Category Archives: Language & Terms

The All-Time Most Important Blog Post in History Ever

Posted on Tuesday - March 15, 2016 by Dr. Lucy Tse

You may not have heard the term “pleonasm” before, but we’ve all encountered (seen or heard) many pleonasms in our lives. Pleonasms — pronounced “PLEE – e – naz – ums” — are terms that use more words than are … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms | 18 Comments

Warning: TOEFL Ahead

Posted on Tuesday - January 26, 2016 by Warren Ediger

“I need to take the TOEFL (Test Of English as a Foreign Language). Can you help me?” I get a lot of emails like that every year, often just before TOEFL scores are due (need to be sent to universities). I frequently have … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms, Life in the United States | 10 Comments

The Other “They”

Posted on Tuesday - January 12, 2016 by Warren Ediger

Here’s a short quiz for you: Which pronouns would you use to complete these sentences? 1. Someone left _____ lunch in the office. Would _____ please come get it? 2. When a student wants to study, _____ should try to find … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms | 11 Comments

5 Words I’d Better Not Hear You Using in 2016

Posted on Tuesday - January 5, 2016 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Every year a group of professors and staff members at a small public university in Michigan (Lake Superior State University) publishes a list of banished words. To banish usually means to force someone to leave his or her home city … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms | 17 Comments

Are You A Hoarder?

Posted on Tuesday - July 28, 2015 by Warren Ediger

“Hoard” is not an everyday word, but the idea of hoarding often appears even when the word isn’t used. Let me give you a couple of examples. Some of my students have enjoyed The Hobbit and Treasure Island – two … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms, Life in the United States | 24 Comments

Writing in English: Verbs That Help Your Reader See

Posted on Tuesday - June 16, 2015 by Warren Ediger

Good writers think of one thing: how to make what they want to say as clear as possible. In Writing In English As A Second Language, I quoted (said what someone else said) William Zinsser, who wrote that “your best … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms, Life in the United States | 15 Comments

Should I Capitalize That?

Posted on Tuesday - June 9, 2015 by Dr. Lucy Tse

Anyone learning English already knows that the English language is full of quirks (strange things). One quirk has to do with capitalization, whether a word is written with a capital first letter (Letter) or not (letter). With some words, its … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms | 12 Comments

Bucket List: The Story of a Word

Posted on Tuesday - June 2, 2015 by Warren Ediger

For word lovers, it’s often fun to trace (find or discover) the history of a word. I frequently stop at the Online Etymology Dictionary – etymology is the study of the beginnings, history, and changes in the meanings of words … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms, Life in the United States | 13 Comments

Writing In English As A Second Language

Posted on Tuesday - May 19, 2015 by Warren Ediger

Two weeks ago I wrote about heroes and told you about a few of mine. Sadly, one of them – William Zinsser – died a few days later; he was 93 years old. Today I want to remember him by doing … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms, Life in the United States | 22 Comments

We’re OK, A-OK.

Posted on Tuesday - January 20, 2015 by Dr. Lucy Tse

One of the most useful words you can learn in English is “OK” (also spelled “okay”). It can be used for many things. It is probably used most often to mean agreement – that you agree with someone: Jeff: Let’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms | 12 Comments