Archive for 'English Language'
When Irregular Verbs Fail Posted by Gary Locke on Jan 16, 2020
Sometimes you’ll hear someone use a verb in the past tense and it just sounds wrong. “I knew it was late as soon as I had woken up.” Woken doesn’t sound or even look like a real word. That’s because its source verb, wake, is an irregular verb. There are regular verbs and irregular…
2019 highlights Posted by carol on Dec 30, 2019
Good morning, dear readers! The time has come for our highlights of the year! The bustling 2019 came to an end and, with it, the second decade of the 2000s. We witnessed a year full of political antagonism, climate crises and new personalities that have been in the spotlight in worldwide media coverage. What can…
Top English Language Blogs of 2019 Posted by Gary Locke on Dec 19, 2019
As 2019 comes to a close, it always seems important to reflect on the year past. We all do it, don’t we? Maybe you want to remember those things which made you laugh, the moments of success, special memories of friends and family. What did you learn? What surprised you? And which of these lessons…
“Humbug!” and Similar English Exclamations Posted by Gary Locke on Dec 12, 2019
“Christmas a humbug, uncle!” said Scrooge’s nephew. “You don’t mean that, I am sure?” In the story A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, when his nephew wishes him a “Merry Christmas”, Ebenezer Scrooge exclaims, “Bah! Humbug!” It is one of the enduring lines in English literature, known by nearly everyone. But, what exactly does it…
Call me a cab! The word ‘call’ in English Posted by carol on Nov 30, 2019
You might remember the scene: two man stand by the sidewalk, one of them asks the other: call me a cab! to which the other replies: you’re a cab! well, these two are none other than the great Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor in the unforgettable 1952 musical “Singing in the rain”. Besides the obvious…
A Simple English Word – Ours Posted by Gary Locke on Nov 27, 2019
These two cats love each other. He is hers; she is his. They belong to my wife and me. They are ours. We all know that English is a very complicated language. Spelling is difficult, grammar structure is frustrating, rules are confusing, and don’t even get me started on homophones. If you want an example…
When English is Tense Posted by Gary Locke on Oct 31, 2019
In my capacity as Social Media Manager for Transparent Language, I oversee our blogs and our Word of the Day service. These are offered free as a way to help language learners. They are also quite interesting, and I learn a lot from them. I also learn from our subscribers. Many of you make keen…