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Late-Night Talk Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 24, 2022
Recently, I heard the talented actor, writer, and wit Stephen Fry say that (I’m paraphrasing) America’s late-night talk shows had no equal in the rest of the world. The talk show, or what Fry’s fellow British citizens would call “chat shows”, is one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the world. They fill…
What Did You Say? Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 17, 2022
You’ve been learning English for a while, and you feel pretty good about your progress. Then, one day, you’re talking with a native speaker, and you didn’t quite understand something you heard. This happens frequently. Don’t worry about it. But, how do you respond? One of the great, and annoying, things about English is that…
Inverted English Sentences Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 10, 2022
To invert something is to turn it upside down, or to put it in the opposite order from what is considered normal. English speakers often do this with their sentences. Normally, we put the subject before the verb. But, inverted sentences place the verb or the adverbial phrase before the subject. It sometimes seems as…
Stringing Sentences Together in English Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 3, 2022
Every good writer in English knows how to string sentences together. But sometimes, it can be overdone. Let’s take a look at the fine art of stringing sentences together. Breaking Up Is Easy, Staying Together is Hard When we write a sentence in English, we all understand that it must have a subject and a…
Words and Phrases for Winter Storms Posted by Gary Locke on Jan 27, 2022
There’s a winter storm heading my way this weekend. Based on early forecasts, it will be one of the biggest snowstorms to hit my state in years. If you don’t live in an area where these types of storms are common, you might think that this would be cause for alarm and concern. And, certainly…
The Addictive Word Game – Wordle Posted by Gary Locke on Jan 21, 2022
Perhaps you’ve already discovered Wordle, the daily word game that is sweeping the English-speaking world. You may have seen the six rows of five squares in green, yellow, and white shared by your friends on various social media pages. It is now one of the most increasingly popular online games – and it deserves to…
Phrasal Verbs Using To Come Posted by Gary Locke on Jan 13, 2022
If you combine a common verb with a preposition or an adverb, you create a verbal phrase. Many of the most typical expressions in English are verbal phrases, and you hear them all the time. We’ve devoted a lot of time to this subject, such as this blog by Carol. But a review of our…