British and American English spelling differences

While the British and the Americans understand each other the vast majority of the time, there are still many important differences between British and US English, which can lead to confusion or humorous misunderstandings. On paper, the most obvious difference between British and American English is the spelling (just as… Read More

The Gentle Art of Persuasion: Soft Power in Language and Culture

In a period of global political and financial upheaval, as well as many armed conflicts, there has been much recent discussion about the place of ‘soft power’ in the world today. What is soft power? ‘Soft power’ denotes the ability to influence through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion or… Read More

Spanish words of the week: tinta or tinto?

Another opportunity to look at the commonest senses of some similar-looking nouns with different endings and genders and ink in their differences. This week’s words are tinta (feminine) and tinto (masculine), and perhaps we should throw in tinte… Read More

What’s the difference between its and it’s?

Its and it’s are homophones that are often confused by learners and native speakers of English alike. Here is a short guide to help understand the difference between them. its Its is a possessive determiner. You use its to show that something belongs or relates to a thing, place, animal, or child. The… Read More

Seven of the Most Beautiful Words in the Dictionary

It’s not every day that a world leader – in this case, US president Donald Trump – declares a somewhat functional word such as tariff the most beautiful word in the dictionary and, by implication, the English language. Admittedly, Trump later changed his mind by declaring God, religion and… Read More