Wednesday, June 6, 2012

A (dog) person


   

A dog person is someone who likes dogs. A tea person is a person who prefers tea to coffee. By using the phrase, “a (noun) + person”, we express a preference, a taste etc. that suits our lifestyle or personality, showing our likes and dislikes.

1. I’m generally not a morning person. It’s difficult for me to be energetic and full of life in the morning - only when I have to be. If you’re not a morning person it will normally take some time to warm up (to people and life). The opposite could be “a night owl”.

2. Most British people you meet will be tea people, while most Americans will be coffee people. Isn’t it fascinating how our cultural heritage affects our tastes in life? Wikipedia says, “Since the 18th century the British have been the largest per capita tea consumers in the world, with each person consuming on average 2.5 kg per year.” The country with the highest per capita coffee consumption is Finland, followed by Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Sweden. Could it in any way be related to the weather? :) In an article on “Coffee Culture in the USA”, it says: “Although the average European drinks more coffee per year than the average American, the cultural importance and its effects on the average American is far greater.”

3. At heart I am an outdoor person, however, watching TV series has made me into somewhat of an indoor person recently. A person who prefers to stay at home is called a stay-at-home person or a “homebody”.

4. I often meet people who live close to the beach here in Brazil who are not really beach people… they prefer the mountains and cooler regions. I am without a doubt a hot-weather person… I like a year-round summer, whereas many people I know are cold-weather people. They like taking vacations in Europe during the winter. Which type are you?





Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Show off


If someone shows off, they try to make a good impression. They want people to admire them. If you show off, you exhibit your abilities or what you have.

1. When you buy something new, do you like to show it off to everyone? If you send emails from your iPad, iPhone or Blackberry, do you include the email signature, “Sent from my iPad”? It is the default (automatic) setting, but it is possible to turn it off. Personally it doesn’t bother me, but many people say that the owner of the device is just showing off. I should end all my emails with, “Sent from my Windows netbook”.

2. The title of an article on nervousbreakdown.com states, “Adults Have Ruined Facebook with Juvenile Showing Off.” It continues, “Facebook has become a tool for one-upping others, or keeping up with the Joneses… I do not think that Facebook should be used to gloat, brag, show off or try to make other people feel like losers compared to you.”

3 Often when people show off they have accidents. Take a look at this video of someone falling off a motorbike while doing a “wheelie”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxAPobrzZqE

4. If you are good at something, do you like to show it off? Perhaps you play a musical instrument or maybe you have a good knowledge in some particular area?