When your friend buys you coffee at the start of your shift, are you thankful or grateful for their actions? In normal conversations, we use these words interchangeably, and there seems to be no confusion nor miscommunication at all. So is there really a big difference between being thankful and being grateful? The definitions have... Continue Reading →
When you celebrate your birthday, are you the celebrant or the celebrator? For some people, the words may seem synonymous and interchangeable, while some may not have even heard the word celebrator. Most people use the phrase “birthday celebrant” to refer to people who celebrate their birthday. Now, is this correct or is this only... Continue Reading →
Leaning vocabulary can be very tricky, especially for words that have related meaning, the same or almost the same pronunciation, or the same roots. Based from my experience from teaching vocabulary as an ESL instructor, it is almost always difficult for a student to remember the differences of related words. They often interchange them (he... Continue Reading →
I have not really thought of writing an article about this until my cousin (I do not know if he considers me as his cousin, but I do; it’s not that I have been disowned, but just because) asked me, “What is a twangy accent?” Well, here in the Philippines, people consider slang as kind... Continue Reading →
The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug. —Mark Twain Often times, we find ourselves groping for the right words to describe somebody or something, be it abstract or concrete. Unlike Shakespeare, we do not have the authority to coin new words to... Continue Reading →
