Language Learners

Using colons

The colon indicates a break between two main clauses which is stronger than a comma but weaker than a full stop. A colon is used: in front of a list I used three colours: green, blue and pink. Make sure you wear clothes made from natural fibres: cotton, silk and wool. in… Read More

Spanish word of the week: corte

The Spanish word 'corte' can be masculine or feminine depending on meaning. Read More

Semicolons

The semicolon is used to mark a break between two main clauses when there is a balance or a contrast between the clauses. A useful test to work out when to use a semicolon is to ask yourself whether the two clauses could be written instead as separate sentences. If… Read More

French word of the week: sens

This series of weekly blogs takes a closer look at words from our French dictionaries. The word we're focusing on this week is the French noun 'sens'. Read More

Spanish word of the week: final

The Spanish word 'final' can be masculine or feminine depending on meaning. Read More

French word of the week: debout

This series of weekly blogs takes a closer look at words from our French dictionaries. The word we're focusing on this week is the French word 'debout'. Read More

Spanish word of the week: margen

The Spanish word 'margen' can be masculine or feminine depending on meaning. Read More

Apostrophes

Misusing or omitting the apostrophe is one of the most common punctuation errors. Showing possession The apostrophe ( ’ ) is used to show that something belongs to someone: -’s is added to the end of singular words. a baby’s pushchair Hannah’s book -’s is added to the end of plural words not ending… Read More

French word of the week: compter

This series of weekly blogs takes a closer look at words from our French dictionaries. The word we're focusing on this week is the French verb 'compter'. Read More