English Words in the News: Impeachment Posted by Gary Locke on Nov 21, 2019
If you’ve been following the news, and it’s been hard to miss it, the United States is currently dealing with the fourth presidential impeachment inquiry in its history. Remarkably few American citizens actually know exactly what impeachment means, and how it works. Putting aside the politics of the moment, let’s take a look at the…
America’s Belt Regions Posted by Gary Locke on Nov 15, 2019
The United States has belts. I’m not talking about the kind which holds up your pants. I’m referring to select regions of the country which are distinctive in some way. Those distinctions, over time, have led to these areas being designated as a belt region. Some of these areas can be quite important because their…
The American Veteran Posted by Gary Locke on Nov 7, 2019
Americans celebrate Veterans Day every November 11 as a way of honoring every person who has ever served in the United States Armed Forces. Note that the word Veterans has no apostrophe. Memorial Day, which is celebrated on the last Monday of May, honors those service members who died in combat while serving in the…
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…
Body language in English Posted by carol on Oct 30, 2019
What’s up, dear readers? Time to put a smile on your face because there is a new post today! Body language is something that is part of our daily lives, even if we don’t realize it. We are always communicating through our bodies and transmitting nonverbal information with our movements, gestures and facial expressions. But…
Trick or Treat! Posted by Gary Locke on Oct 24, 2019
When I was a kid, Halloween was always an exercise in greed. I was far less interested in my costume than in the loot I was going to acquire while wearing the costume. I planned my evening very carefully, mindful to take advantage of the time my parents had permitted me. I wouldn’t allow my…
English Alphabetizing Rules Posted by Gary Locke on Oct 18, 2019
My wife has been in the book business for…well…a very long time. We have a lot of books. We find it necessary to shelve all those books in something which resembles an orderly system so that we can find them again. We have bookcases that are carefully alphabetized by an author’s last name. If the…