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 | Oct 5, 2010 | Voice to Word Post - Other
Phrasal verbs are verbs that are used with prepositions or adverbs, thus creating a different meaning from the original verb. For example, TURN is different than TURN ON (meaning to flick the switch to on, or the more sexual meaning of to excite) or TURN INTO (which...
by Heather Chetwynd | Aug 11, 2010 | Accent Modification
Many of us know the English idiom, “It takes two to tango.” This saying applies very much to communication between native and non-native language speakers – especially in a multicultural, immigration-rich society like Canada. It is common for non-native...
