Grammar articles
It’s fun learning a new language. But sometimes trying to use direct word for word translation can result in some very funny expressions! Private school: NO TRESPASSING WITHOUT PERMISSION. Hotel bedroom, Japan: GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED. Doctor’s surgery, Rome: SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES. Cocktail…
Cna Yuo Raed Tihs Txet? Oh, ts’i aesy! For those of us who write, proofreading and error correction is a necessary process, no matter how time-consuming it may be. However it is frighteningly difficult to find some of these errors on occasions because our brain can do very silly things when we read. As you will…
The most common sound when we make in English is called the Schwa. It represents up to 15% of our utterances. However, so few people have heard of it. It’s the sound we make when we say ‘cup of tea’, and really say ‘cuppa tea’. It’s this little ‘uh’ sound we use in this example…
What is the subjunctive in English? One part of speech in which I often see grammatical errors or incorrect use is the subjunctive. In other languages it takes a different form or conjugation so is clearly recognisable, but in English, it can be a bit tricky as it uses the second person plural, which looks…
The English language is from England, not the USA I am writing this post in exasperation, and out of frustration, after receiving a number of messages, emails and social media comments from US grammar nazis in recent weeks, who through their ignorance, fail to comprehend that I write in British English. US English is a dialect,…
Some of you may know that I’m an Aussie. Albeit dropped head first into living in Switzerland nearly twenty years ago. While life is just bliss, the one thing I miss is speaking (and writing) in my mother language. Ocker! Just in case you get lost once I change my language into Ocker, or Strine as…
