Guest Blogger: Nick Eley is the Co-Founder of English Like A Native and has become fluent in Spanish and Thai while travelling. What is immersive language learning?…… Read more “Immersive language learning online and offline”
Category: English
Double negatives in English – a big no no
Picture it: you are sitting in an English class and a teacher says “don’t use double negatives”. Double negative? What is a double negative? How can anything…… Read more “Double negatives in English – a big no no”
Quora – Why is soda water called soda water?
Original question: Why is soda water called soda water? The term “soda” in water comes from approximately the 15th century and refers to the use of sodium…… Read more “Quora – Why is soda water called soda water?”
Quora – How can I pronounce Google in English?
For this answer, I will be using the International Phonetic Alphabet, which is a way to represent sounds across languages. “Google” in English is usually pronounced as /guːgəl/.…… Read more “Quora – How can I pronounce Google in English?”
Quora – What are the problems encountered in translating specialized vocabulary?
This question can be a bit difficult to answer because some problems will depend on which languages you are translating between. For that reason, I will try…… Read more “Quora – What are the problems encountered in translating specialized vocabulary?”
Quora – What is the difference between dehiscence and evisceration?
Both of these phenomena are similar but there is a slight difference between the two. Let’s look at some definitions (both from dictionary.cambridge.org): dehiscence – the splitting…… Read more “Quora – What is the difference between dehiscence and evisceration?”
Quora – Is the word ‘ginormous’ considered slang or is it an actual English word?
Before I answer your question, I would like to correct a common misconception that is included in your question: slang words are not actual words. Slang words…… Read more “Quora – Is the word ‘ginormous’ considered slang or is it an actual English word?”
Future in the past – What were you going to do?
In English, there exists a concept called “future in the past”. This is when you talk about how the future was going to be at some point…… Read more “Future in the past – What were you going to do?”
Quora – What is the real meaning and usage of the word “factoid”?
Original question: What is the real meaning and usage of the word “factoid”? A “factoid” is a statement or something similar concerning unreliable information that has become…… Read more “Quora – What is the real meaning and usage of the word “factoid”?”
Quora – What slang words or phrases do you recommend using for non-English speakers among friends?
Original question: What slang words or phrases do you recommend using for non-English speakers among friends? I think with this question, you mean “non-native English speakers”. Even…… Read more “Quora – What slang words or phrases do you recommend using for non-English speakers among friends?”
Quora – Why did the English spell closer with an “s” instead of a “z”?
Original question: Why did the English spell closer with an “s” instead of a “z”? Was it a Friday before a long weekend when they decided to…… Read more “Quora – Why did the English spell closer with an “s” instead of a “z”?”
Quora – Do you have a favorite world accent?
For the English language, I have always been partial to a strong Welsh accent myself. A nice bit of the Valleys makes me smile. That or some…… Read more “Quora – Do you have a favorite world accent?”
Reported Speech – He said, she said
Sometimes when you are telling a story or relaying information someone told you, you don’t necessarily want to say absolutely everything in exactly the same way as…… Read more “Reported Speech – He said, she said”
Past habits – Over and over again
You can describe past habits (or actions that happened repeatedly in the past) in three different ways in English: used to, would and the past simple tense.…… Read more “Past habits – Over and over again”
Should vs ought to vs had better
Before reading this post, you should be familiar with should, ought to and had better. You will need this information to understand Should vs ought to vs…… Read more “Should vs ought to vs had better”