Do correct spelling and grammar (still) matter? Is it bad to mix your metaphors like an old dog learning new tricks while trying to reinvent the wheel to show you weren’t born yesterday? After all, people who seem pedantic about language are generally not that popular. We all like to joke about and roll our … Read More
In this fascinating article, American college student Timothy Doner explains why (and how) he set about learning 20 different tongues over the course of seven years. Doner is widely referred to in the media as “the world’s youngest hyperpolyglot” – a speaker of many languages. Written in 2015, when the author was just twenty, Doner … Read More
It’s interesting how formal written documents often are. It’s as if organisations think they will only be taken seriously if they use highfalutin and complicated language. Highfalutin <informal language>: pompous, pretentious, trying to impress Most people don’t do it when they speak. Probably because they notice the frown on the forehead or the glazed look … Read More