When you’re at work, do you often hear people use phrases like “It’s on my radar,” “Table this,” or “Think outside the box”? Most of us do. According to a recent survey by Preply, seven out of ten people use this type of business jargon at the office. But just because we hear this type(…)
I was talking to a colleague the other day. I said that someone had an oral agreement to do something. She corrected me and told me that I shouldn’t have said oral. Verbal was the preferable word. I politely told her she was wrong, and she politely told me that I was wrong. We did this several times, and(…)
Perhaps the most difficult words to master are the ones that sound alike but have different meanings. I recently wrote an article about the distinction between compliment and complement. Someone asked me the other day about the words, discreet and discrete. They sound alike, but the spelling can be confusing. Discreet means tactful or unobtrusive.(…)
If you were listening to the radio this morning, you might have heard that today is William Shakespeare’s 451st birthday. This may or may not actually be true! Traditionally, Shakespeare’s birthday is celebrated on April 23rd, but all we really know is that he was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564. He died on April 23rd, 1616 – possibly(…)
Maria was spending a semester in Washington with her husband. The newly married Spanish couple had decided that they could greatly improve their career prospects if they improved their English. They arrived in Washington and registered for language classes and settled happily in an apartment in the pleasant Foggy Bottom area. One day Maria asked(…)
Two commonly confused words are compliment and complement. It’s easy to see why. After all, they sound the same. Use compliment when you are talking about an expression of admiration or praise. For example: When I wear my new jacket, I frequently receive compliments. My boss complimented me on my punctuality and orderly approach to my work.(…)
Quotation marks have that name because they are used when you want to quote someone word for word with no changes whatsoever. Here’s an example: “Be at the station at exactly six thirty,” said Mary. It would be equally correct to say: Mary told Bill to be at the station at 6:30. In the first(…)