Category Archives: Writing

Short forms

It happens often that I have students who are very good at grammar, writing and speaking. However, when it comes to doing a listening task, they panic. Why is this? The problem is that they expect to hear each and every word spoken clearly. The truth is, a native speaker doesn’t talk this way. LearnersContinue reading “Short forms”

Good to be ALWAYS ALRIGHT!

ALRIGHT, I’m ALWAYS repeating myself about this but please don’t forget that: alright – one “L”. When writing formally, it is better to use the full form, “all right” always – same rule, one “L”. But no, it’s not short for “all ways” Other common “AL” words with one “L” are: although altogether almost Use the language All theseContinue reading “Good to be ALWAYS ALRIGHT!”

Send a postcard (in English!)

I know many people think that sending postcards is old fashioned and, anyway, it’s only something you do when on holiday. It’s true that few people write postcards these days. With smartphones stuck to our hands, it’s easier to take a photo and send via a messaging app or post on social media. However, youContinue reading “Send a postcard (in English!)”

Postcard expressions

Have you ever written a postcard while away on holiday? If you grew up in the days before emails and instant messaging, you probably have. On the other hand, if WhatsApp, Twitter, Messenger and Snap Chat were the first words you learned at school, then you might not even know what a postcard is! Well,Continue reading “Postcard expressions”

Samsung millions

Samsung says that “greatness never ends”. Neither do mistakes. Take a look at the screenshot from their live stream of a few days ago. There is a massive “99 millions” displayed. Let me explain the error with two example sentences. Malta has a population of four hundred THOUSAND (400,000). There were THOUSANDS of people atContinue reading “Samsung millions”

Happy? Not with the spelling!

Believe it or not, this message was posted by a company specializing in proofed transcription services. Its sales talk focusses on the accurancy of its services. I have no intention of embarrassing the company, so it will remain unnamed. However, I did inform them of their error. What is the mistake? Answers in the commentsContinue reading “Happy? Not with the spelling!”