Have you ever wondered where some strange American expressions come from?

My English lessons take the cake! (to be the best at something)
Don’t beat around the bush— tell me what happened.  (be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead)
Close, but no cigar! (to fall just short of a successful outcome and get nothing for your efforts)
Cut to the chase! (get to the exciting part of the story– skip the boring details)
No dice! (used to show that you didn’t get the results you wanted)
I am gung ho about starting English lessons! (enthusiastic and eager to do something)

I came across this article this morning and found it quite interesting:

http://www.bestonlinecolleges.com/blog/2011/the-true-origins-of-10-weird-american-expressions/

Did you know that over 2 billion people around the world are trying to learn English?

Mania (noun):  an excessive enthusiasm or desire; an obsession

Watch this TED Talk about English Mania!

Welcome to TeacherDiane.com!  I have been looking forward to launching this website for a while now, and I am very excited that it’s finally complete!

A few months ago a former student approached me on his last day in the United States.  He asked, “Teacher, when I return home tomorrow, how can I continue practicing my English?”

I told him that he can watch English television shows, listen to English music, buy a grammar book and use practice exercises that can be found online, but the most important thing is to keep speaking as much as possible.

“But teacher, I have nobody to speak with in English.  Everyone I speak with is learning English and I’m afraid that if I make a mistake, no one will correct me and I will continue making the same mistake over and over.”

He was right.  A light bulb went off in my mind.  And that’s how the idea for my website was formed.

My goal is to make students feel confident speaking English and to make learning English as simple and as fun as possible.  This website provides students with a convenient way to learn English, on their own time, from the comfort of their own home.

At the same time, it gives me the opportunity to work from anywhere in the world and do two things I love at the same time — travel and teach!