Category Archives: Language & Terms

“Short” has lots of uses in English. Learn about some of the most popular ones in this video, including: To be short on Nothing short of To make a long story short (Long story, short) The long and the short … Continue reading →

English uses a lot of abbreviations, especially in business English. Learn some common ones and when to use them in this video: YTD TBD ETA EOD COB To improve your English ASAP (as soon as possible), check our our Unlimited … Continue reading →

“Jack” has many different meanings and uses in English. Find out how to use them correctly in this video. I’ll explain how to use “jack” in different expressions, including: a man named John something for your car a playing card … Continue reading →

A “pair” refers to two things. But can you have a pair of pairs? And what words do you have to use “pair” with? Learn all about using “pair” in this video. For more information on pair and pairs, see … Continue reading →

What’s the difference between someone saying “I’m hungry” and “I’m hungryish”? You’ll hear a lot of words ending in “-ish” in conversational English, but what does this suffix (word ending) really mean? Find out about the differences in how we … Continue reading →

There are some nouns in English that are only used in the plural (with an -s at the end). Learn why you should never use these nouns in the singular: thanks/congratulations contents earnings amends For more on plural nouns, see … Continue reading →

I recently talked about “loanwords” in a short video about “glitch” and “ketchup.” Today, I talk about three more common loanwords in English: cul-de-sac kudos angst To expand your vocabulary even faster, check our our Unlimited English Membership here. ~Jeff … Continue reading →

“Literal” and “figurative” are two types of meaning in English, but they are often confused (even by native English speakers!). Learn the difference between them in this video, and why Americans who say “I was literally starving” will not die … Continue reading →

The famous showman P.T. Barnum said, “There’s a sucker born every minute.” (Learn more about P.T. Barnum in our Cultural English 257 here.) Learn in this video what a “sucker” is, why you do *not* want to be one, and … Continue reading →

A loanword is a term one language takes from another language to use with little or no change to the word itself. English has “stolen” lots of words from other languages! Learn about the meaning and uses of two of … Continue reading →