And the Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year 2022 goes to ‘Gaslighting’

People suffering from long Covid took up the term “medical gaslighting” to describe the medical establishment’s inappropriate dismissal of their symptoms. The word can also be used to describe individuals across contexts, from romantic partners to politicians. The dictionary offers two definitions for the term. The first describes it as “psychological manipulation of a person usually… Read More

Confusing words: Then and Than

THAN is used in comparative statements. ~ Another pair of words that I see misused far more often than not is than and then. ~ He is taller than I am. ~ Other than the interest on a small inheritance, he had no income. ~ Today’s students certainly do seem to read less than students in… Read More

Funny Tik Tok Captions? Typos vs. Misspelling

With the exception of social media professionals and academic journalists, the majority of what is written by the general public on social media is not edited, supervised or checked to ensure that proper use of the English language is taken into consideration. That being said, the number of typos and mistakes might lead to undesireble reactions,… Read More

Confusing words: Make and Do

DO There are no easy rules to follow. We always use do to describe indefinite activities, often with what, thing, anything, nothing, etc and generally speaking we also use do to talk about duties, jobs or (leisure) activities. Look at the following examples: ‘What shall we do now?’ ‘You can do what you like. I’m… Read More

Confusing words: For and To (for Brazilian speakers)

This is a typical mistake of Brazilian speakers because “for” and “to” translates into: “para”. “The present is for Thomas.” –> O presente é para o Thomas. “Say hello to your wife.” –> “Diga oi para a sua esposa.” This is an explanation designed for Brazilian students. These are NOT rules written in stone, they… Read More

Confusing words: British and American terms

British and American English often spell the same word differently, for example: labour/labor, enthrall/enthral, or centre/center. You can find out more about these differences here. There are also many cases in which the two varieties of English use different terms to describe the same thing. Here’s a list of various British words and expressions together… Read More

French words and expressions commonly used in English

Over the years, the English language has borrowed a great number of French words and expressions. Some of this vocabulary has been so completely absorbed by English that speakers might not realize its origins. Other words and expressions have retained their “Frenchness” – a certain je ne sais quoi which speakers tend to be much… Read More

Confusing words: Travel, Trip, Voyage and Journey

Travel (v) is used in general terms as a verb – it usually means to change location. The word travel is very rarely used as a noun. For example: I have to travel a lot for work. Trip (n) is often substituted for the word ‘holiday’ when the travelling distance was short. For example: How… Read More