by Heather Chetwynd | May 24, 2011 | Culture and Values
Like the police officer who confused PASSED AWAY with PASSED OUT (see the joke “Idiom Danger” below,) many of us mix up English expressions. For example, we may blend two idioms, mix up the preposition in a phrasal verb, incorrectly hear the words in an expression or...
by Heather Chetwynd | Jan 23, 2011 | Culture and Values
Have you noticed that some people sound less authoritative than others? It could be because they are unsure, hesitant or speaking too quietly for the context. But commonly the reason is the intonation being used – what we call “uptalk.” Also known as “upspeak,”...
by Heather Chetwynd | Nov 11, 2010 | Culture and Values
I was on the phone recently getting some tech support. As is often the case, I was talking with someone from India. I wanted to know whether I was doing something correctly and, after explaining it to the technician, I asked if I was doing it in the right way. “Of...
by Heather Chetwynd | Feb 11, 2009 | Culture and Values
Canadians are often considered indirect because we often soften our comments with questions and suggestions rather than criticizing in a very straight forward manner. (This the subject of another post.) But we are also generally expected to be direct in Canada,...
