영어 Hint of the Day: The Collection

Hint #1:  Using the word "more" is not a good idea.

Using the word "more" incorrectly is very easy for Korean speakers.  Of course, the Korean word 더 is very popular and widely used everyday.  In English, you can make errors too easily, and the best advice (rather than over-studying) is to avoid using it if you can.

Examples:
(x)  She is more prettier.  (o)  She is more beautiful. 
(x)  She is more faster.  (o)  She is faster.  OR  (o) She is the fastest.
When you try to add the word more to another descriptive word, errors can be made as you see above.

The time that you can use the word "more" without making errors is when you use "more" by itself at the end of a sentence.
(o)  I love you more.  (o)  We ate a lot of food, and then we at some more.

The important thing is to avoid errors, and the Hint of the Day:  Don't use the word "more" frequently.


Hint #2:  The word "chance" does not mean 기회

기회 may, or may not, be strictly translated into chance or opportunity.
(x)  It is a good chance to make money.
(o)  It is a good opportunity to make money.

In business situations, the word opportunity should be chosen in almost every instance.  Why?  The word chance, in English, has the implication of randomness or gambling.  The word chance is used in phrases like "It's a game of chance."  That makes the word chance seem similar to gambling or other game that relies on something other than skill.  Therefore, if you have "capitalized on the chance," it may be that you have relied on an event that resulted from luck.  It is far better to say "I capitalized on the opportunity,"  or "This is a great opportunity for our company."


Hint #3:  How to Improve Your Pronunciation of the Letter "R"

I think that the letter “R,” is one of the hardest, if not the hardest, single letter for Koreans to pronounce.  Like the letter “L,” it is quite closely related to the Hangul “ㄹ.”  Every translation of the English sound “R” is basically….wrong.  The reason this happens?  Pronunciation in Korean uses very even and flat intonation with equal weight given to each sound.  In addition, the accent, if any, is on the very first sound when speaking Korean.  That is NOT the case in English, and accents can be on any syllable.

My single best hint for Koreans when pronouncing the “R” sound?  Make the sound for a LONG time.
Instead of “world,” pronounce it as “worrrld.”
Instead of “word,” pronounce it as “worrrrd.”

It is, of course, impossible to list all of the words that have the “R” sound.  It is one of the most dominant sounds in the English language.  So try my pronunciation hints above to improve.
Onwarrrd, and upwarrrd….


Hint #4:  Do not pronounce the -이 or the -으 that is used at the end of "Konglish" words

Konglish is everywhere, and it causes problems in correctly pronouncing words in English.
Here are some well-known "Konglish" words that you can find anywhere in cities throughout Korea.

마사지:  massage
오랜지:  orange
이미지:  image

케이스:  case
나이스:  nice

The reason that this occurs is because this is the way that it is learned in Japanese.  Since Japanese is easily learned by Koreans, it may seem easy to pronounce these English words using the Konglish spelling.  It is not correct.

The Hint of the Day is to NOT pronounce the 이 or the 으.  If you practice this, then your pronunciation will be more like a native English speaker.


Hint #5.  Where is it AT?  Why is this wrong?

Last month, I was the U.S., and here is what I heard from someone.

(x)  “Where is the game at?”
(o)  "Where is the game?"
(o)  "Where's the game?

Saying “Where is the game at” breaks a fundamental rule of grammar.  Sentences do not end with prepositions.
이렇게 말씀하면 촌놈차럼 있을 것 캍아습나다. 

In written English, this is absolutely an error.  In spoken English, this is still an error and unless you want to be noticed as a "person from the countryside,"  it shouldn't be said this way.  That said, even native speakers make this mistake.  If you make this error in written English on an essay exam, then it will be counted as an error.


Hint #6:  "I would like to say about the beautiful girl."  Wrong.  Here's why.

Korean native speakers frequently misuse the word "about."  Here are two very simple examples.

(x)  “I would like to tell about a story that is interesting to me.”
(x)  "I would like to say about something that happened yesterday."

The word “about” is more difficult than it appears.  My advice?  Avoid it if possible but you if you must use the world "about," then you need to be careful.  I would just try to make one correct form, and always use that one. 

My suggestion is always use (tell + you + about) + (모 모 모 ...)

Some examples of correct usage of the word "about" would be:

(o)  "I would like to tell you about something that is interesting to me. 
(o)  "I would like to tell you about a beautiful girl I saw yesterday." 
It is natural to try to speak correctly and perhaps believe that short sentences make it sound like you do not have command of the language.  That is not true.  It is better to speak without errors than it is to speak with long sentences.  In addition, you frequently will lose the attention of the person to whom you are speaking


영어 Hint of the Day #7:  Imply vs. Infer

If used correctly, imply and infer are two very good words.  They are simple, elegant, and can correctly state how you think or can accurately describe some event, or people's reactions/thoughts.  Please try to use these very important words.  However, you need to avoid the error of using them as if they mean the same thing:  they are not the same at all.\

To imply can only be done by the messenger.   For example, “While speaking, she implied that she was the best.”  The meaning is that she did not directly say that she was the best, but the language she used was delivered so that the listener would understand that she believe that she was the best.

(x)  During her speech, Young-Ah inferred that she was a good learner.
(o)  My student implied that I was a great teacher.

To infer can only be done by the listener / reader.  For example, “I inferred that Mark was not smart.”  The meaning is that I believed that Mark was not smart as a result of something Mark may have done, or something Mark may have said.

(x)  During her speech, Young-Ah inferred that I was a great teacher.
(o)  When Young-Ah spoke, I inferred that she thought that I was a great teacher, and that she was in love with me.  However, when I tried to kiss her, I found out that I was wrong.  Ouch!


영어 Hint of the Day #8:  I cross my finger for your successful English Study!!  Wrong.

Everyday, I look at Twitter groups just to see what other English teachers in Korea are teaching.  Part of the reason is to be able to offer my students the best possible combination of informative and interesting examples.  However, what I find is that the Korean teachers who have created these sites have made sites and examples WHICH HAVE ERRORS.  This is a very large problem.  It is annoying at the minimum and makes me angry that you are being taught by people who are clearly not completely fluent.  This is, of course, a weakness of Korean society as a whole, i.e. Koreans accept the idea of "expert" without actually have the qualifications to be one.
That is enough preaching.

Here are an example (this is an actual example that I copied from twitter add-on groups by the "instructor"):

(x)  I cross my finger for your successful ENGLISH STUDY!!

There are multiple errors here.  First, you cannot cross one finger.  It must be fingers.  The definition of cross (the verb) is to take two or more items and make sure that they intersect.  Second, you do not cross fingers for study.  You may cross your fingers for your success,  but not for study.  Here is a potential correction.

(o)  I am crossing my fingers for your success in studying English.
(o)  I will cross my fingers for your success in studying English.

The key points are:
1)  Number agreement is very important in English, and you should avoid errors like the incorrect use of the word finger in the example. 
2)  It is better to make sentences clear and correct, rather than to try making fancy sounding sentences with errors.


영어 Hint of the Day #9: This club is designed for chatting in English and making a relationship also.  Also Wrong.

On another group, here is an example that I found. 

(x)  This club is designed for chatting in English and making a relationship also.

There is also more than one error in this sentence. 
First, you do not use the verb "make" with relationship.  "Make" has the idea of doing something physically.  You would create (simple choice) a relationship, or cultivate (advanced choice) a relationship. 
The second error is that the word also is in the wrong place.  The key point is that adverbs belong closest to the word that is being described.  In this case, that word being described is the "making."  There will be a dedicated post to the correct placement of adverbs on a later date. 
The third problem is that there is there needs to be similar construction.  This means that the if you are putting more than one verb in the same sentence, then they should use similar connecting words.  What does this mean?   Let's look at a simple example:

(x)  I love laughing, singing, and to play the piano.
(o) I love laughing, singing, and playing the piano.

When you correct all three errors,  the correct version of this sentence would be: 

(o)  This club is designed for chatting in English, and also for creating relationships. 

This may seem very complicated, which is why I always make the following suggestion.  Rather than trying to make clever sentences, it is far better to make clear sentences without errors.  As you progress, then you can create more complicated sentences. 


영어 Hint of the Day #10:  Farther or Further.  Which one is correct?  Not as hard as it seems.

Here are some simple examples of how to use the word "farther."

(o)  I ran for 3 km, and then I ran even farther.
(o)  I can hit a golf ball farther than my mother.

Here are some examples of how to use the word "further."

(o)  I loved the beautiful girl, and wanted to take our relationship further.
(o)  I hope that the Kospi rises further.

What is the difference, and how do you always use the correct word?
It is actually not that difficult.  There is one rule to follow and if you do that, then everything will work.
If you can put the words "more miles/more km" instead of the word farther, then it is correct.
If you cannot put the words "more miles/more km," then further is correct.

Look at the examples above, and you will understand.
(o)  I ran for 3 km, and then I ran even more kilomters.  (It is correct, so "farther" should be used).
(x)  I hope that the Kospi rises more kilometers.  (It is incorrect, so "further" is the correct word).

여어 Hint of the Day #11:  Does Twitter Help You Learn English?  Well, It All Depends

There are many groups in Twitter which have been formed by Koreans in order to practice English.  Of course, there are many people there who are complaining about how difficult English is, etc.   Those people remain unconvinced by my blog entries:

Korean is more difficult than English:  http://seoulgyopoguide.blogspot.com/2010/09/think-that-learning-english-is-harder.html
Fastest ways for Koreans to improve fluency:  http://seoulgyopoguide.blogspot.com/p/ways-for-native-koreans-to-improve-your.html

Here are my hints for using Twitter to practice English.

1.  Do NOT use abbreviations like you do when using Korean.  It is important to try to make every sentence correct.  Pay particularly close attention to the use of "a, an, the."  These are particularly difficult for native Koreans, so you need to pay very close attention to the correct use of these short words.

2.  Try to write with "parallel construction."  What does this mean?  Here are two examples.
(o)  I will try to run and to eat today.
(x)  I will try to run and eating today.
(x)  I will try running and eating today.  (Why?  If you write it this way, it seems that you will do both at the same time)

This is a problem with Twitter:  there is a character limitation for every entry, which makes this somewhat more difficult.  If that is the case, then use another entry.  It is more important for the sentence to be correct than it is to be 140 characters long.

3.  Try to enter into groups or conversations with people whose English skills are very good.  I will be available on Skype (id: thelostseoul) everyday at approximately 6pm (Seoul) for 30 minutes, where you can ask me questions.  This will be FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME.  There we can have conversations where you can actually practice with a native speaker who is strictly qualified to answer questions and to make corrections.  As in anything, the quality of your practice is far more important than just practicing with errors because of the bad habits that you can develop.  So, while Twitter is a great societal innovation, please use it well to improve your English.


See you on the next 영어 Hint of the Day!
I will try to post a 영어 Hint of the Day often, so check back and th if you have questions:
thelostseoul@gmail.com is the email address, and follow me at
www.twitter.com/thelostseoul

Good Luck!

여어 Hint of the Day #12 위성미 콜프 잘하시네. It's Golf, not Golpu. Prounouncing the letter

As I have said earlier, Konglish is everywhere in Korea.  One problem with Konglish is that the translation is inaccurate, and actually makes pronunciation problems even worse.  One of the letters that is very difficult is the letter F.  Unfortunately, when translating Korean into English, the closest way to translate the letter F is by changing it into the hangul 프.  This sound is everywhere in Korean.

콜프:  golf
와이프:  wife

This is not a very pretty picture, but it is the way that your mouth should look when pronouncing the letter F.
However, when speaking English, the mouth needs to make the shape in the picture.  The reason that this is difficult for Koreans.  At no time is this mouth shape made when speaking Korean.  That is precisely why the problem exists. 



Now, hopefully, your mouth is more beautiful than this, but this mouth position is correct when you pronounce the letter F.


영어 Hint of the Day #13 영어로 "한잔" 있어요?  네 근데 다른 말이 있음.

In Korean, "한잔" has a particular meaning.  Strictly speaking, it translates to "one glass (cup)."  Of course, ths is wrong and it highlights the very different cultures.  Given the fact that there is 눈치 in Korea, and you are obligated to drink if offered by your boss or elder, "한잔" in Korean means, in English, "went drinking."  The implied meaning may (or may not) be that you got drunk.

In English, there is the option of drinking to the point of drunkedness, or not.  If you are speaking English, I had "one glass" of wine means exactly that, without the nuance of drunkedness.  Why does this exist?  It exists because it is more acceptable to just have one or two bottles of beer, or wine, and then stop, even when there are superiors.  Since that is the case, you can say in English, "I had a beer with a friend," and it does not necessarily mean that you were up late drinking.  It may been the case that you had one glass of wine, and then went home.

As you probably well know, in Korea, that is almost never the case.


영어 Hint of the Day #14:  It's not 터, it is "the."  Pronouncing "th" correctly

There are two reasons that sounds in English are not the same as in Korean, and the sound of ”th” as in the words “the,” “this,” and “that” are some simple examples.  Those reasons are:
 1.  Your mouth, tongue, lips and teeth are put into different position in English, even if you originally think that the sound is similar.
2.  Inaccurate translation leads to a “learned” word which turns out to have a heavy accent.   As a result, “Konglish” words when spoken as English, are heavily accented.



The sound of “th” must be made by taking your tongue and putting it between your top and bottom teeth.  The tip of your tongue must be visible to the person to whom you are talking.  This type of position doesn’t exist when you speak Korean:  that is why it feels strange, and that is why it needs practice.  The picture above is the way that your mouth should look like when pronouncing "th."

To make matters worse, you can easily find words in hangul that are trying to represent English words.  The word “the” is a prime example.  You can find signs in Korea that translate the word “the” into “터.”  It is wrong.  That is not the sound of the word “the.”  Practice it the way I suggest above to get it right.


영어 Hint of the Day #15:  The Rovely Retter “R”  Pronouncing the letter "R" Correctly

I think that the letter “R,” is one of the hardest, if not the hardest, single letter for Koreans to pronounce.  Like the letter “L,” it is quite closely related to the Hangul “ㄹ.”  Every translation of the English sound “R” is basically….wrong.  The reason this happens?  Pronunciation in Korean uses very even and flat intonation with equal weight given to each sound.  In addition, the accent, if any, is on the very first sound when speaking Korean.  That is NOT the case in English, and accents can be on any syllable.

My single best hint for Koreans when pronouncing the “R” sound?  Make the sound for a LONG time.
Instead of “world,” pronounce it as “worrrld.”
Instead of “word,” pronounce it as “worrrrd.”

It is, of course, impossible to list all of the words that have the “R” sound.  It is one of the most dominant sounds in the English language.  So try my pronunciation hints above to improve.
Onwarrrd, and upwarrrd….


영어 Hint of the Day #16:  I could not care less OR I could care less.  Which one is right?

"I couldn't care less" translates to 상관 없어요, except that it is used in situations when it really doesn't matter. 

When something does not matter to the speaker, than the speaker could say:
(o)  It does not matter to me.
(o)  I don't care.
(o)  I couldn't care less.
(x)  I could care less.

This phrase should not be used when speaking to people that you respect.  It is used is a very negative way.  For example, it is not appropriate when choosing choosing something to eat.  It is usually a phrase used when you may strongly dislike all of the options.  In that way, it is a bit stronger than 상관 없어요.  Neither phrase is used when speaking in formal situations, and not when the speaker wants to speak politely. 

Many native English speakers actually use this phrase incorrectly, and say "I could care less."  There isn't any real reason that this occurs, other than the fact that someone has learned incorrectly, developed a bad habit, and continues to use the wrong phrase.  Now, the fact is that "I could care less" could also mean "I care more."  So logically, the phrase does not make sense when spoken as "I could care less." 

If you think that you have heard someone say "I could care less," the speaker really meant "I couldn't care less."


영어 Hint of the Day #17: "I love you so much."  생각보다 단어가 "so" 조금만 더 힘들다

 The word "so" is a little trickier than it may seem.

When you use the word "so" in a sentence, it usually implies an emotional attachment.  The best analogy that I can draw would be to the Korean phrase "죽겠어" (an almost impossible phrase for a non-native Korean speaker to both pronounce and use correctly).

(o)  Shin Mi-Na is so beautiful.  (That's a fact, right?)
(o)  신미나가 너무 예쁩니다.  (There are about 100 ways to call Shin Mi-Na beautiful in 한국말.  안그래?)

While the translations of the two sentences above are correct, the English version, "Shin Mi-Na is so beautiful" has an extra emphasis, which is not objective.  The sentence in Korean is a bit less emotional.

In short, use the word "so" when you mean something that has a strong emotional attachment.  Use a different word, such as "very," which means almost the same thing, but it would have slightly less emphasis.  The word "so" should probably be avoided in strict academic or business communication, whereas "very" is probably more acceptable.  That doe NOT mean that "so" is erroneous, but there is a slightly different meaning attached with the word "so."

One very good thing about English:  once you have the command of two simple words like "so" and "very," then you do not need to learn, use, or think of, other descriptive language.  As I mentioned above, one reason that Korean is more difficult than English is that there are hundreds of ways to say the same thing in Korean, those ways are always changing, and sometimes if the pronounciation is wrong (as in 죽인다), the meaning can be totally different.  In English, everyone will understand "so" and "very" easily.


영어 Hint of the Day #18:  (x) I am John, and I approve this message.  Why?  The word "approve" isn't that easy.

In the U.S., the first Tuesday of November is Election Day.  If you watch TV in the U.S. these days, the airwaves are filled with politicians who are campaigning. I just saw a commercial, and was appalled to hear a grammatical error..

(x) My name is John, and I approve this message.

This is wrong.

(o)  My name is John, and I approved this message.
(o)  My name is John and I approve of this message.
(o)  My name is John, and I am in approval of this message.

Each of these three alternatives is correct, and I think that the one that you should try to learn is second example.  It is the most consistent of the three. 


영어 Hint of the Day #19:  촌놈처럼 말하고 싶습니까?  "She don't know where it's at." 

Today, I was talking with someone, and he said that.  I couldn't believe it.  I could not believe that a native English speaker actually made not one, but two, grammatical errors in one short sentence.  To me, he sounded like an uneducated person from the countryside.

What were the errors?
1.  Number agreement.  The words "She don't" cannot ever be used together. 
(x)  She don't....
(o)  She doesn't....

2.  Sentences should not end in a preposition.  Sometimes, this rule is difficult to follow.  That is particularly true in English.  However, in written English, prepositions should not be the last word in a sentence.
(x)  "...where it's at."
(o)  "...where it is."

So what should the sentence be?
(x)  She don't know where it's at?
(o)  She doesn't know where it is.


영어 Hint of the Day #20: "I don't believe you.""미들 수 없."  근데.... 

It is a direct, and very literal translation.  "I don't believe you" is correctly translated to "미들 수 없읍니다."  Depending on the tone of voice, and your relationship with the listener, there can be many implications.

For example, if the listener is a close friend, then there are many other, nicer ways (perhaps as a joke) to say this in English.
(o)  You must be kidding me.  (장난 친다)
(o)  Are you pulling my leg?  ("Pulling my leg" is slang, and I don't know the origin so don't ask me!)
(o)  Give me a break.
(o)  Really?  Seriously?  (찐자?)

There are more phrases like this in English, just as there are many more in Korean (웃기지마 and others). 

Note:  The specific word "lie" has a particularly strong meaning in English.  The Lost Seoul recommends NOT using the word 'lie" unless you are intentionally attempting to use the strongest language possible. 
(o)  You are lying.
(o)  You are a liar.
These are gramatically correct, but if you speaking to someone who is already angry, then you may find yourself involved in a fight, so be careful.   


영어 Hint of the Day #21: "It's been one of those days. I got stood up from my tutee."  Almost correct, but...

Today, on me2day.net, I found the following comment, which is almost correct.
"It's been one of those days. I got stood up from my tutee."

The word "tutee" isn't common.  It may have been that the person making the comment was the teacher, and the "tutee" was the student.  If that was the case, then the correct word would have been "student," and not "tutee."  "Tutee" isn't a widely used word.  Remember, The Lost Seoul believes that native Korean speakers do not need to emphasize vocabulary.  Just concentrating on widely-used words, and use them correctly.

The correct way to use "stood up" is through the word "by."
(x)  I got stood up from 신미나.
(o)  I got stood up by 신미나.

Note:  the phrase "stood up" may have the implied meaning of something that was done out of rudeness.  While it does not necessarily imply rudeness, more neutral ways exist to express this.
(o)  My student didn't show up at the agreed time.
(o)  I may have miscommunicated with my student.  He/she didn't show up.


영어 Hint of the Day #22:  "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."  그 말이 아시겠습니까?  참 재미있어요. 

From Wilkopedia.com:
The quotation "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." comes from Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act III, scene II. The phrase has come to mean that one can "insist so passionately about something not being true that people suspect the opposite of what one is saying."
The phrase is often misquoted as "Methinks the lady doth protest too much." and is commonly used in the second person as "Methinks thou dost protest too much."

The phrase means that when someone insists or complains about a statement excessively, the statement itself is probably true. 

For example, in response to the 영어 선생 Hall of Shame Entry #3, the recipient of the award sent 17 insults to The Lost Seoul.  It is a perfect example of when this phrase is applicable.  If the statements were not true, would it really be suitable for 17 responses to be written?  The lady doth protest too much, methinks.  Indeed.

By the way, "Konglish" is when English words are translated using 한글.  During that process, the sounds are not exactly alike.  That makes the pronunciation difficult to understand by native English speakers.  The point of the pronunciation hints are to help your spoken words to be understood by fluent English speakers.  If that is NOT your goal when speaking in English, i.e. to be understood by native English speakers, then feel free to ignore The Lost Seoul's suggestions.  It is of course your right to reject the opinion expressed in the Seoul Gyopo Guide.  Even better:  leave a comment on the website if you do not agree.

For those of you that have sent me messages of support, thank you.  You have joined readers from over 45 countries around the world in the two months since the inception of the Seoul Gyopo Guide.


영어 Hint of the Day #23: Don't use the word "because" to start a sentence unless you are an expert

Today, I read this on http://www.twitter.com/.  It is a common error, and can be corrected easily.

(x)  Because the test is an important step to make my life happy.

Sentences should not begin with the word "because."  Why is that?  Read the sentence above again.  There is no subject or verb.  The word "because" is the first word of a clause, which answers the question "why?"  In verbal (spoken) English, it is common to begin a sentence with the word "because."

For example, this is in spoken English.
Question:  Why do you think that Shin Min-a is pretty?
Answer:   Because she has large dimples.

Strictly speaking, the answer is grammatically incorrect (even if factually correct).  In this case, the person giving the answer has shortened the sentence.  If the person giving the answer spoke correctly, it would've been this:

Answer:  She is pretty because she has large dimples.

If you are an advanced English speaker or writer, there is a correct way of beginning a sentence with the word "because."

(o)  Because she has large dimples, Shin Min-a is pretty.
(o)  Because I am ugly and have bad breath, I don't have a girlfriend.

In these cases, there are subjects and verbs, and therefore, the sentences are grammatically correct.  Remember that The Lost Seoul is trying to advise native Korean speakers to use simple sentence structure correctly first, and then make it more complicated after you have mastered the simple cases.  One way to make it easy and correct:  don't use the word "because" as the first word in a sentence, especially in written English.


영어 Hint of the Day #24:  RT @Fr33S0ul:  "건성으로 듣다. I listen to someone in an absent sort of way."   Wrong.
 Recently, I read this on Twitter.
RT @Fr33S0ul:  건성으로 듣다. I listen to someone in an absent sort of way.

This is a gramatically incorrect sentence.  As has been posted here, and here, learning English via Twitter doesn't always work.  That is particularly true when the teacher is not fluent.

Correct translations of "건성으로 듣다" would be:
(o)  I am only partially paying attention to what is being said.
(o)  I am only partially listening.

The reason that the sentence "I listen to someone in an absent sort of way" is that the word "absent" is an adjective which only describes nouns.  However "건성으로 듣다" requires a description of the word "listen," which is a verb.  In order to describe a verb, the word must be an adverb, not an adjective.  Therefore, the use of the word "absent" in the translation, "I listen to someone in an absent sort of way" cannot be correct. 

As usual, you can expect loud tirades (with no reasoning attached ) in response to this blog entry.  The Lost Seoul's response?
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks."  -W. Shakespeare

영어 Hint of the Day #25: Buy vs acquire.  Trickier than it seems

The other day on http://www.twitter.com/, I saw a question and responded to it.  The question was, "What is the difference between buy and acquire?"

Answer:
You can buy something with money or in a barter/trade.
You can acquire something in the same way, but in addition, you can acquire something abstract.  You cannot buy something that is abstract (like wisdom).

Examples:
(o)  I am going to buy a new mobile phone for 500,000 won.
(o)  I am going to acquire a new mobile phone.
(o)  I have acquired wisdom through my hard work and dedication.
(x)  I have bought wisdom through my hard work and dedication.

영어 Hint of the Day #26: How to Correctly Use the Phrase "set out"

The phrase "set out" isn't difficult to understand.  "출발하다" is pretty accurate and literal.  It can certainly mean to begin, as in a trip, or a journey.  The point of the phrase is that there is a specific destination.  That destination can be either literal (a specific place) or figurative (success).

Examples:
a.  Min-ho set out on his way to work.
b.  Hee-Young set out on her way to success by entering Brown University.
c.  The Lost Seoul has set out to create a useful blog for Koreans and non-Koreans alike.

Notes:
The subject that "sets out" is almost always an animate object.  It can a person, or group of people.  While it may not be technically wrong for an inanimate object to be the subject that "sets out," The Lost Seoul cannot think of any examples in which the subject in inanimate.

http://www.seoulgyopoguide.com/

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