Tag Archives: English
The Rules of Capitalization Posted by Gary Locke on Sep 23, 2021
We’re living in a time when it sometimes seems that the standard rules in English no longer apply. Whether it’s in texts, social media posts, or emails, English basics are being ignored. This is especially true for how and when to use capital letters, also known as the upper case of a letter. I know…
When English Words Become Obsolete Posted by Gary Locke on Aug 25, 2021
An old friend used to say that social media was, “Just a lot of old twaddle.” From the context of his sentence, I knew that twaddle meant “useless gossip’. But it was years before I knew that twaddle was a real, though nearly obsolete, word. It still appears in some dictionaries, but you will almost…
Silent Letters in English Posted by Gary Locke on Jun 10, 2021
Ask anyone what makes learning English so difficult, and many will tell you it’s because the words are very hard to spell. Many English words don’t sound anything at all like the way they are pronounced, mainly because English has so many silent letters. There are also many words with combined double consonants, such as…
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…
It’s British, but is it English? Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 5, 2021
I admit to being an Anglophile, someone who is very fond of England, its culture, history, and people. Unfortunately, I also love the English language. Sometimes the two conflict with each other. I’m not just talking about words and phrases that the British use that are strange to those of us who are Americans. I’m…
You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch Posted by Gary Locke on Dec 17, 2020
Sometimes a song comes along that everyone learns the words to just because the song is so much fun to sing. Even when the song is about the meanest, worst being on the planet. One of the most enduring tales of Christmas is the book and cartoon film, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas…