English Language FAQ

Charles Dickens was a superb story teller and created memorable characters. But was he a great writer?

Cognitive dissonance describes the tension caused by having two apparently contradictory thought processes simultaneously - wanting to smoke while knowing smoking is bad for you, for example.  Is it a new term? The phrase was first introduced by Leon Festinger in his 1956 book When Prophecy Fails . He studied the way believers in UFOs dealt with empirical evidence contradicting their deeply held beliefs.  Cognitive dissonance is also associated with the cognitive development theory developed by Jean Piaget - dealing with cognitive dissonance is a key factor in child development. In general English the term is often used when describing how politicians deal with 'inconvenient' data. Examples can be found at all points on the political spectrum. English FAQ Teaching Pack  only £1.99

The idea behind brainstorming came in a pioneering  sef help/business book 'Your Creative Power' (1948). It was described as

Listen to this short description of two key words in linguistics: descriptivist and prescriptivist .

According to Merriam-Webster, the standard dictionary for American English, this is the All-Time Top Twenty:

Kaplan International College surveyed more than 500 ESL teachers from 40 countries to discover what tools they use to enhance their lessons. This infographic summarises their findings. Interesting that 86% use music in the classroom, with The Beatles (40%) being the most used source of material. The next three singers (Michael Jackson, Bob Marley & Elvis) are sadly departed, with only One Direction representing contemporary pop music. Also significant that newspapers still have an important role, despite the dramatic decline of printed sales. Key Concepts in ELT

A 'big ask' is an informal idiom describing goal/task that is difficult to complete. It has migrated from British/Australian the discussion of sport into more general English. 

In 1965  Gordon Moore, co-founder of  Intel ,  observed that the number of  transistors  per square inch on  integrated circuits   had doubled every year since the integrated circuit was invented. Moore predicted that this trend would continue for the foreseeable future source Computers are getting faster and (relatively) cheaper with each passing year. The phones we carry in our pockets are far more powerful than the ones that sent the Apollo astronauts to the Moon.  Moore has suggested that his law will not continue indefinitely - suggesting  2025 as a possible end date. Others have speculated about what might replace it .  This BBC radio documentary is a useful introduction to the theme. Download The English Language Teaching Pack  for only £1.99

—   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