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Portmanteaus
Portmanteaus

Learn English meaning of ‘portmanteaus’

Date: Aug 09 2017

Themes: Hobbies, How To

Grammar: Comparatives and Superlatives

Intro

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Have you ever been glamping? Were you forced into a staycation during snowmageddon? Have you ever heard of a portmanteau? Genius words like glamping, staycation, and snowmageddon are all portmanteaus. A portmanteau is a new word created by combining two other words. So, glamping is from glamour and camping. Staycation is from stay and vacation. Snowmageddon is snow and armageddon.

Some portmanteaus are very obvious and in your face. For example, the media came up with the portmanteau Brangelina when they were talking about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Some portmanteaus have become so common that many people have no clue that they are portmanteaus, like electrocute (electric and execute) and motel (motor and hotel). Did you know that internet is a portmanteau of international and network? We bet you didn’t. Boom.

Andy has many frenemies. Frenemies are friends who sometimes act like enemies. Listen as Andy tells Dominique about his other favorite portmanteaus.

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Andy_H

Andy_H

Dominique

Dominique

Andy_H:  Oh, man, Dominique. I saw the coolest portmanteau the other day. It was this emoticon and uh…

Dominique:  Wait. What is that?

Andy_H:  Oh, portmanteau? OK, so portmanteaus are when you take two words and you just kind of plap them together. So, like, chill and relax.

Dominique:  Ah! I get it! I am always hangry. I thought I came up with that…

Andy_H:  Hey!

Dominique:  … because I’m hungry, and I’m angry because I need food. So, hangry. Oh, my gosh!

Andy_H:  You are always hangry.

Dominique:  That is what that’s called?

Andy_H:  Yeah. No, it’s…

Dominique:  Wow! I get it.

Andy_H:  There’s a ton of them. I know, right? One of my favorite ones is frenemies. Because I have, like, a thousand frenemies.

Dominique:  They smile in your face.

Andy_H:  I know, right?

Dominique:  Yeah.

Andy_H:  Just like an emoticon. Which is an emotion icon. Boom!

Dominique:  That’s what that…? That’s a good one! I had no clue.

Andy_H:  I know. You know what one really got me?

Dominique:  What?

Andy_H:  Microsoft.

Dominique:  OK. What about it?

Andy_H:  Microchip software.

Dominique:  What?!

Andy_H:  I know, right?

Dominique:  That’s crazy! Genius!

Andy_H:  I actually found that out after Brexit happened.

Dominique:  What’s that?

Andy_H:  Britain exiting the EU.

Dominique:  Oh, my gosh!

Andy_H:  I know, right?

Dominique:  I could go on for hours about this.

Andy_H:  I know! Like, uh…uh…uh…

Dominique:  Huh.

Andy_H:  Uh.

Dominique:  I can’t think of anymore.

Andy_H:  Yeah, me either. Um.

Dominique:  OK.

Andy_H:  Uh.

Dominique:  Yeah.

Andy_H:  You want to go get some food? Before you get too hangry.

Dominique:  Yeah, let’s do it.

Andy_H:  OK.

 

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Discussion

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Andy wants to tell Dominique about the best portmanteau he saw the other day. Andy explains that a portmanteau is when you take two words and put them together to make a new word. Dominique gets very excited. She thought she came up with the portmanteau hangry, which is hungry and angry.

Andy’s favorite portmanteau is frenemy. He has many friends who sometimes act like enemies. He tells Dominique that an emoticon is an emotion icon, and Brexit is the British exit from the EU. Dominique thinks portmanteaus are genius. They could talk for hours about portmanteaus. But then they can’t think of anymore. They decide to go get some food before Dominique gets hangry.

Do you have a favorite portmanteau? Can you come up with any fun, new portmanteaus?

 

Comments

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fcf515

fcf515

Taiwan

 bromace: “brother” and “romance”


I learned this word in Englishbaby!

08:25 AM Dec 13 2017 |

eduardosoutoSuper Member!

Brazil

Well my favorite is sitcom that is a series who combines situation comedy SITCOM!


I don’t think I can come up with new portmanteaus right now because I am a little busy, but I’d love to! <3

10:57 AM Aug 09 2017 |

1 person likes this

hermitlady

China

Let me see..


  Maybe internet is my favorite portmanteau…haha..


  I can come up with such as:


   Newspaper ,  playscript,  somesuch,  whatever, however, busstop, easygoing, wornout, wailsome, broadcast, snowball, overwhelm, outdate,



  And so on..

02:05 AM Aug 09 2017 |

1 person likes this

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