Tag: EFL

GRAMMAR NONSENSE & CURIOSITIES: can

Written by Hugh Dellar on August 29, 2024. Posted in Grammar, Grammar bugbears and curiosities, Uncategorized. No Comments on GRAMMAR NONSENSE & CURIOSITIES: can

It may seem a bit strange to include can under the umbrella of grammar nonsense. I’m sure few of you have considered the rules for its usage as wrong or find the way it’s presented particularly weird – and n the whole, I’d agree with you! I include it in our ongoing series of ELT shame and missed opportunities more as an example of how change sometimes happens while we remain unable to fully accept it. It all reminds me a bit of people who accept that a variety of sexualities exist in the world, but don’t want to see any public displays of affection connected to most of...

One is most bemused: hedging and the strange function of ‘one’

Written by Hugh Dellar on November 10, 2023. Posted in Lexis, Opinions. 2 Comments on One is most bemused: hedging and the strange function of ‘one’

The original idea for this blog post came one afternoon when my wife saw my response to an email we’d both received from the school our son goes to. His new form tutor had written to us saying how well he was settling in and suggesting that he was a credit to us and that he must’ve had a great upbringing. My response to this slightly over-the-top praise? ‘Many thanks for this. Very pleased to hear he’s finding his feet OK. Not sure we can take that much credit for the way he’s turned out, to be honest, but one does what one can.’ It was this last turn...