Learning Italian: Lifestyle tips (1)

Whatever country you travel to, understanding the social etiquette, the dos and don’ts, and the cultural norms of the country are just as important as learning the language. Here are a few tips for different scenarios you will likely come across in Italy – to save you from any awkward… Read More

9 weird and wonderful collective nouns

A pride of lions. A gaggle of geese. A murder of crows. The English language is full of peculiarities, but collective nouns are among the most remarkable. But what is a collective noun? Collective nouns are used to refer to a group of people or things, with some of the… Read More

Giving encouragement

To encourage someone to go somewhere more quickly or to do something more quickly, use Hurry up! or, more informally, Get a move on! Hurry up! We’ve got to be there in ten minutes! Hurry up, Mario! When you’ve finished your work, you can go out to play. Get a… Read More

Traversing the language of fantasy

With fantasy dominating the bestseller lists, it’s easy to imagine that major bestsellers such as Sarah J. Maas, Rebecca Yarros, and George R.R. Martin are a 21st-century phenomenon. In reality, fantasy writing has been capturing imaginations since long before the romantasy takeover. Human history is steeped… Read More

French word of the week: par

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 preposition 'par'. Read More

Describing people and things

To give a general descriptions of something, use It’s … It’s gold with three diamonds. It’s a ladies’ watch. It’s a green suitcase with wheels. Use It’s made of … to say what material or substance something is. It’s made of leather. It’s quite a small bag, and it’s made… Read More
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