Allow me to begin this post by asserting my absolute and utmost respect for anyone trying to learn the English language, because it is hard as hell. I can’t personally say I know this through experience because English is my first language, but I have worked with enough individuals through tutoring who are attempting to … More Trying to learn English? Read this
I decided roughly a year and a half ago that I wanted to attempt to learn Spanish. There are languages aside from Spanish I would also like to learn one day, like Hungarian, as an example; the reason behind selecting Spanish to pursue is because I would like to be able to carry actual conversations … More Does Duolingo work?
I graduated high school over ten years ago. As reluctant as I am to admit that, the detail is relevant to this post. Ten years is a decent length of time, and while it isn’t anything too wild, when it comes to education, I do think it should be considered a significant duration of time. … More Could the English teaching curriculum use a refresher?
In the realm of essay writing, transitional sentences are kind of a big deal. I realize essay writing is not something that applies to most people, unless you happen to be a student. However, understanding how to go about writing a proper transitional sentence is something I consider to be a life skill, and while … More Here’s how to master a transitional sentence
The concepts of sales and salesmanship are ones that have intrigued me for many years now. When I was finishing up high school, I wasn’t entirely sure of what I wanted to study in university, and sales was recommended to me by a number of people, one such person being my guidance counsellor at the … More If you’re in sales, read this
Essay writing is a concept of writing that more people than not struggle to comprehend. In essence, the prospect of composing an essay doesn’t sound all too difficult; you’re required to select a topic, formulate an argument around that topic (assuming you’re writing an argumentative essay), and use your paper as a means to convince … More Writing an essay? Read this
I’ve made mention of the fact I dabble in some English tutoring here and there; I’ve been tutoring for roughly two years now, if I remember correctly, and I can ultimately thank my husband, Blaine, for inspiring me to do so as I believe it was his idea originally. I’ve worked with a variety of … More Writing exercises: kid edition
About a year-and-a-half ago now, I decided that I wanted to learn how to speak Spanish. My family and I know a little bit of Spanish because of our migrant workers; over the years, they have taught us a few phrases and words, but none of us are anywhere near fluent. One of our workers, … More The reality of learning a new language
I would wager that when most folks hear the term ‘poetry,’ the cringe internally a little bit. Poetry is often the brunt of a lack of appreciation and understanding, and as someone with an academic English background, I really cannot fathom why. I think part of the misconceptions affiliated with poetry has relevance to people … More Poetry: a misunderstood art
Continuing yesterday’s discussion regarding common misconceptions, today’s post will again dissect some popular beliefs many of us consider to be true that are, in fact, false. I’m not here to burst anyone’s bubble, but I figure it best to educate someone on a matter like this as opposed to allowing them to continue living a … More Common misconceptions: are you a culprit? (part two)
Poetry is, in my own observations, something that seems to be met with a warm, enthusiastic and inclusive attitude, or the opposite; there is not a tremendous amount of middle ground when it comes to poetry, and people tend to love it or hate it. I realize that is a generic extreme, but I’m hoping … More A moment of appreciation for poetry
This past weekend, great friends of ours came to my parent’s place for dinner. This couple is primarily friends with my mom and dad, which is how I was introduced to them; in time, they have become wonderful friends of my own, Blaine and my sister as well. We often engage in stimulating conversation with … More Why are we still teaching Shakespeare in schools?
Words, in principle, can be fickle. In trying to determine which specific words to use when trying to express a certain emotion or feeling, it can be challenging to identify which words will deliver your message in the best way possible; precisely, concisely, and clearly. English is a bitch of a language even for native … More Do you really know what you’re saying?
A little while ago, I composed a post discussing gratitude. I emphasized the significance of recognizing what we are grateful for in our daily lives because it is so easy to take things for granted when we get caught up in daily routines and habits, and I truly believe acknowledging what we are thankful for … More Let’s start a gratitude list
As of late, Duolingo has somewhat taken the language world by storm. If you haven’t heard of it, not to worry – I’ll fill you in to the best of my ability. I just heard about this app a few months ago, and because I’ve always to be able to speak Spanish to be able … More Have you tried Duolingo?
After reading the title of this post, I figured I should probably stipulate that when I say contractions, I am referring to the grammatical kind, not the pains that are experienced once a woman is in labour. Had I not stipulated which version of the word contraction I am discussing in this post, I may … More Understanding contractions
As I have mentioned here on my blog before, I’ve been dabbling in English tutoring, part-time, for a few months now. So far, I’ve really been enjoying it; I have a handful of clients, varying in age and skill level, and while I very much am a person of routine, I’ve been enjoying the unpredictability … More Gaining knowledge through new opportunities
Spelling is something considered to be a tremendous hurdle for a lot of us to conquer. And, really, I can see why. As someone who studied English in university, I am fully aware of how fucking ridiculous spelling can be within the English language, and, simply put, the spelling of specific words really doesn’t make … More Do you struggle with spelling? Read this
As I mentioned in my former post about punctuation and proper use in the English language, there are a lot more forms of punctuation than we arguably realize. Most of us, when we think of punctuation, consider more common forms of it, for example, periods, exclamation points and question marks. But, as anyone who knows … More Navigating even more punctuation
Within the past couple of months, I’ve been dabbling in tutoring. More specifically, I’m tutoring folks who are looking for some assistance pertaining to the English language, and I’ve been enjoying it so far. Because I haven’t exactly applied my English learnings to a more detailed degree since coming back to work full-time on the … More What in the homonym?
I have started to dabble in a wee bit of English tutoring here and there as of late. I figure it might be beneficial to actually put my education to use, seeing as I’ve been inactive in the journalism world for a while now, and because I was so turned off by journalism in the … More Recognizing the subjectivity of the arts
As most of us English-speaking individuals are well aware, English is a rather unique language in terms of its grammatical stipulations, spelling, and phonetical pronunciation of certain words. I would go so far as to say that a lot of elements of the English language don’t make much sense, and seeing as I studied English … More What in the word?
Anyone who is relatively familiar with the English language could have probably guessed that a single post wouldn’t suffice to delve into the convoluted aspect of understanding how to properly use quotations in this particular language. I probably could have jammed all of the learnings affiliated with proper quotation use in English into one blog … More Navigating the use of quotation marks, continued
English is a damn difficult language to learn. For those of us who were brought up speaking this language, we recognize its intricacies, but they don’t really baffle us all that much because we were taught the language from such a young age. For folks who are not fluent in English and were brought up … More Navigating the use of quotation marks
The other day, I had a bit of a twilight zone moment, if you will. I was exercising in my basement, and for some unknown reason, my mind was suddenly inundated with memories from when I was playing the sport of rugby, which I loved. It was a passion of mine, when I was playing, … More The significance of taking the time to explore what we love
Finding a job you’re qualified for can be tricky nowadays. It seems as though more and more people are struggling to find work in their area of expertise, and I know that for some of us, this is a troubling realization. Right now I am working at a golf course. In my job I do … More It’s okay to be working in a job unrelated to your field
ontheedgeofeverything 