Archive for 'English Language'
Expressions of Love for Valentine’s Day Posted by sasha on Feb 13, 2017
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, and love is in the air. We’ll get to that and other common expressions of love in just a minute, but first let’s talk about the holiday. Celebrated on February 14th in many countries around the world, this day originated as a Christian holiday celebrating one or more early saints named…
Does Time Have a Point? Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 10, 2017
One of the most common phrases you’ll hear in English is, “At this point in time.” What does it actually mean? Is it grammatically correct, or is there a better way of saying it? I’m not here to discuss the physics of time, or theories (real and fanciful) related to spacetime continuums and all that…
Possessing the Apostrophe Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 2, 2017
The misuse of an apostrophe drives me crazy. Seriously, I have been known to scream out loud when I see signs like the one pictured. Let’s explain the apostrophe and, hopefully, take steps to make this world a saner place. An apostrophe is a punctuation mark used to denote either possession, or the omission of…
The Man Behind 1984 Posted by Gary Locke on Jan 27, 2017
People are reading George Orwell again. Not that they ever stopped reading him, but now his works are hitting the bestseller lists, thanks largely to the kind of language we are hearing from members of the new Trump administration. And language, particularly English language as used by politicians, was Orwell’s preoccupation. Orwell’s real name was…
The Parts of a Speech Posted by Gary Locke on Jan 13, 2017
Many of us, at some time in our lives, have to speak in front of a large gathering. It may be a quick toast to a friend celebrating a birthday or an anniversary. It may be some form of testimony that you have been asked to make based on your experience and knowledge of a…
What is a Janus Word? Posted by Gary Locke on Dec 30, 2016
Every so often you, as a student of English, will encounter a word in a sentence that will seem utterly confusing. You’re going to think that it contradicts your understanding of that word’s meaning. Not to worry. There are, in fact, words with completely opposing definitions. Words which have two opposite meanings aren’t common in…
Christmas Through Emojis Posted by sasha on Dec 19, 2016
These days, people are using emojis more and more to communicate. They’re fun, cute, and very easy to use. Look on social media or in your text messages, and you’ll probably see a whole lot of emojis. With Christmas approaching, there are a few you can use for the holiday. Let’s practice English and learn…