Requests and offers When making a request for something, the norm is to use can or could: Can I have two of those balloons please? Could I have two of those balloons please? The latter is more polite. Although can and could are perfectly acceptable, may is also used in such cases, as it’s regarded as more polite and formal: May I have two of …
The way musical notes guide musicians when they play a tune, punctuation marks guide readers and tell them about the intonation of the text. Hyphens and dashes look similar, and the fact that we use the same key on the keyboard to denote both of these symbols creates more confusion. There are differences in the …
Are you planning to go abroad? I’m sure you’re pretty excited about the trip. But along with the excitement, fear and embarrassment creep in too. Languages help us connect with other people and establish relationships. And they say man is a social animal – hence we need companionship to survive. You need English for the …
How to Speak English in an English Speaking Country Read More »
Don’t we all love trying new recipes? The delicious food is reward enough for all the effort that we put in. What is annoying is having to rely on Google to find out what some of the ingredients are, as we know what they are called in Hindi but not in English. So when I …
Everyday things and what they are called in English Read More »
Do semicolons confuse you? I hope the answer is yes, because they really confuse me and I was hoping I’m not the only one. So, finally, after getting tired of checking every time I used a semicolon, I decided to make a list of the rules once and for all. Here are the rules: Rule …
2016 is coming to an end. Let’s have a look at all the slang words that came up this year and are sure to stay in 2017 as well! Hella: This isn’t really a new word, but it has re-emerged and is being used A LOT! It means “very” or “really”. It’s hella hot outside! …
All business communication takes place via e-mail these days. You may be sending e-mails for a long time now, but are you following the proper etiquette? Business communication calls for formal writing and there are certain rules that have to be followed. The style of writing and language used should be appropriate and sophisticated. Some …
Business Writing: How to Make Your Writing More Formal Read More »
This is a tricky one and I will tell you why. It is because if and whether can be used interchangeably, and more often than not, they are used that way in informal conversation. In formal conversation or writing, however, they should be used properly. For that, you need to know the rule. Use if when you …
The moment I wrote the title of this article, I stopped and stared at the first word, probably because none of us are used to writing the full form of this commonly used abbreviation – “etc.” We have seen this word being used so many times, but what exactly does it mean? From where did …
Let’s have a look at the differences: SHOULD is used to: give advice or a suggestion: You should drink more water. make a recommendation: You should try that new cafe I went to last night! to talk about right or wrong: This should be the way to do it. Negative form: shouldn’t Some more examples: He should be …
