Same-Way Tag Questions ~You think he is a bad boss, do you?

We use same-way tag questions to express interest, surprise, anger etc, and not to make real questions.

Look at these positive-positive tag questions:

• So you're getting married, are you? That's wonderful!
• He wants to ask her out, does he? Some chance!
• So you think that's funny, do you? Think again.

Negative-negative tag questions usually sound rather hostile: (mostly British English)

• So you don't like my cooking, don't you?

Seoul to Segregate Children

By Daniel Fiedler 


This year a new elementary school and a new high school were opened in the Seoul area, specifically for children who come from “multicultural” backgrounds. The high school is designed to educate “multicultural” teenagers who have dropped out of regular public high schools, while the elementary school will operate as a regular school but with special emphasis on teaching Korean culture and language. The Seoul Office of Education argues that this is a necessary and progressive approach to assist in the education of these children; however, segregating these students from their Korean peers is neither appropriate nor desirable for the future of South Korea. And the use of the term “multicultural” to describe these children is a thinly disguised euphemism for mixed-race or mixed-descent, a concept that has no place in 21st century discourse.

For a comparison one only has to look to the failed experience of the United States in segregating the races during the first half of the 20th century. Instead of trying to isolate mixed-descent children ostensibly for their own good, the Seoul Education Office and the South Korean people and government should embrace these children and use the opportunity they offer to teach ethnic Korean children about integration and the acceptance of different cultures.

If the Seoul Education Office is concerned about protecting mixed-descent children from classmates who are xenophobic or who believe in the farcical concept of Korean pure blood, segregation is also the worst solution. Separation and isolation of these children only perpetuates the appearance that these children are not as good as children who are the progeny of two ethnic Korean parents. Instead the education office should be focusing on teaching all the children of South Korea to accept multiculturalism.

South Koreans are justifiably proud that their country rose from third world poverty to first world wealth faster than any other nation on earth. Perhaps by embracing these mixed-descent children and preparing ethnic Korean children for a multicultural future, South Korea could also progress socially faster than any other nation in history.

Vocabulary expansion:

• drop out: to leave school, college, etc. without finishing your studies
• progressive: in favor of new ideas, modern methods and change
• segregate: to separate people of different races, religions or sexes and treat them in a different way
• peer: a person who is the same age or who has the same social status as you
• appropriate: suitable, acceptable or correct for the particular circumstances
• desirable: worth wanting or having
• euphemism: an indirect word or phrase that people often use to refer to something embarrassing or unpleasant, sometimes to make it seem more acceptable than it really is ‘Pass away’ is a euphemism for ‘die’.
• descent: a person's family origins
• discourse: a long and serious treatment or discussion of a subject in speech or writing
• ostensible: [ɑːˈstensəbl] seeming or stated to be real or true, when this is perhaps not the case
• embrace: to accept an idea, a proposal, a set of beliefs, etc, especially when it is done with enthusiasm
• ethnic: connected with or belonging to a nation, race or people that shares a cultural tradition
• integration: the act or process of mixing people who have previously been separated, usually because of color, race, religion, etc.
• xenophobic ~ xenophobia: a strong feeling of dislike or fear of people from other countries
• farcical: ridiculous and not worth taking seriously {farce: a funny play for the theatre based on ridiculous and unlikely situations and events}
• perpetuate: to make something such as a bad situation, a belief, etc. continue for a long time
• progeny: [ˈprɑːdʒəni] a person's children; the young of animals and plants

Rich people more unethical, likely to cheat and steal, study finds

Rich people are more unethical and likely to cheat, break the law or plain behave badly towards other people, a new study has found.
It may involve cutting off other motorists, lying in a negotiation, cheating to win a prize or even stealing candy from children, but researchers found that wealthier people are more apt to behave unethically than those who had less money.
The study contradicted the notion that poor people are more likely to act unethically out of financial necessity.
Instead, the researchers wrote the "relative independence" and "increased privacy" of the wealthy make them more likely to act unethically.
Poorer people by contrast may be less likely to cheat, because they are more dependent on their community.
Researcher Paul Piff said:" "We found that it is much more prevalent for people in the higher ranks of society to see greed and self-interest … as good pursuits. Elevated wealth status seems to make you want even more, and that increased want leads you to bend the rules or break the rules to serve your self-interest. This doesn't mean that every rich person will behave less ethically than any less-rich person... But we found a tendency.”
Piff said the results obviously did not apply to all wealthy people, noting the philanthropic contributions of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.

Vocabulary expansion:

• unethical: not following the beliefs and principles about what is right and wrong
• apt: suitable or appropriate in the circumstances
• contrast: a clear difference between two or more people or things 
• prevalent: that exists or is very common at a particular time or in a particular place
• elevated: high in rank or position, higher than normal
• tendency: likely to behave or act in a particular way
• note: to mention something because it is important or interesting
• philanthropic: ~ philanthropy - the practice of helping the poor and those in need, especially by giving money

"Wool socks" or "Woolen socks"?

“Wool sweater” has never been wrong, but a Google Ngram search shows that “wool sweater” has become the increasingly common choice since the 1970s:

You get a similar graph comparing “wool socks” to “woolen socks,” and “wool blazer” to “woolen blazer,” but interestingly, not when you compare “wool scarf” to “woolen scarf.” Writers seem to prefer their scarves woolen.
Nouns regularly serve as adjectives in English, and when they do, we call them attributive nouns. For example, California style includes many things: tree farms, cotton clothing, and avocado sandwiches. All the underlined words are attributive nouns.
Not all nouns have related adjectives. “Cotton” and “fleece,” for example, are your only choice for describing a cotton shirt or fleece jacket. Since “wool” and “silk” have the adjective forms “woolen” and “silken,” you get to choose between the attributive noun and adjective. You can wear a silken scarf with your woolen sweater, or you can wear a silk scarf with your wool sweater.

FTC plans Korean version of Consumer Reports

 The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) plans to collaborate with consumer rights activists to launch what it describes as the Korean equivalent of Consumer Reports, the iconic American monthly publication that reviews consumer products and services.
The watchdog said the reports could be used to expose companies that have been ripping off consumers by raising the prices of their products faster than the manufacturing cost.
One of the first items to be analyzed will be hiking boots, FTC officials said. The makers of hiking boots and other outdoor products have been enjoying rapid growth in sales in recent years, due to the increase in health-conscious people enjoying the benefits of a five-day work week.
However, these products cost much more than the average tennis shoe and this has consumers wondering whether they are being charged excessively. The sales of hiking boots and other outdoor attire reached 4 trillion won (about $3.6 billion) last year.
In a recent survey, the Seoul's Young Men's Christian Association argued Korean consumers pay over 50 percent more on average for products of major foreign outdoor brands such as North Face and Columbia.
Following the review on hiking boots, the FTC will also release its reports on about 10 products in the first half of the year. Every month, it will make public a report on at least two products through the website.
Experts point out that the key to the success of Korean Consumer Reports lies in enhancing the credibility of the reviews and tests by civic groups.
“If they only focus on price and merely say certain products are overpriced in their review, people will not trust the reports,” an industry insider said. “They should develop a system to come up with more objective reviews and test results.”

Vocabulary expansion:

• collaborate: to work together with somebody in order to produce or achieve something
• activist: a person who works to achieve political or social change, especially as a member of an organization with particular aims
• equivalent: equal in value, amount, meaning, importance, etc.
• watchdog: a person or group of people whose job is to check that companies are not doing anything illegal or ignoring people's rights
• rip off: to cheat somebody, by making them pay too much, by selling them something of poor quality, etc.
• attire: clothes (formal)
• civic: connected with the people who live in a town or city
• objective: not influenced by personal feelings or interpretations