Maybe you’re engrossed in a good book, or a film, or perhaps simply an interesting conversation.
Whatever it is, it’s something that’s got our full attention.
Engrossed
linguistics
Home
What makes a house a home?
I’m sure you all have very different and interesting answers to that question.
I’m no Expert
It’s true, I’m not.
No matter how much I might sound like I think I am, most of what I share here is from my own informal research. Of course working in an English-language school helps, as does my own interest in language, but I could never claim to be an expert in any kind of official sense. Though, if you look at where the word comes from, then maybe I am…
Try, Try, and Try Again
I Put a Spell on You
At some point in the last few days I was writing about spelling, and a thought recurred to me: is it a coincidence that the verb to spell (as in, How do you spell that word?), and the noun spell (as in magic spell) are identical?
This time I’ve decided to pursue this line of inquiry, and the answer is basically: No, it’s not just a coincidence!
Breakfast
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?
Mind your own Business!
If you’re very busy, what noun do you use to describe the state you’re in? Would it be… busyness? No, that doesn’t look or sound right, does it? It’s kind of uncanny, because it sounds like business, but it isn’t, and it looks weird with the Y before the suffix -ness.
English-Language Thoughts 