Oct 13, 2023 Chunks, Phrase of the day Everyday English drawn from Greek mythology A while back, I wrote a blog post about words and expressions that come from literature, but have passed into everyday use. Today, inspired by a recent conversation with my daughter, who’s currently obsessed with Greek mythology, I wanted to dig a bit deeper into the way the ideas from old myths and stories become […]
Jan 18, 2023 Chunks, Phrase of the day Literary figures in everyday speech In one of my recent classes, we were discussing the way in which the use of social media inside authoritarian countries like Russia, China and Iran is almost always monitored, and how posting something that’s deemed to be subversive or in opposition to the state can land you in hot water. Share an anti-government meme […]
May 3, 2022 Chunks, Word of the day Word of the day: big cheese At a party last week I was introduced to a foreign businessman who was visiting London. We got talking and started chatting about what we both did. I told him about my work and when I asked what he did, he responded – in excellent English – by saying: “I guess you could say I’m a big cheese in […]
Nov 19, 2021 Chunk of the day, Chunks Chunk of the day: a rite of passage Generally speaking, I’m not one for complaining about people’s use of language, and certainly not those supposed transgressions of grammar rules such as using like when reporting speech, saying there were less people than expected, or that people are loving it. If you’ve ever seen Hugh’s comments on the English Questions Answered group on Facebook, […]
Jul 7, 2021 Chunk of the day, Chunks Chunk of the day: having some work done Those of you who follow my ongoing series of ONE-MINUTE ENGLISH videos on YouTube or Instagram may have noticed that I’ve recently started filming them from the chaos of my attic. You’ll have seen the piles of boxes behind me, and sensed a general air of temporary discomfort. In case you were wondering what’s brought […]
