english language

3. Gender and identity: new words in COBUILD English Usage

In the next two blog posts about the new edition of COBUILD English Usage, Julie Moore looks at some of the changes in language usage that emerged from research for the new edition. In this post, she explores how language shifts reflect changing ideas about gender and identity. Traditionally,… Read More

2. COBUILD English Usage: Changes in vocabulary and grammar

In the second of our blog posts about the new edition of COBUILD English Usage, Penny Hands details some of the findings that came out of the team’s research into the ways in which new words and uses are created, and usage changes in vocabulary and grammar. The second… Read More
word cloud

1. COBUILD English Usage: Updating the examples

In the first of our blog posts about the new edition of COBUILD English Usage, Penny Hands details some of the changes she made to the examples to ensure they reflect changes in society, and ponders on how future-proof these changes are likely to be. One of our aims… Read More

The 1960s: words then and now

The 1960s saw a boom in space exploration, with humans finally travelling to and experiencing the wonders of the regions beyond earth. But which words were flourishing in this revolutionary decade? Naturally, advances in space flight brought some previously specialist vocabulary into general use. We made acquaintance with previously unfamiliar… Read More

Shining moonlight on our language

From the moment that we enter the world as moon-faced babes, the moon is an ever-present force in our lives. Looking up at the night sky puts our day-to-day world into perspective; something that generations of humans have experienced. Seen from afar, the moon can seem completely unobtainable. If… Read More

What are grammar patterns?

Grammar patterns are ways of describing how words are used in English. A grammar pattern tells us what phrases or clauses are used with a given adjective, noun, or verb. For example the adjective afraid can be used with a that-clause (He was afraid that…) or… Read More
English text written in a notebook, with a word crossed out and corrections by teacher underneath

Why is English SO difficult??

As a learner of the English language, how many times have you heard your teachers say, ‘it’s just not what we say in English’ or ‘that doesn’t sound very natural’? Or maybe you have thought to yourself, ‘this doesn’t sound right’ but you don’t know why? There is a good… Read More

Grammar or vocabulary? A blurry line

This article has been written by Julie Moore, who is an ELT materials developer and lexicographer, and originally appeared on our ELT Blog. Most language learning coursebooks include grammar activities and vocabulary activities. As teachers, we talk about ‘teaching grammar’ and ‘teaching vocabulary’. Grammar and vocabulary are two of… Read More