Misleading Avalon: Deceptive Language
Most British expats, who use facebook or YouTube will be familiar with the ubiquitous and rather annoying funeral adverts that dominate our news feed. They usually start: “If you used to live in the UK you may be eligible for a pre-paid funeral plan.” Or you may have thrown the remote control at the TV […]
Crimes against English: Contractions
When I mention contractions, I am not referring to ladies in childbirth nor my hubby whose muscles contract at the mere thought of pulling out his wallet at the mention of a new designer handbag. I am talking, of course, about two words that are combined and certain letters omitted. We put an apostrophe where […]
Crimes against English: Your vs. You’re
There are two little words that are so often brutalised in written English that they sometimes look like characters out of Eastenders. I am considering issuing a warrant for the arrest of anyone caught abusing the words your and you’re. Aide-mémoire Why is it wrong to confuse these two words when they sound the same? […]
Crimes against English: Should of vs. Should have
The Crime Lots of things annoy me about written English and this heinous crime is probably the most irritating of them all. In fact, it bothers me so much that I feel compelled to hit things whenever I see it. Regional Accents In some regional accents, I totally understand that ‘should’ve’ may sound very much […]