Linguistics

Everything you need to know about Chicago slang, culture, and that infamous accent—so you can sound like you're a Windy City native.

The words affect and effect are often confused in the English language. Even native English speakers use the two words incorrectly . The difficulty lies that both sound similar and both can be used as nouns and verbs. Here I discuss the differences between affect and effect and how to use them.

It is amazing how the same phrase meant one thing long ago and means something else today. The phrase "ride or die" is one of those phrases. You might know what it means today, but do you know what it meant originally?

What is an idiom? What is their meaning? "Break a leg!" "He just kicked the bucket." Have you ever wondered what these phrases and others have meant or how they originated?

A game of word definitions created by a malevolent writer who has juggled with the subject matter all his life.

What is etymology? You only have to dig a little to uncover some of the most captivating, and at times, whimsical origins of everyday language and words. Join me for an adventure in linguistics.

Many times people use words interchangeably when a certain word would be more appropriate. Do you know when to use "envy," "jealousy," and "covetousness"?

Do you have trouble with writing and punctuating a long sentence? I explain how to correctly write difficult sentences correctly.

A little-known dialect from the Midlands of England echoes the language spoken by the Anglo-Saxons.

English is a fascinating cocktail of other languages, both modern and ancient. In this article, I take a light-hearted look at the how the world of ancient Greece affects our vocabulary today.

50 idioms and phrases that have their origins in all things nautical. Sea-faring has developed a unique language and terminology over the centuries and many of these snippets of language are now incorporated into everyday our vocabulary, often without us realising where they began.

Indirect speech is also known as Reported Speech, Indirect Narration or Indirect Discourse. In grammar, when you report someone else’s statement in your own words without any change in the meaning of the statement is called indirect speech. Quoting a person’s words without using his own word and bringing about any change in the meaning of the statement is a reported speech.

English grammar can be difficult and confusing at times, even for native speakers. Learn more about classifying sentences to improve your speaking and writing skills.

Interjections are words that have no grammatical meaning but are understood. Alliterations are sentences where every word starts with the same letter. This creative writing essay is a demonstration of their usage.

Building up your vocabulary skills does take a while, but is as simple as learning one new word every few days and then taking advantage of opportunities to use it.

The English language abounds with expressions that have been in common usage for so long that everyone knows exactly what they mean. Known as idioms, many of these expressions have surprising origins.