「vacation」。英國學生喜歡他們的“summer holiday”。

當用於指休假、休假或旅行時，這兩個詞都使用介詞「on」：

“My boss is on holiday in Italy.”
“My boss is on vacation in Italy.”

“Vacation”源自拉丁語“vacare”，意為“空著或自由”，後擴展為拉丁語“vacationem”，意為“不用承擔任何責任”。一個新詞是“staycation”，指的是度假但不去任何地方旅行。 「Vacare」有許多相關的英語單字，例如「evacuate」（疏散）、「vacant」（空的）和「vacuum」（真空）。

「Holiday」源自古英語「haligdæg”，意為“holy day”（聖日），指基督教節日。它被擴展為“歡樂的日子”。

無論你使用哪個詞，它都是我們每個人都需要的！

01/09/2025

This is the new second part of the two-video set about the pronunciation of the suffix /-ed/ and how it can change. The /-ed/ suffix can be the participle form of the verb (past tense) but it can also form the passive form of the adjective.

But the passive form of the adjective has some interesting variations in pronunciation. That is the subject of this video. I hope you enjoy it. Please like it if you do. And please subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don't miss any videos!
https://youtu.be/6hdqwA_j1VU?si=KcwAuVcZi0gnK-8J

這是關於後綴 /-ed/ 的發音及其變化的雙視頻系列的第二部分。 /-ed/ 後綴可以用作動詞的分詞形式（過去式），也可以構成形容詞的被動式。

但是形容詞的被動式在發音上有一些有趣的變化。這正是本影片的主題。希望你喜歡。如果喜歡，請按讚。也請訂閱我的 YouTube 頻道，這樣你就不會錯過任何影片！
https://youtu.be/6hdqwA_j1VU?si=KcwAuVcZi0gnK-8J

This video continues discussion from the previous video about the pronunciation of the /-ed/ suffix. This one is about how the pronunciation of the particip...

27/08/2025

This is my most recent pronunciation video, the first part of a two video presentation about the /-ed/ suffix. I am just finishing the second part now and I should post it soon.

Please check out my YouTube Channel, Ba Lao Shi Perfect English. I try to make videos on a variety of topics. Watch this one and please Like and Subscribe (if you like it, haha).

https://youtu.be/VfY7UpJnHy0?si=UeM7txYmtm3e2bXo

這是我最近製作的發音視頻，是關於 /-ed/ 後綴的兩段視頻演示的第一部分。第二部分我剛完成，應該很快就會發布。

歡迎關注我的 YouTube 頻道「八老師完美英語」。我嘗試製作各種主題的影片。觀看此影片後，請按讚和訂閱（如果你喜歡的話，哈哈）。

https://youtu.be/VfY7UpJnHy0?si=UeM7txYmtm3e2bXo

This video is the first of two videos about the pronunciation of the suffix -ed when added to a verb

21/08/2025

Cards numbered 33A & 33B of my Vocabulary Victory English Root Word Cards feature words formed from the Latin root rom Latin “legalis,” from “lex, leg,” which means “law.’ The word “law” does not come from Latin, it comes from Old English “lagu,” “rule from authority”, which came from from Old Norse *lagu.”
Besides helping to learn new English words faster, studying the roots of English words also illustrates a challenge non-English speakers have with communicating with native English speakers. A native English speaker, particularly an educated one, has, in a sense, two major vocabulary lists in his or her brain to choose from 1. Latin-based English words 2. Anglo-Saxon or Old English words, which are based on Germanic languages. This is a big reason why English has the largest number of words of any language, over one million.
An interesting Latin legal phrase that is used in English is “lex talionis,” which refers to exact retaliation for a perceived wrongdoing. It is an old idea, dating back to early Mesopotamian law. It is also found in the Christian Bible as "an eye for an eye.”
The image on the cards, depicting the meaning, essence, and feeling of the roots is one of 69 original illustrations created by yours truly to represent the 69 word families of the 6,275 words on the card set. It was one of the reasons given for the awarding to the cards of the Bronze Medal by the U.S. Independent Publisher Awards.
The Vocabulary Victory English Root Word Cards are available for USD $34.95 + shipping from my website, https://blseducation.com .
我的“詞彙勝利”英語詞根卡片中編號為 33A 和 33B 的卡片介紹了由拉丁語“legalis”詞根構成的單詞，該詞根來自拉丁語“lex, leg”，意為“法律”。 “law”一詞並非源自拉丁語，而是源自古英語“lagu”，意為“權威統治”，而後者又源自古挪威語“lagu”。
除了有助於更快學習新的英語單字外，學習英語單字的字根還能揭示非英語人士與英語母語人士溝通時面臨的挑戰。英語母語人士，尤其是受過教育的英語母語人士，在某種意義上，他們的大腦中有兩個主要的詞彙表可供選擇：1. 拉丁語系英語單字；2. 盎格魯-撒克遜語或古英語單詞，這些單字源自日耳曼語系。這就是為什麼英語擁有超過一百萬個詞彙量，是所有語言中詞彙量最多的一個主要原因。
英語中使用一個有趣的拉丁法律短語“lex talionis”，指的是對被認為是不法行為的報復。這是一個古老的理念，可以追溯到早期美索不達米亞律法。基督教聖經中也有「以眼還眼」的說法。
卡片上的圖像描繪了詞根的含義、本質和感受，是我本人創作的69幅原創插圖之一，這些插圖代表了卡片組6275個單字中的69個詞族。這也是這張卡片榮獲美國獨立出版商獎銅牌的原因之一。
Vocabulary Victory英語字根卡售價34.95美元，另加運費，可從我的網站https://blseducation.com購買。

10/08/2025

We all get sucked into it: we respond to some stupid comment on social media, the person making the comment retorts, then we respond — and we feel angry, gain nothing, and much time is wasted. Hide the comment, block, unfollow or unfriend. Read a book. Help someone in need. Start that art, music, or writing project you have always wanted to do. Learn a foreign language. Exercise. Contact a friend you haven’t talked to in a while. Oh, and, I’ll say it again, read a book. — a paper book. It’s the best way to spend your time.

我們都深陷其中：我們在社群媒體上回覆一些愚蠢的評論，評論者反駁，然後我們也回應——我們感到憤怒，卻一無所獲，浪費了大量時間。隱藏評論、封鎖、取消追蹤或取消好友。讀本書。幫助有需要的人。開始你一直想做的藝術、音樂或寫作專案。學習一門外語。鍛鍊身體。聯絡一位很久沒聯絡的朋友。哦，對了，我再說一遍，讀書——一本紙本書。這是打發時間的最佳方式。

04/08/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19z8RcFEDv/
This is my latest mystery novel review on my Facebook site, the Mystery Fantasy Book Club. It is about the wonderful Vish Puri series set in Delhi India! If you click the link, it will take you there. If you enjoy mysteries, please like my Mystery Fantasy Book Club page!

這是我在Facebook網站「神秘奇幻讀書俱樂部」上發布的最新懸疑小說書評。它講述了以印度德里為背景的精彩小說系列《維什·普里》！點擊連結即可訪問。如果您喜歡懸疑小說，請按讚我的「神秘奇幻讀書俱樂部」Facebook主頁！

Vish Puri is the owner-operator of Most Private Investigators Ltd. He is the chief protagonist in this thoroughly enjoyable mystery series, set in contemporary in Delhi India. FYI, New Delhi is actually a specific district located within the city of Delhi. New Delhi is India’s capital. It also has tremendous cultural and historical significance, having been established in the 6th century. The reader is treated to a close up view of Delhi and Indian history, customs and language use.

Vish is known as “Chubby” to his friends and family, as he is corpulent and seems to be always eating. India’s vast assortment of food from its variety of ethnic cultures is prominently described — and consumed. His family life sometimes serves as a backdrop and we meet his wife, Rumpi, and his “Mummy-ji.”

Detective Puri is somewhat pompous, but dutifully honest. He is assisted by canny team of operatives, all of whom are known by nicknames he as given them related to their jobs or specialties, Handbrake, Doorstop, Tubelight, Flush and Facecream.

Besides the descriptions of the food, setting and culture, a further magic to the books is the vernacular Punjabi English used by Vish and the people in his immediate surroundings. This adds to the vividness (and humor) of the characters.

The mysteries are sometimes odd and are well concealed and the steps to solve them told in detail. The titles of the six books in the series so far will give you some idea of the humor of the books: “The Case of the Missing Servant,” “The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing,” “The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken,” “The Case of the Love Commandos,” “The Case of the Reincarnated Client,” and “The Case of the Elusive Bombay Duck.”

The author, Tarquin Hall, is a former South Asia bureau chief of Associated Press TV, based in New Delhi. He is married to Indian-born journalist Anu Anand.

The Vish Puri series takes you on a humorous series of adventure to India with a cast of delightful, well-drawn characters. I highly recommend this series to any reader, but especially to any “armchair travelers interested in foreign cultures.

Vish Puri是Most Private Investigators Ltd.的所有者兼經營者。他是這部以當代印度德里為背景的精彩懸疑系列小說的主角。順便說一下，新德里實際上是德里市內的一個特定區域。新德里是印度的首都，建於西元6世紀，具有重要的文化和歷史意義。讀者可以近距離了解德里以及印度的歷史、習俗和語言。

Vish被他的朋友和家人稱為“Chubby”，因為他體型肥胖，而且似乎總是在吃東西。書中著重描述了印度各民族文化的豐富多樣的美食，以及他們所享用的美食。他的家庭生活有時也作為背景，我們也會見到他的妻子Rumpi和他的「Mummy-ji」。

Puri偵探略顯浮誇，但為人誠實守信。他得到了精明的特工團隊的協助，這些特工都以他根據其工作或特長而起的綽號為人所知，Handbrake, Doorstop, Tubelight, Flush and Facecream. 。

除了對食物、場景和文化的描述之外，維什和他周圍人們使用的旁遮普方言英語也為本書增添了另一抹魅力。這為人物的刻畫增添了生動活潑的色彩（也增添了幽默感）。

書中的謎團有時詭異難解，但隱藏得當，解謎步驟也一一詳盡。該系列目前六部作品的標題或許能讓你略微領略到這些作品的幽默之處：“The Case of the Missing Servant,” “The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing,” “The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken,” “The Case of the Love Commandos,” “The Case of the Reincarnated Client,” and “The Case of the Elusive Bombay Duck.”。

作者Tarquin Hall‧霍爾曾任美聯社電視台南亞分社社長，常駐新德里。他的妻子是印度出生的記者阿努·阿南德。

Vish Puri系列將帶您踏上一段幽默的印度冒險之旅，劇中人物生動活潑，栩栩如生。我強烈推薦這一系列給所有讀者，尤其是那些對異國文化感興趣的「紙上談兵的旅行者」。

26/07/2025

All cultures seem to have idioms related to hats. In English, three that come to mind are:

1. To wear many hats — means to have several job responsibilities beyond just a person’s main job description. For example:

“In my capacity as a small business owner, I have to wear
many hats. Some days, I have to do the marketing, other
days, I have to fill out many government forms.”

2. Throw my hat into the ring — this expression started with the boxing tradition in the 19th century. If someone wished to challenge the champion boxer, he would throw his hat into the boxing ring. Today, it means to compete in business or politics. For example:

“The Presidential election was made more interesting today
when the nation’s most popular movie actor threw his hat
into the ring and said he was going to run for President.”

3. Tip my hat (or hats off) — The origin of the expression is from the old days when a person would raise their hat to show respect to someone. Today it means to feel respect or admiration for someone, usually for some accomplishment.

“I tip my hat to my colleague, who is both an engineer and a
mom.”
“Hats off to you for completing your first marathon – what an
achievement!”

所有文化似乎都有與帽子相關的慣用語。在英語中，我想到的有三個：

1. To wear many hats（戴許多帽子）－指一個人除了主要工作職責之外還承擔多項工作職責。例如：

“In my capacity as a small business owner, I have to wear many
hats. Some days, I have to do the marketing, other days, I
have to fill out many government forms.”

2. Throw my hat into the ring（丟帽子進拳擊場）－這個表達源自於19世紀的拳擊傳統。如果有人想挑戰拳擊冠軍，他會把帽子丟進拳擊場。如今，它的意思是在商業或政治上競爭。例如：

“The Presidential election was made more interesting today
when the nation’s most popular movie actor threw his hat
into the ring and said he was going to run for President.”

3. Tip my hat（or hats off）－這個表達源自於古代人們脫帽致敬以表示對某人的尊重。如今，它指的是對某人（通常指某項成就）表示敬意或欽佩。

“I tip my hat to my colleague, who is both an engineer and a
mom.”
“Hats off to you for completing your first marathon – what an
achievement!”