From India With Love: Ten Borrowed Words

by Kevin Burton    Hindi and Urdu are two of the languages spoken in India. Today, a list of words borrowed from those languages, courtesy of Merriam-Webster.    You can thank the dictionary and me today, if you are sleepy, or need to wash your hair: Pajamas: a loose usually two-piece lightweight suit designed especially for …

More Words You Can’t Quite Count On

by Kevin Burton    Yesterday we brought clarity to numerical words and phrases which are indefinite, in some cases  to the point of mystification.    And you have come back for more. Thanks! And here is a bonus number-word definition: If I say “thanks a bunch” or “Thanks a million” it’s all the same.    …

Helpful Hints For Tricky Words And Phrases

by Kevin Burton    I can still hear Rosa, one of my English as a Second Language students trying out a new  word, “seldom.”    I was a reasonably good teacher without having had any training. She was a very good student, having had better teachers in the earlier levels of English study.    “Seldom.” …