grammar

Lie or Lie?

Niall O'Donnell 7 Comments

Lying is bad. Except when you’re tired, and need to go to bed, in which case, it’s good. Continue reading →

There is or There are?

Niall O'Donnell 13 Comments

This isn’t something I’ve ever really wondered. For a native English speaker, which one to use is rarely in doubt. Sure some regional dialects might use is and are in non-standard ways, but if asked, most speakers of these dialects would know the “proper” form of the verb to be to use.

Which is why I was surprised to see the following headline on the BBC website: Continue reading →

Calque or Loanword?

Niall O'Donnell 12 Comments

Reading about Anglish yesterday, I realised that one of the most useful methods for proponents of this form of English is creating calques.

What’s a calque, I hear you ask?

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Which Word Has the Most Definitions in the Dictionary?

Niall O'Donnell 13 Comments

This is a question whose answer surprised me when I first heard it many years ago. I was well aware that many words had more than one meaning, and could think of a few obvious examples. Still, the answer, though it certainly has a few obvious different meanings, was not what I was expecting.

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Loaves and Fishes for the Peoples

Niall O'Donnell 5 Comments

Yesterday I used the word peoples in my post. Quite deliberately, of course, but it’s also quite common for English learners to mistakenly use the word.

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Breakfast

Niall O'Donnell 15 Comments

I’m having breakfast as I write this. There’s nothing terribly unusual about that: it is the morning after all. But do you know what that word breakfast means?

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Would You Mind Helping Me?

Niall O'Donnell 12 Comments

No, not at all.

or…

Yeah, sure.

Which is the correct answer?

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