The Full Stop in UK English
The full stop is the small dot that appears at the end of a sentence written in certain scripts such as the Roman alphabet, which is used for the majority of Western languages. Likenesses of a full stop, also called…
Category General English Language Interest
CEFR Descriptors and Assessing Language Levels
The language abilities, grammar and vocabulary of students of English as a second (ESL) or foreign (EFL) language is classified according to the CEFR. The CEFR is not a certification or testing system itself but serves as a reference tool…
The Writing Systems of the World
In human communication, the art of writing serves as a tool to preserve the research, discovery, stories, histories and aspirations of many diverse cultures. Today, there are five principal conductors: the Logographic, the Abjad, the Abugida, the Alphabetic and the…
Writing a Formal or Informal Letter in English
At some point, everyone needs to write a letter or an email and wonders what the correct etiquette for this is. Writing letters, in particular formal letters, has become a lost art, but it is still regularly required in business…
Exploring Vocabulary and Language Word Counts
English language learners often comment upon the wide choice of vocabulary in the English language and the vast quantity of words there are to learn. Yet, this is a widely disputed point. Are there not more words in Korean, Spanish…
The Difference Between Great Britain and the United Kingdom
Great Britain and the United Kingdom are related terms, but they refer to different geographical and political entities. Great Britain is the largest island of the British Isles and is made up of three countries: England, Scotland and Wales. Geographically,…
English Irregular Plural Nouns
Irregular plural nouns are words that don’t follow the typical pattern of adding -s or -es to form their plural forms, instead changing in unique ways. The regular noun plural in the English language is formed by adding the suffix…
Welcome to UK Grammar
Would you like to better your UK English? Would you like your English to be refined, elegant and precise? Perhaps you’re working for a British company or in a Commonwealth or European country that uses British English. You need to…
The Different Standard Englishes of the World
English is a global language with various standard forms that are influenced by the historical, cultural and linguistic contexts of different countries and regions. This article is intended to provide a few examples of different standard English varieties from around…
The Definitive UK vs US Spelling List
Every student of the English language, as well as every native English speaker around the world, knows that some words can be spelled in different ways and worries about which spelling to use. They may or may not be aware…