Things to say for Halloween

NYLC is ready for Halloween! Are you?

Well folks, it's that time of year again when children dress up in costumes and head door to door with their baskets asking for candy. Adults also put on costumes and head to parties, showing off their creativity and cleverness in putting together who or whatever they've decided to be this year. 

What about you? ARE YOU DRESSING UP THIS YEAR? If so, WHO or WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BE THIS HALLOWEEN? With only a few days left, it's time to come up with something. If you're curious what kind of costume a friend is going to wear, you can ask, "WHO ARE YOU DRESSING UP AS?" If you're heading out to a party or to a Halloween parade, you can also ask "WHO ARE YOU GOING AS?" 

Then there's TRICK OR TREATING. ARE YOU GOING TRICK OR TREATING this year? Children, as well as children-at-heart, look forward to this activity. They knock on doors and yell out, "TRICK OR TREAT!" Most kids now simply expect to get TREATS (candy), but the phrase was once meant to be a question for the owner of the house if he preferred to give out treats or have a "trick" done on him. A TRICK can mean throwing an egg at someone's house or TPing someone's yard, which means throwing rolls of toilet paper all over the place. TRICKS, of course, are no longer commonly done these days, so if you're out TRICK OR TREATING, simply expect to fill your bag with goodies--good ones if you're lucky. If you want to go and want some company, you can invite a friend and say, "LET'S GO TRICK OR TREATING!"

Gina, Vanessa, & Alex are too busy to carve a pumpkin,
so they opted for this electric one. 

If you're into Halloween, you've probably put up some Halloween decorations at home; you may even have CARVED A PUMPKIN already. Carving a pumpkin involves taking out the flesh and the seeds so you have space to light a candle or add electric lights inside, then you carve out holes or images to create a JACK O' LANTERN. It's a lot of work, but it's fun to do. If you've never done it, it's worth a try. Grab a friend and say, "LET'S CARVE A PUMPKIN!" OR "LET'S MAKE A JACK O' LANTERN!" 

Here's a video from History.com with some general information on Halloween and how it's evolved throughout history.

Have a fun, safe Halloween. Take tons of pictures and share them with your friends at NYLC by posting them on NYLC's Facebook page or on Twitter @NYLangCenter and using #ilovenylc. Enjoy!

-- Joe Yu, ESL instructor