Using bullet points

Using bullet points in a non-fiction text is a clear way to organize information you wish to present. The types of text that are suitable for bullet points are lists, notes, instructions, and information texts. To use bullet points correctly, there needs to be a piece of introductory text, ending… Read More

Tartan Day and the language of tartan

Think Scotland, see tartan. From shortbread biscuit tins to carpets to the kilts of the Tartan Army, this pattern shouts ‘Scotland’ louder than any other nation’s symbol. And who among us has never owned a tartan travelling rug or picnic rug? It’s not every day, metaphorically, we give a… Read More

The 8 parts of speech in English

VERBS A verb tells us about an action or a state of being. Ordinary verbs are called main verbs. For example: come, go, think, want, escape, believe. A main verb is sometimes called a ‘doing word’. A special group of verbs are called auxiliary verbs. These can be put together with main verbs to… Read More

National Spinach Day

Eat largely of spinage The twenty-sixth of March is National Spinach Day, a lead-in to talking about one of my favourite vegetables – and that host of others that can bring joy to our tables. Well, ‘joy’ not just in my and Popeye’s opinion but in that of the Methodist… Read More