Why we don’t have a sarcasm mark
Why is there no punctuation mark for irony? Or to flag up a rhetorical question? Well, the fact is: there once was. Numerous innovative marks have been invented then discarded…
Cocotte comics 1&2 PDF
EN : My two Cocotte Comics ! Print it on A4 paper, between 80 and 120 g/m2. Check the video to see how to read it. Files in French and…
COLOUR WORDS: The astounding origins of “blue”, “black”, “orange”, “red” & other colors
Prepare to be amazed by the surprising origins of the English words for colours (or colors for our American friends).
Almost no names are ‘English’
Did you know there are only a handful of truly English names? In this video, let's explore where our names really come from: from the Anglo-Saxon 'Edward' and 'Alfred' to…
The English words nobody can explain
Some of the most ordinary words in English have origins that no one can explain. Among them: "dog", "big", "bird", "donkey", "boy", "girl" and "puzzle".
A brief history of singular ‘they’
The Oxford English Dictionary traces singular they back to 1375, where it appears in the medieval romance William and the Werewolf.
How Old is ‘Haha’? The Sound of Medieval Laughter
Surviving in multiple copies, Ælfric’s work is not only the oldest Latin grammar written in English (or, indeed, any vernacular language), but it’s also been described as ‘one of the…
Time words don’t mean what you think
What is a second the "second" of? What time should noon actually be? And how can "hour" and "year" mean the same thing (because they do!)?
Why English is full of silent letters
English has a silent letter problem. The situation is so out of hand that it's often said that every letter of the alphabet can be found silent somewhere in our…
Analyzing the French in Mad Men’s ‘New Business’
French is used heavily throughout the episode, as Megan’s mother and sister help her move on from her life in New York. One conversation in particular stuck out to me.…