words on a page
10 things I bet you didn’t know about the English language
English is arguably the most confusing language in the world. That’s why we love it (perhaps I speak for myself – that’s why I have a language blog.) Nonetheless, I’m…
Dogs
Don’t dis my dogs: origin of words
With ‘must love dogs’ embedded in my LinkedIn profile, you might guess that I am rather distressed to learn that the origin of the word ‘doggerel’ originates from a time when people thought dogs were less than honorary human beings.
Can you just imagine living in such a heartless age, with “mean, contemptible” associations of dog in Middle English dating as far back as the 1600s?
J.K. Rowling rose to fame with the Harry Potter series but also wrote other genres under a pen name.
5 Reasons to write under a pseudonym
Writing under a pseudonym (pen name) or a nom de plume as the French like to call it, is as old as time itself. Disguising your true self may come with some good reasons. You may choose to write under a pseudonym simply to change things up or to give yourself a fresh view of things. African writers may opt for a more simple-sounding name to fit in with popular writers/genres.
Pic by Johan Pettrich, unsplash
Can you count to 10? – idiom
Can you count to 10? Good then you can help with the untelling of the decuplets saga. In the Financial Mail today, a staff writer says Iqual Survé, the owner of the newspaper, that shared the story, would reveal all.
A cheesy but wise tale about Hem and Haw
My take on ‘Moving Cheese’
Having read Spencer Johnson's Who Moved My Cheese for the fourth time, I decided to put together my own take on things. In 2021, I can't help seeing the parallels…
Verity Price brings home authenticity
Idioms add colourful expressions to the language. This post looks at the origin and usage to better understand English and use phrases correctly. This one is about 'dog and pony show'
Loss is life-changing
I offer my singular condolence: Grammar
English demands that its users know more than just the meaning of a word. They also must know how it’s used. It’s not okay to slap just any words together.…
7 Reasons to Connect with Influencers
Now, more than ever, influencer market is part of strategy. It's all virtual but everybody is doing it and you need to know how to tap in. “It’s not WHAT…
My top 10 in how to use capital letters
There’s nothing worse than being tripped up by capital letters. This means having to wade through a long piece of text crippled by incorrectly used capital letters, and not knowing…
A stonking good word
Every now and then, a word comes a long that makes me prick up my ears and say, 'that's a good one'. Stonking is such a word. There’s so much…
