Time and again, we’ve seen how language evolves by enriching itself from different cultures, sort of like a cook who creates a new dish every night by mixing his old recipes. In fact, as you are reading this article, you are experiencing the result of evolution right now. You see, English is a mutt language, …
English
When you should and shouldn’t use a comma after the word “recently.” There are a lot of complicated rules in the English language, but commas certainly take the cake. No matter how familiar you are with commas, there are some that can really trip you up. In this article, we’ll look at the word “recently” …
Slang and the Internet have a long history. In fact, the word “emoticon” dates as far back as the 1980s, while examples of the idea itself can be found as far back as the late 1800s. Most Internet slang is much more recent, and acronyms are always popular. This short post will look at the …
Few philosophers are as widely quoted and as widely misunderstood as Friedrich Nietzsche. Although he’s often assumed to be anti-Semitic because of the obsession with his idea of the “übermensch” (superior man), he was actually a vocal critic of anti-Semitism. Additionally, his nihilistic philosophies, which argue that the world has no underlying truth, make him …
Some phrases and expressions can stump even the most fluent of speakers. For instance, plenty of English speakers will say, “I could care less” when they are trying to show their indifference towards something. However, that is wrong. You see, what “I could care less” says is that you sort of care, at least to …
When it comes to articles, English speakers have it easy. They only have to contend with “a,” “an,” and “the.” They don’t have to figure out whether a word is masculine or feminine like their french cousins who have to use “le,” “la,” and “les.” And, both the English and French are better off than …
There are some pieces of Internet slang like “xD” that have become so pervasive they are even understood by people who have never been online. On the other hand, Internet slang can sometimes be very obscure. In this brief post, we’ll look at an example of the latter, the word “onl.” What does “onl” …
Understanding how and when to use the comma in English can be confusing. One reason is because there is not always a strict rule about when to use a comma. Both native and foreign speakers of English struggle with comma usage. While there are times when you definitely need a comma and times when you …
Words are fascinating creatures. Some have clear cut roles to play, while others can carry more than one meaning. Words also evolve over time, and tracking this evolution can be so engrossing that there is an entire field of study devoted to the subject called etymology. This is not to mention how some words don’t …