History What’s the difference between a national language and an official language? What is a national language and an official language? They mean something very different for the linguistic identity of a country and its people.
History 9 words named after people Sure some people have buildings or bridges named after them, but what about actual words? Here are nine commonly used eponyms, and the famous folks behind the words.
Grammar 5 short abbreviations and their meanings There are lots of super common abbreviations that go way back to ancient Latin origins. Here’s what they are – and what they stand for.
Grammar What are irregular verbs? Irregular verbs. These grammar anomalies have been lurking under your nose for years, and we’re finally going to highlight what they are and how to spot ‘em.
Slang 7 phrases you’ll only know if you’re from the South Howdy, y’all! Whether you’re headed to a finger-lickin’ barbecue festival in Texas or a big ol’ crawfish boil in Louisiana, here are a few Southern slang terms to help you fit in like a bonafide Southerner.
Grammar 12 words you thought meant the same thing, but don’t Check out these 12 sets of words most commonly thought to mean the same thing, but they really don't.
Grammar The rule of adjective order Even if you’ve never heard of adjective order before, all native and fluent English speakers follow the rules. Let's learn the official rules of adjective order.
Grammar The real rule about a vs. an Remember back in grammar school when the teacher taught you about the difference between “a” and “an”? There's more to it, and we're talking about it.
Grammar Into vs. in to "Into" and "in to" are simple little words, but they’re often misused. We have some easy tricks and examples to help you keep your grammar on track.
Grammar Seeing double - words with weird plural spellings The English language gives us some delightful little treats in the form of irregular plurals. These words with weird plural spellings should tickle your senses.
Trending Why it's okay to use "they" as a singular pronoun Old-fashioned grammarians might hold onto the edict that “their” isn’t appropriate, but we’re here to tell you that it’s A-OK to use “their” anytime you need a gender-neutral pronoun.
Slang 8 words Americans pronounce differently than other English speakers You might get confused on your travels if you hear any of these words that Americans pronounce differently from other English speakers.
Grammar Lay vs. Lie Why are lay and lie confusing? They're so similar but are used in different ways. Let's learn the rules of lay and lie.
Trending Silly punctuation marks you should start using If semicolons sound adventurous, then have we got a treat for you. We can almost guarantee you’ve never seen these wild punctuation marks in your favorite novels.
Grammar 5 nouns you didn’t realize were also verbs Words in the English language never seem to stay in their lane. Here are five nouns that adopted their new verb status before the days of viral social media posts.
Slang 13 words to use for your next savage comeback Confuse and conquer your foes with your linguistic wit. Here are some words for you to keep on the tip of your tongue the next time you’re caught in conflict.
Slang 7 crutch words to cleanse from your speech Like, crutch words are cluttering up your vocabulary. Honestly you should work to cut out these annoying words. Literally.
Grammar Insure or ensure? Many people don’t know there’s any difference between ensure and insure. They do have different meanings, but if you’ve been using them interchangeably, are you wrong?
Slang Victorian slang that will make you say, "What?" Victorian slang is a gold mine of witty words and snappy comebacks. Learn a few new terms and incorporate them into your vocabulary.
History 8 animal names and their real meanings Sure you know A is for Aardvark and Z is for Zebra, but have you ever thought about how some animals got their names?
Slang 11 words that are actually acronyms These acronyms have evolved over the years and become common terms in our everyday vocabulary.
Slang 7 body parts you didn't know had a name It's more than head, shoulders, knees and toes. The next time you’re at the doctor, impress them by throwing out a few of these technical terms for your body parts.
History Why do silent letters exist? Words like psychology, indictment, mnemonic, debt, tsunami and pterodactyl contain classic examples of silent letters. Why do these pesky spellings persist?
History What’s the opposite of déjà vu? There are these disconcerting moments from time to time, instances where you walk into a new situation and find it oddly familiar despite never having experienced it before. This is
Slang 10 fun words to say out loud With the influence of multiple languages and dialects, English is chock full of fun and funny words to say out loud.
