Even though it is usually better to be concise, there are a lot of situations in English where you’ll find an expression can convey what you want to say better than a single word can. For instance, you can call a man “laconic,” or you can refer to him as “a man of few …
English
The English language is filled with similar words that can have different meanings. That is why this West Germanic language can be so confusing for beginners. For instance, fortuitous and fortunate have two different meanings, and torturous has a very different definition than tortuous. One reason there are so many words that are so similar …
English is the international language. It is the second most spoken language in the world after Mandarin, and it dominates more than 55 percent of all online content, making it the de facto language of the World Wide Web. So, in a globalized world, one that is getting smaller by the day, English has been …
When you start writing, one of the first thing style manuals teach you is to avoid using the word “very”. So, instead of quantifying an adjective with the rather generic word “very”, find a stronger adjective that does the trick. For instance, rather than describing someone as “very smart”, you could describe them as “brilliant” …
In today’s ultra-connected world, one that moves at a break-neck pace, email has become the preferred medium of communication for many professionals. If you think about it, it kind of makes sense: For one thing, emails don’t take up any physical space, yet, at the same time, you never have to worry about losing a …
Here, at Linguablog, we’ve explored various aspects of language. We’ve looked at how language intersects with culture. We’ve delved into how certain words originate and how they morph over time. And, we’ve talked about various grammatical rules that make English the beautiful, rich language it is today. However, one thing we haven’t talked about all …
English can be confusing. Thanks to the language’s many different origins, the vocabulary alone is enough to make anyone’s head spin. You have words that should rhyme but don’t, you have nouns that give you irregular plurals that seem arbitrary, and you have some words whose spelling will confound even the most practiced native speakers. …
Table of Contents What is a Participial Phrase? What is a Participle? What is an Adjective? Present Participial Phrases The Difference Between Present Participles and Gerunds Past Participial Phrases Participial Phrases Exceptions: Irregular Verbs Perfect Participial Phrases Punctuation for Participial Phrases Mistakes to Avoid When …
Showing gratitude is of the utmost importance in both our personal and our professional lives. It makes us feel like we are part of something bigger than ourselves, like we belong. And, this sense of belonging can give tremendous meaning to our actions. Additionally, showing gratitude can make others feel validated and respected, propelling them …