When you know that something bad is about to happen, you might say “I can see the writing on the wall.” It indicates that your statement is based on something more than just a feeling; it shows your awareness of a likely negative outcome.
Read the following post to learn more about this English expression and its fascinating cultural background.
https://grammaticus.blog/2025/04/09/the-writing-on-the-wall/
The famous poet Robert Frost was born #OTD in 1874. Visit the Grammaticus website and check out the following posts dedicated to him and his writings:
"A Prayer in Spring": https://grammaticus.blog/2023/05/10/a-prayer-in-spring-by-robert-frost/
Listening tips: The life and works of Robert Frost: https://grammaticus.blog/2024/03/06/listening-tips-robert-frost/
Book review: "Selected Poems of Robert Frost - Illustrated Edition:" https://grammaticus.blog/2024/03/27/selected-poems-of-robert-frost/
"October:" https://grammaticus.blog/2022/10/05/robert-frost-october/
https://www.alojapan.com/1223938/in-1992-teacher-had-memorable-climb-up-mount-fuji-in-japan-i-know-a-story-column-local-news/ In 1992, teacher had memorable climb up Mount Fuji in Japan [I Know a Story column] | Local News #EnglishTeacher #IKnowAStory #Japan #MountFuji #MountFujiTopics #MountainClimbing #MountFuji #teaching #富士山 “There is an old Japanese saying that to climb Fuji once is wise, to climb it twice is to proclaim oneself a fool.” This quote appeared in my Japanese guide book. It continued, “it is possible to climb Fuji-san in July and August only.” It w…
![In 1992, teacher had memorable climb up Mount Fuji in Japan [I Know a Story column] | Local News](https://media.channels.im/media_attachments/files/114/216/398/289/622/066/original/3dd0ec914d074802.jpg "In 1992, teacher had memorable climb up Mount Fuji in Japan [I Know a Story column] | Local News")
This week's featured poem on the Grammaticus blog is "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth - a wonderful ode to #daffodils
This poem speaks to me on a deeply intimate level. When I was a boy, a person very dear to me – my great-grandmother – passed away one springtime. Devastated by the sense of loss, I remember spending a lot of time in our backyard garden and sitting among the daffodils, telling them about my sadness. They were very good listeners!
Maybe I was just a weird kid, or maybe I saw in those golden flowers something that Wordsworth also recognized: their power to transform grief into joy.
https://grammaticus.blog/2025/03/05/i-wandered-lonely-wordsworth/
Image credit: Andréas BRUN via Unsplash.
William Carlos Williams, died #OTD in 1963.
Visit the Grammaticus website and search for resources dedicated to this amazing poet, such as the blog post "Spring Storm." It includes a brief introduction to his writings, as well as a simple vocabulary exercise for English language learners.
#NowPlaying on #BBC6Music's #6MusicBreakfastShow
English Teacher:
The World's Biggest Paving Slab
https://englishteacher.bandcamp.com/track/the-worlds-biggest-paving-slab-live-from-bbc-maida-vale
Kate Chopin - born #OTD in 1850 - was one of the most important 19th century American women writers. Of Louisiana Creole background, she was an author ahead of her time, often writing on difficult and controversial topics in a unique narrative style.
On the Grammaticus website, you can download your free PDF copy of her short story A Morning Walk, which includes vocabulary notes for English language learners.
To access this and other available ebooks, visit https://grammaticus.blog/library/.
#NowPlaying on #BBC6Music's #HuwStephens
English Teacher:
The World's Biggest Paving Slab
https://englishteacher.bandcamp.com/track/the-worlds-biggest-paving-slab-live-from-bbc-maida-vale
English Teacher - Full Performance (Live on KEXP)
The poem presented in my latest blog post first appeared in William Carlos Williams’ book titled “Sour Grapes: A Book of Poems”, published in 1921. Like many other of his works, it’s wonderfully simple and minimalist: the poet uses an extremely common image only to transform it into something delightfully rich and filled with meaning.
https://grammaticus.blog/2025/01/22/winter-trees-by-william-carlos-williams/
On Edgar Allan Poe's birthday 
(born OTD in 1809), you can visit my blog and read a post on his poem "A Dream Within a Dream."
The post contains a vocabulary exercise for English language learners.
So far I have one friend. Any writers or teachers out there who would like to connect? I am a constructivist English educator currently teaching in non-traditional spaces and at the Community College of Vermont. #Englishteacher #writer #filmmaker #Vermont
Edward Parnell's “Ghostland: In Search of a Haunted Country” is an excellent, genre-blending book, that brings together nature and travel writing, literary and cultural history, exploration of the supernatural, plus the added element of memoir. It’s filled with the sense of love, wonder, and appreciation for England’s landscapes and the ghostly tales that quietly echo through its forests, hills and moors.
Read the full version of my latest blog post by visiting https://grammaticus.blog/2025/01/15/book-review-ghostland/
#NowPlaying on #BBC6Music's #CraigCharles
English Teacher:
Mastermind Specialism
https://englishteacher.bandcamp.com/track/mastermind-specialism
Survived a first whole week at school. Already been lectured at (not quite sure that's the right verb, but that's what I'm leaning towards) about the next three sets of exams that are coming up within the next 6 weeks - Yr9/Yr8/*Second* set of Yr11 mocks this academic year. These poor kids. Us poor teachers. Sorry - very overwhelmed by workload, already. Just me? #Teaching #Teacher #SecondaryEducation #Edutooter #EnglishTeacher #GCSE @edutooters
#NowPlaying Bot 
