đ “… my mother has not gone into details. She chiefly communicates with us by means of telegrams, and her telegrams are rather inscrutable. They say women donât know how to write them, but my mother has thoroughly mastered the art of condensation. ‘Tired America, hot weather awful, return England with niece, first steamer decent […]
âđ ‘Marilla whisked into the kitchen, grievously disturbed, leaving a very much distracted little soul in the porch behind her. Presently Anne stepped out bareheaded into the chill autumn dusk; very determinedly and steadily she took her way down through the sere clover field over the log bridge and up through the spruce grove, lighted
Lesson #140 (Part 2): How To Correctly Identify And Position Adverbs Read More »
đș ‘Now, you mustnât cry any more, but come down with me and show me your flower garden. Miss Cuthbert tells me you have a little plot all your own. I want to see it, for Iâm very much interested in flowers.â – Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables (1908) [emphasis mine] Even if you are reading this
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đ±ââïžïž ‘I like books and dolls and friends and babies and bicycles and holidays …’ These were the words of a lovely 5-year-old girl called Lois I met several years ago. I still remember her excited face looking up at me as she shared some of her ‘favourite things’. I was reminded recently of Lois’ enthusiasm
Lesson #139: Mini-Lesson Monday (Part 2): All About The Unmissable Conjunction ‘And’ Read More »
đș âItâs the Magic andâ and Mrs. Sowerbyâs buns and milk and things,â said Colin. – Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden (1911). Before we dive into today’s lesson, I have a question for you: is the quotation above, taken straight from an English classic, grammatically correct? Whether you answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’, why do
Lesson #139: Mini-Lesson Monday (Part 1): All About The Unmissable Conjunction ‘And’ Read More »
Is it ‘its’ or ‘it’s’? If you have ever asked yourself that question, you are in the right place! Even if you are uncertain of the answer, know that by asking that question, you show more awareness of the possibility of making a mistake here than many people do – native English speakers included –
If you read the last lesson post (part 1), you may be wondering when and how you should alter typical word order in your English writing to achieve emphasis. THE ‘WHEN’: âïž Firstly, you should only rearrange word order when you want to emphasise one point in the sentence over the rest (as shown with
Lesson #136 (Part 2): Using Word Order For Emphasis In Advanced English Read More »
Several years ago we went to a Russian dance performance and bought these very pretty Matryoshka dolls. We have them nicely lined up in order, from the largest to the smallest, in our sitting room. Today I had the thought, ‘What if I line them up in a different order?’ I took a photo of
Lesson #136 (Part 1): Using Word Order For Emphasis In Advanced English Read More »
Do you find it challenging to write in English, despite having invested many hours, days or even years in studying the language? This is a common challenge not only for English language learners, but also among native English speakers. Writing encompasses the combination of processes: thinking, organising, recalling the appropriate vocabulary and spelling, and considering
Lesson #134: Improve Your Writing In English With Three Daily Exercises Read More »
Comparative adjectives can also work for describing lesser amounts of something. Again, from Gaskell’s Mary Barton: đ ‘The friend whom they met was more handsome and less sensible-looking than the man I have just described; he seemed hearty and hopeful, and although his age was greater, yet there was far more of youth’s buoyancy in his appearance.’
Lesson #133: Common Mistakes Made With Comparative Adjectives (Part 2) Read More »
A common error made by English Learners is the INCORRECT DUPLICATION of comparative adjectives. This is partly due to a lack of complete comprehension of the distinctions between the primary types of comparative adjectives. To recap, comparative adjectives are variations of adjectives that describe a larger quantity of that particular thing. For example, the comparative of âgoodâ
Lesson #133: Common Mistakes Made With Comparative Adjectives (Part 1) Read More »
I thought that today it would be nice to share from my current reading, Frances Burneyâs Evelina, and use some texts from it to elaborate on what we looked at yesterday, namely, the value of COMMAS in your writing. We talked about the âOxford commaâ (also known as the âserial comma) and how it can be
Lesson #130: Introducing ‘Evelina’ (And Appositive Phrases) Read More »