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Category Archives: Tips
Language/Writing Tip 10
When mentioning time, note the difference between “only at” and “not until”: “I can meet you only at four” does not mean “I can’t meet you until four.” If you want to emphasize tardiness, use “not until”: 1) “He only … Continue reading
Language/Writing Tip 9
A few things to avoid in academic writing: 1) Do not italicize the comma after a list of titles – that is, italicize only the novel title, not the comma that follows. This is a minor point, but it takes … Continue reading
Language/Writing Tip 8
This is less of a tip than food for thought. Read this sentence aloud (slightly changed from a real, published example): “And universities have similarly raised intellectual property concerns over ownership of the online courses their professors are now asked … Continue reading
Language/Writing Tip 7
This will not be a stellar explanation, but here goes… Often there is a comma missing before “with” – that is, in qualifying clauses or whatever they’re called. Example: “He went to sea with an oar as his sole companion.” … Continue reading
Language/Writing Tip 6
Language/Writing Tip 6 This funny-sounding combination pops up occasionally: “As a future author, young Hemingway was an avid reader.” or “In her efforts to improve her writing, elderly Munro turned to the spellcheck.” “young Hemingway” and “elderly Munro” sound dismissive. … Continue reading
Language/Writing Tip 5
I have lately had the un-pleasure of proofreading a number of academic articles. I have come to hate the phrase “to shed some light on…” A few examples: a) “This paper aims to shed some light on immigration.” b) “This … Continue reading
Language/Writing Tip 4
“Rather” is rather annoying because it looks like it should be a verb: “I would rather eat snake soup,” she said after he asked her out. “Rather” is an adverb. It is not a verbal synonym for “to prefer,” which … Continue reading
Language/Writing Tip 3
“Express your most powerful thought in the shortest sentence” is pretty solid advice. The above quotation is taken from: Check it out. You will learn something. Or you might find the advice glib. But do consider it. The advantage of … Continue reading
Book Reviews for The Messenger
Have you ever thought of writing a review for The Messenger? The list of books for review has just been considerably added to, and is available, as always, on the ESSE website: http://www.essenglish.org/books-for-review.html
The Thinking Approach to language teaching and learning – TA
A piece of news for anyone thinking about “The Thinking Approach to language teaching and learning – TA”: For the past 15 years the TA team has been developing an approach to language teaching and learning that allows for an … Continue reading