grammar rules

He Had Had Good Grammar, Had he?

Niall O'Donnell 12 Comments

What does it really mean to be grammatically correct? Is it important? People often tell you that you shouldn’t get bogged down in grammar when learning a language, and should aim for real communication. And I agree about that whole communication thing, but you still need good fundamental grammar to do so. Grammar and natural use of English don’t have to be enemies. Continue reading →

Different How?

Niall O'Donnell 2 Comments

Any time I’m writing and want to show a difference between two things, I find myself pausing. For example:

Reading a language is very different…

…from writing it?

…to writing it?

…than writing it?

They all sound ok, but in the end I usually plump for from, as it sounds more natural, but I’m never quite satisfied, as the other two still sound basically ok too… Continue reading →