04 Jun 2012 Email – Slow Down and Think About It
Marshall was a participant in a Language at Work Email Writing course several years ago. Recently I ran into him and he told me that he had just put to...
28 May 2012 Having fun with ‘May’
….and with her confusing sidekick, ‘can’. These words have different meanings and usages, altho the distinction has blurred in informal speech. However, in keeping with our mission of shining light...
21 May 2012 Bring on the Honey, Honey
When speaking to people who represent institutions, we frequently encounter the detached, scripted, robotic, customer-service speak that is designed to find out what you want so that it can be...
14 May 2012 The Attack Question
I the only person who is annoyed with this: “…and you are…?” as a method of learning about another person? I mention it because, as an introductory communication, I feel it lacks...
07 May 2012 Say What?
There are many things that are challenging about learning a language. A big challenge is the gap between printed language and spoken language. The good news for audio learners is...
30 Apr 2012 A Fine Word
In one of my language classes the students and I chuckled at a cartoon showing a large pile of trash next to which was a sign that read “Fine for...