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Joanne
Jan 29, 20211 min read
How long have you...?
I'm sure we've all been in this situation: you are meeting someone for the first time and want to find out something more about them. It...
60
Joanne
Jan 25, 20212 min read
Describe that chart
Talking about data can be useful, but depicting it with a chart is invaluable. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and using a...
40
Joanne
Jan 21, 20211 min read
"Both of these two"
I recently heard this expression and it struck me as a little odd. Do you know why? Both means two. "Both cats and dogs are pets." "Both...
120
Joanne
Jan 18, 20212 min read
Describe that data
Do you ever have to give presentations or write formal reports? Quite often the audience for these is someone who doesn't have as much...
40
Joanne
Jan 14, 20211 min read
Me, Myself and I
I'm sure you've heard this expression before in movies and song lyrics, but what about him, himself and he or her, herself and she?...
20
Joanne
Jan 11, 20212 min read
What exactly am I being asked to do?
Have you ever been asked a question but are unsure of exactly what you are being asked to do? In person this is easy to resolve since you...
30
Joanne
Dec 22, 20202 min read
How long have you worked here?
I'm sure you've been asked that question before, but how did you reply? I have frequently heard the expression "I work here since 5...
410
Joanne
Dec 16, 20201 min read
For or since?
These prepositions are used to indicate that an event, which is true now, has been taking place for a period of time. We have to be...
470
Joanne
Dec 14, 20202 min read
Less than or fewer than?
Is there a difference? Yes. To understand when we use less than and when we use fewer than we need to take a step back and think about...
280
Joanne
Dec 9, 20202 min read
Is there a difference between although and even though?
This is a question I was asked recently and it got me thinking. They both mean in spite of or despite a given situation something...
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Joanne
Dec 7, 20201 min read
Learn or teach?
When do you use learn and when do you use teach? This is a confusing piece of language usage and one that I often see and hear used...
50
Joanne
Dec 2, 20202 min read
I have or I am having?
In general this is fairly straightforward to use, but read on, there are times when this can cause problems. Don't be caught out. The...
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Joanne
Nov 26, 20201 min read
How much further? Or should that be how much farther?
This subtle difference is one which I often see leads to confusion. Let's look at a couple of examples to try and clear things up: In...
00
Joanne
Nov 24, 20201 min read
Bought or brought?
This is a tricky one and I often see native speakers get this wrong. Let's consider this example: "I bought a coat" - this means you went...
90
Joanne
Nov 23, 20201 min read
Have you been shopping or gone shopping?
It all depends on whether you have come back or not! Let's look at this example: Yes. “He’s been shopping” tells us that he’s gone and...
820
Joanne
Nov 19, 20201 min read
Is it the amount or the number of something?
You want to express the quantity of something but are not sure whether to refer to the amount of it or the number of it. Let's take these...
80
Joanne
Sep 10, 20201 min read
Are you looking for the affect or the effect?
Do you want to change something or view the results?
40
Joanne
Sep 9, 20201 min read
Do you accept it or except it?
Accept, except. Say these two words out loud and they sound very similar. If you used them incorrectly when speaking the listener might...
120
Joanne
Sep 9, 20201 min read
Can you see a car, or the car?
Indefinite or definite article? Let's be clear.
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