Archive by Author
Silent Letters in English: A History Posted by Gary Locke on Jun 3, 2021
It’s time to take a look at one of the most difficult problems for anyone learning English – silent letters. There are so many of them throughout the language that it’s hard to imagine having a conversation without encountering at least one. In fact, there were two in that last sentence, the G in throughout…
What Are Neopronouns? Posted by Gary Locke on May 27, 2021
By now you should be well acquainted with the classic English pronouns, such as he, she, we, they, them – those words that take the place of nouns. We use pronouns in place of other nouns. Some pronouns traditionally were also gender-specific. Subjective male/female pronouns: He/She Objective male/female pronouns: Him/Her Possessive male/female pronouns: His/Hers Reflexive…
The Curious History of the Hillbilly Posted by Gary Locke on May 20, 2021
There are few words in English that have as curious a history and an even more curious reputation hillbilly. It is derided as both hateful and a stereotype. It is also honored as an American tradition and a source of pride. It has no cultural equivalent outside of the United States because it is associated…
The Eruption of Mt. Saint Helens Posted by Gary Locke on May 6, 2021
Image by Keith Hardin from Pixabay In the United States, we rarely think about volcanos. Iceland, Japan, and several sites south of the Equator are seeing dramatic activity as I write this. A live, erupting volcano in the US, however, is quite rare, especially in the 48 contiguous states. Oh, sure, we all know about Kilauea in Hawaii…
The Vocabulary of Mysteries Posted by Gary Locke on Apr 29, 2021
There is nothing quite so satisfying as a good mystery. Peel back all the layers of the story, from the crime to the suspects, to the motive, to the various clues, and you have the answers that you’ve been seeking since page one. Add to this the fascinating characters who solve the crimes, whether they…
Confusing Paronyms and Homophones Posted by Gary Locke on Apr 23, 2021
As confusing and maddening as English can be sometimes, learners and even native speakers have particular difficulty dealing with paronyms. In fact, to make matters worse, we even have trouble figuring out the difference between paronyms and homophones! Homophones are words that sound exactly alike, are even pronounced alike, but have very different spellings and…
Us or We? Posted by Gary Locke on Apr 15, 2021
Welcome to another example of why English may be the most infuriating language in the world. Two of the most commonly used words in English are the pronouns Us and We. They are both first-person plural pronouns which mean a group of two or more people. Yet, they are very commonly misused even by highly…