The origin of the problem English is famously difficult to spell. It asks us to accept the inconsistencies of the language. The state of English spelling is partly due to the mongrel nature of the language (it’s essentially a product of Anglo-Saxon aka Old English, Latin, Old Norse, and Anglo-French), and partly a consequence of…
What are semicolons? Semicolons (;) separate independent clauses that are related in meaning, and they separate items in a list when those items themselves are long or include commas. For example, this summary could say “Semicolons are useful; they show that clauses are related in meaning.” Semicolons Separate independent Clauses A semicolon separates related independent…
The English language’s most successful export is a joke. Here’s the history of ‘OK’ Let’s find out the history of the one word that most people use on a daily basis; OK Yep. It’s very probably the most widely recognized word in the world. And its origin story is literally a joke. The definitive text…
Here are more words and phrases for romantic relationships that will warm your heart Bae Bae is slang for “baby” or “sweetheart” and pronounced like “bay.” Although bae may seem like a new word to some, according to our archives first appeared in print in1983, a year that also gave us ringtone, stressed-out, and onesie.…
This list of words and phrases for romantic relationships will warm your heart Goo-goo Eyes Goo-goo is seemingly one of a metric ton of synonyms for loving and affectionate in English. It’s almost always encountered in the phrase “goo-goo eyes,” implying a foolishly sentimental, romantic, or amorous glance. While it might sound like baby talk,…
Here’s a list of more words you always have to look up Bemused Bemused is so close in sound to amused that they have blended together in usage, but they started as very different ideas: bemused originally meant “confused” or “bewildered,” a meaning stemming from the idea of musing or thinking carefully about something, which…
Here’s a list of some words you always have to look up so you can improve your vocabulary Nonplussed There’s so much going on with nonplussed. First of all, if non- means “not” (nontoxic) or “unimportant” (nonissues), what is being negated? What is the opposite of being plussed? It turns out that nonplus comes from…
If your language learning hasn’t peaked, and this title piques your interest, take a peek at this list of commonly confused words. Accept/Except These two words may confuse people because they’re homonyms (i.e. they sound alike) but they are in fact different words with different meanings. Accept is a verb meaning “to receive (something offered)…
How do we use ‘be due to’? Let’s talk about another expression with ‘be’: ‘be due to‘. We use ‘be due to‘ to talk about something that’s scheduled or planned for the future. Usually it’s some kind of official timetable or something that has been arranged. It’s often used with verbs like ‘start‘, ‘finish‘, ‘leave‘…
Once you learn these rare but wonderful words, use them in conversation. 1. Biblioklept Definition: one who steals books Biblioklept is, in at least some sense of the word, fairly useless. It is two syllables longer than book thief. It is also unlikely to be understood by some portion of the people with whom you…