English Language FAQ

—   nep · o · tis · tic   \ ˌ ne-pə- ˈ tis-tik\   adjective

Herman Cain sounds off on race, a debate win, and the need to simplify government To sound off is to express an opinion with passion and force.

America is a vast conspiracy to make you happy. – John Updike There does not seem to be an agreed term for us admirers of American culture

Not a tense but a mood -  the subjunctive is one of the most complex grammatical forms. It is used to describe a wish or suggestion.   If I were a rich man (but I am not) I would .... The subjunctive is used with modal verbs (could, should etc). Some of the rules around it vary but the key one is that it takes the infinitive without 'to' in the present tense e.g  You should be okay. For a very detailed usage and exercises go  here :  English Language 100 FAQ   - only £1.99 Advanced Grammar in Use With CD ROM Common Errors in English Usage 2nd Edition English Grammar For Dummies

Vloggers (or YouTubers as they popularly known) broadcast regular short videos on YouTube channels .     Anyone can set up a free channel - the trick is then to attract subscribers who regularly watch your broadcasts. What is the appeal of vlogging? Fame and fortune without leaving your house for the most successful.  The most popular YouTubers have pop-star status amongst their fans. They are often known by their user names - PewDiePie, for example. These, of course, are the lottery winners of the vlogging world. For most the appeal can be described in two words: free fun.  What do YouTubers talk about? Themselves, mainly. The appeal of the most popular YouTubers is that of an intimate friend who shares your interests and concerns.  One popular topic is  hauls  (what I bought today) - here is an example.   Other staples include:  How-to-make/do tutorials Challenges  (often involving food tasting - see above) Pets Pranks  (elaborate practical jokes). The be

58 countries have English as an official language - and they do not include either the UK or the USA.  A version of this post is included in the  English FAQ Teaching Pack   Download for only £1.99

holistic həʊˈlɪstɪk,hɒ-/ adjective PHILOSOPHY characterized by the belief that the parts of something are intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole. MEDICINE characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of a disease. Etymology:  1939, from   holism   +   -istic .   Holistic medicine  first citation  1960. Related:   Holistically A classic example of a neologism that has crept from academic obscurity into the mainstream. Though proponents of holistic medicine claim the practice has roots in ancient Chinese philosophy, term first appeared in print during the year of President Kennedy's election. The flowering (!) of the New Age movement in late 1960s created increased an interest which has grown exponentially in recent years. Holistic  is often used to describe the aspiration to psychological well-being and is associated wi

Bailout  has become closely associated with the idea of financial rescue -  to bail out the Greece etc.   But the word has many subtle usages - and two spellings! 1.  bail/bale  is to abandon abruptly as in making an emergency exit from an aeroplane in a parachute.  2.  to bail out  is to remove water from a leaky boat. 3. It is now more common to use  bail   in a figurative/metaphorical sense: The minister has bailed on the government's housing policy ( announced his opposition) . The pilot bailed out The actor bailed on the script  (stopped reading his lines with any show of conviction)  4. 'Bail out' is also used metaphorically but usually with a closer connection to the literal meaning:  The pilot bailed out of his plane. 5. The noun is sometimes spelled as one word:  bailout. 6.   Bail or   bale  - the spelling is disputed but  bail  is probably used more frequently. Both spellings are allowed by most dictionaries.  A version of this pos

Y oke (slang/noun) -  1. an unflattering reference to unspecified thing or person.  2. any   device,   unusual   object,   or   gadget:   where's   the   yoke   for   opening   tins? . Mystified by this title. I always understood yoke to be a word you used dismissively What the hell is that yoke for? One of my favourite Irish words. Monosyllabic, irreverent and triumphantly refusing to accept the official label given to somebody or something. All that is best (and perhaps worst) in the national character.

Twitter CEO: 'We suck at dealing with abuse ' An internet troll is someone who posts malign comments online. The intention is to insult or ridicule a group or individual.  Where does the word come from? The etymology is complex -  there are trails to an old French hunting term  troller  and a norse one describing a mythological monster.  Why did troll catch-on online? The Internet use of troll  probably derives from a slang term used by US naval pilots in the 1970s -  see here . So trolls just insult people for fun? Trolling can simply consist of crude abuse but some self-confessed trolls pride themselves on their cunning attacks on their victims. One strategy is to join a group under false pretences and then goad genuine members of the group with ridiculous, provocative or abusive comments.  Are they just an unpleasant nuisance? Sometimes trolling can have a sinister impact Jojo Moyes revealed in an article in the Daily Telegraph Trolling - posting inf

3.  Give out  in Ireland commonly means to scold or complain: You can give out to someone, or just give out. It’s often intensified in different ways, e.g.  He was  giving out stink to them . (phrasal verb) From Stan Carey's fun list How is it used? I heard this a lot - sometimes as a warning to drop a contentious subject 'Will you quit giving out about that now' - more often in amusement 'well he would never stop giving out about how much the loved the job - then one day he didn't turn up for work and that was the last we saw of him ....

The word Pragmatic has been researched more than any other in the near 200 year history of Merriam-Webster. dictionary. It is currently the 11th most searched for word.  Definitions:  prag•mat•ic   (prægˈmæt ɪk) adj. 1. concerned with practical considerations or consequences; having a practical point of view. 2. of or pertaining to philosophical pragmatism. 3. of or pertaining to pragmatics. 4. treating historical phenomena with special reference to their causes, antecedent conditions, and results. 5. of or pertaining to the affairs of a state or community. 6. Archaic. a. busy; active. b. officious; meddlesome. c. dogmatic; opinionated. n.7. pragmatic sanction + prag•mat′i•cal for for defs.1, 2, 5) Commonly understood to mean  - Doing what works best in the circumstances, acting according to practical considerations rather than abstract principle, to deal with the real world. Origin -  Classical Latin  pragmaticus , skilled in business or law ; from Cla

There are thousands of regular verbs ( paint, walk)  - and less than two hundred irregular verbs.  Yet it is those awkward irregulars which dominate in spoken in English ( see here ). English Language 100 FAQ Teaching Pack     -  only £1.99 using discount code  CQDWKF0 Grammar Girl has a slightly different take here - and talks about verbs becoming irregular in her most recent podcast. Use offer code CQDWKF0 to download English FAQ Teaching Pack  for only £1.99