A selection of headlines from stories in the news. They use English in a way that you might think is intended to confuse but it's all perfectly clear to the native speaker.

Football Diary

by Patrick O’Connor

ANY footballer will tell you that winning is THE most important thing but sometimes getting those three points may have extra meaning.  The players of tiny League Two outfit Macclesfield had a very special reason for ‘celebrating’ their 2-0 win at Hereford on Saturday.

The Perfect Date

by Patrick O’Connor

“OH my God! Oh my God!”

That was Claire’s usual reaction to most things. Even if someone brought her a cup of coffee she would exclaim loudly: “Oh my God, that’s so nice. Oh my God, thank you.”

Seasonal Talk

Here in the United Kingdom we are supposed to have four seasons, each of about three months long; winter, spring, summer and autumn (fall in America) - though sometimes we seem to get them all in one day:  There's an English saying, "If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes and it will change".

The How-To Essay

How to Write a How-To Essay That Inspires Your Readers to Action

Do you know how to do something that you find others asking about frequently? Alternatively, are you a quick learner, with a knack for picking up systems, processes, or just general ways of "doing things"?  Do you find you can easily explain ways of doing things in a lay-person's terms to others to help them accomplish tasks? If so, you're the perfect candidate for writing a How-To Essay. If not, you can certainly learn how to write a How-To Essay, so that you can pass your knowledge on to others and inspire them to "get at it."

The Business of Writing for Business

While conducting business certainly involves the language of numbers, it just as much depends on the language of words. Knowing financial formulas, accounting equations and more is important; however, you explain all of this with words. Modern business systems, practices, functions, and more, depend on the good old English language in a host of countries worldwide.

This is just an overview of the main types of business writing you might be confronted with. In the coming months, we'll expand on each in more detail and by the end of the series, you will have a well-rounded view of business writing, which will help you to understand how to approach each task and to further your work in the world of commerce.

Here's our run down of the main types:

Music and Communication

English is now a common language around the world, but for thousands of centuries, people from different areas of the world have made contact without sharing much or any common language, and let's face it - many still do. But have you ever thought about the way people communicated long ago, before formal languages even existed? Doesn't that make you think about the different ways in which people may communicate now, even when they do not share a common language? In the early stages of human life, music was probably used more for communication than for pleasure: drums, horns and bells, even the human voice; pitched to carry many miles. Some researchers believe that early forms of human language developed from communication through music, and certainly music continues to fulfil many functions in different cultures today.

Why Study in the UK?

Are you thinking about studying in the UK?  If you aren’t, you may want to consider it.  There are several different benefits to studying in the UK.  The various courses offered at UK universities and colleges are tough, yes, but they are designed to prepare students for professional careers.  Along with the academic knowledge you will gain, there are other advantages to studying in an international environment.

Always you yourself you hid

by Robert Louis Stevenson

I saw you toss the kites on high  
And blow the birds about the sky;
And all around I heard you pass,
Like ladies’ skirts across the grass—
O wind, a-blowing all day long,
O wind, that sings so loud a song!

Football Diary - On the road to ruin

by Patrick O’Connor

PHEW! Where to start?

So much is going on in football off the field at the moment that it is easy to forget that it is a sport, a competitive, physical encounter between two teams of 11 individuals with the ultimate aim of putting a ball into a net more times than your opponent.

A selection of headlines from stories in the news. They use English in a way that you might think is intended to confuse but it's all perfectly clear to the native speaker.

Sin No More

At a very poor chapel in the valleys of Wales they took up collections, baked cakes and washed cars for months to get enough money to buy paint for the chapel exterior which was bare and weather-beaten.

The Sound Above my Hair

By Scooter  (It's loud - Get ready for summer)

Here I go, out to rave again
Hardcore fills the air
The sound above my hair.

Change 4 Life

Click "Read More" for the transcript, but click on the link below to watch the ad first.

Watch it here:-

Change for life

Every month I choose a photograph from Flickr to appear here.  Hopefully something interesting and informative.

Every month I choose a quote from people far wiser than me to appear here.

A Trail Runner's Blog- Blog of the month

A blog that does what it says on the label.  It contains interviews, research, fiction, product ideas, and all things related to trail running, ultrarunning, and triathlon racing in the USA, and Scott Dunlap has been keeping this blog up to date since 2004 - that's like a marathon in itself.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

by Lewis Carroll

Site of the Month - March

Matthieu Ricard is a Buddhist monk, an author, translator, and photographer. He has lived, studied, and worked in the Himalayan region for over forty years. His web site is about the spiritual masters, landscapes, and people of the Himalayas.