english language

Weather Words – The Great British Fascination with Forecasting

10th Sep 2014

According to The Telegraph newspaper, talking about the weather is the ‘top British trait’ – a habit that dates back to when Julius Caesar blamed his failed invasion of Britannia on gale-force winds. This obsession is unsurprising, given the unpredictable nature of the UK’s weather. In fact… Read More

11 British Summer Fête Essentials: Three-Legged Races, Tombolas and Cream Tea

28th Aug 2014

When we try to picture a ‘great British summer’, what comes to mind: coloured beach huts, 99 ice cream cones, and sunny garden parties, or crowds of optimistic families sitting underneath umbrellas on their deck chairs? Although we may sometimes get caught out, living in a country with such… Read More

Selfies: Have we reached peak Selfie and is the word here to stay?

14th Aug 2014

The selfie: we and celebrities take them alone, in groups and with significant others, with pets, livestock, babies, monkeys and octopi taking to the trend. Selfies have even arrived from outer space! Selfies have taken over our social media world – so much so… Read More

Aussie Slang vs Kiwi Slang – New Zild or Strine?

9th Jun 2014

Are you wearing trunks and thongs or togs and jandals to the beach? Have you put your beers in the esky or the chilly bin, and are your sandwiches wrapped in… Read More

Balderdash! 11 English Words Whose Meanings Have Changed

2nd Jun 2014

To grin once meant to scowl, a girl was once a youth of either sex, and “hello” was originally used as an exclamation of surprise! Most of the words in everyday English have been in (and occasionally out of) circulation for centuries. But how and why have their meanings changed?… Read More

The 25 most-used words in English: Can you use them to learn a new language?

27th May 2014

In just ten years Benny Lewis – seemingly ordinary Irishman turned polyglot and best-selling author – has become fluent in eight languages and reasonably chatty in several more. Benny does not spend his days knee deep in textbooks, or his evenings in language classes… Read More

Speak English Better Than 90% of Native Speakers by Mastering This Difficult Poem

13th May 2014

First published in 1922 by Dutch writer, traveller and observer of the English language Gerard Nolst Trenité, also known as Charivarius, The Chaos contains around eight hundred of the worst irregularities in English pronunciation and spelling – skilfully versified into rhyming couplets. Written for the benefit of the English… Read More

Eight killer business words and phrases

8th May 2014

We once asked a group of business students what was the most important phrase a business person travelling abroad needed to know in a foreign language. They all volunteered things like ‘Hello’, ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’, all useful words but they miss the point. Then someone volunteered the killer phrase,… Read More

10 American English Words To Baffle The Brits

8th May 2014

Brits and Americans often have no trouble understanding one another. However, there are still a few words and phrases that remain completely unalike. 1. Cookie These are called biscuits in the UK. Cookie in US English comes from the Dutch koekje, a small crisp cake. Dutch… Read More