This Event Takes Place in the Past

Huh?

No it doesn’t. Yes, it took place in the past, but that was the past, so it doesn’t take place in the past. It did, but now it doesn’t.

I got the message that forms the title of this post from my Outlook calendar today, as I was looking for a document that had been attached to a meeting from Tuesday this week (18.12.18, today is 23.12.18). Naturally, it confused me a little. Continue reading →

Animateur

Last week I wrote about the word animator, and how we don’t use it in a general sense in English. Reading about the word though, I did discover that English features the word animateur. Continue reading →

As Happy as Larry

I heard someone use this expression the other day, and of course the first thing I thought was: Who’s Larry? Continue reading →

I Smell a Rat…

Oh my!

I was about to write a post, in fact I’d already started it, about the following tweet:

Continue reading →

Neither a Borrower nor a Lender Be

At least not until you’re sure which one’s which. I often think about the two words to lend and to borrow, and how even native speakers often get them mixed up, even though they’re opposites.

Can I lend a pen from you?

Can you borrow me your pen?

I’ve often wondered why people would get them mixed up. But then these aren’t the only pair of opposites that are surprisingly close in the English language. Continue reading →

Surplus to Requirements

I used the word surplus when I was writing the other day, and as soon as I saw it on my screen I thought, How have I never noticed that before? Continue reading →

You’ve Got Mail

Another little detail I noticed on the poster that inspired yesterday’s post: FOR BOOKING MAIL…

Nothing really remarkable there, but I was curious about the use of to mail as a verb. Again, that’s not really revolutionary, but I did notice the lack of an E. Just mail, not email.  Continue reading →