Hi, It's Lisa Scott with losemyaccent.com.
Today is a little known holiday known as Lucky penny day, so I thought this would be a good
opportunity to talk about pennies and the expressions we use about them.
But first, let's talk about the pronunciation of penny.
Some of you tend to leave off word endings, which can lead to some confusion in English.
This is not a pen; this is a pen.
This is a penny -- put that long E sound on the end of the word.
- pennY.
Have you ever found a penny on the ground?
Supposedly, if you find one and pick it up, you will have good luck the rest of the day.
There is even a chant about it that I learned as a child.
It goes like this See a penny, pick it up; all day long , you'll have good luck.
Now, I'm not sure that finding a penny is a guarantee of good fortune, but there are
a couple of expressions about pennies that have to do with fortunes -or at least your
personal wealth.
For example, the saying " A penny saved is a penny earned" reinforces the idea that saving
your money instead of spending it all is a good idea.
Someone who is Penny- wise and pound -foolish is careful with small amounts of money but
makes bad decisions about large amounts.
It is originally a British saying, with reference to the pound sterling, but we use it in America
the same way.
And, if you are looking a little sad or look as if you are daydreaming or "off in your
own little world", as we might say, I may say to you -- a penny for your thoughts.
I don't really mean that I'm going to pay you anything, but it's an expression that
means that I'm interested in what's going on with you and I'm ready to listen.
So, if you're thinking about a word or pronunciation that is troubling you in English, then imagine
me saying to you "a penny for your thoughts."
Write those troubling thoughts or questions in the comments below and I will do my best
to answer them on the page or in an upcoming video.
I'll see you next time!