Earlier in the year we reported on how Cambridge city council in the UK had decided not to use apostrophes in street signs and how examiners for Cambridge Assessment (the ones who do all the TEFL exams) had supported this idea. It was, of course, ridiculous of them to do […]
Continue ReadingAnimals in English Grammar
This article looks at how we talk about Animals in English grammar. The main issue for learners of English are personal pronouns and animals. Do we talk about an animal as he, she or it? Personal Pronouns To begin with, when talking about animals we generally use the personal pronouns […]
Continue ReadingAmong vs Amongst
There is no difference in meaning between among and amongst – these two words can be used interchangeably. However, amongst is less common in everyday use than among and is considered slightly more educated. In spoken American English among tends to be used almost exclusively; however in writing amongst can […]
Continue ReadingAffect vs Effect
Learners of English (and native English speakers too) often confuse these two words: Affect vs Effect. They also confuse forms of these words: Affectively vs Effectively; Affective vs Effective and so on. Part of the problem is that they are pronounced almost the same: /əˈfekt/ and /ɪˈfekt/. Some English accents […]
Continue ReadingAccent, Dialect & Language in English
What is the difference between Accent, Dialect and Language? This article looks at the differences between the three terms. People often confuse them and there is a certain degree of overlap (even linguists don’t always agree on what the difference is between them) but generally speaking we can talk about: […]
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