Confusing words: It is I and It is Me
Confusing words: Lay and Lie Part II
In general, irregular verbs are troublesome to learn. Regular verbs create their past and past participle forms by adding “d” or “ed” to the stem of their infinitives (love, loved, loved), but irregular verbs create past and past participle forms by altering their stems in unpredictable ways. A number of common irregular verbs give people… Read More
Confusing words: Lay and Lie
Collective Nouns for Animal Groups
How Did These Fruits Get Their Names in English?
How Kiwifruits Got Their Name Kiwifruit were first found in the Chang Kiang Valley of China and as they spread to other parts of the world, they were called Chinese gooseberries. They were named ‘kiwifruit’ in the mid twentieth century. The new name refers to the furry covering that resembles the kiwi bird. Kiwifruits in… Read More
Confusing words: I and Me (Part II)
Punny Business Names Intended
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect.These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic, homographic, metonymic, or metaphorical language. For more on puns, click here. Here… Read More
The names for little things you never notice
Confusing words: Thank or Thanks God it’s Friday?
“Thank God” is actually a shortened version of “Thanks be to God” which means that you are telling the others (your friends or whoever) that you are thankful to God. “Thank God” is in the same way as “Praise God”. “Thank God” is also correct because you are using “Thank” as a verb I (we)… Read More
Confusing words: into, in to, onto, on to, unto
“On to” is similar to “in to”: “on” is an adverb and “to” is a preposition. It often appears in idiomatic and casual expressions: Lastly, “unto” is an old, now rarely used, preposition that can basically be replaced by “to” or “until.” One of the most famous sentences that uses unto is what is commonly known… Read More
