Observations on the world and its inhabitants
Why Dialogue Punctuation Matters in British English Getting dialogue punctuation right can transform an author’s fiction from amateur to professional. In UK English, the choice between a comma and a full stop (period) is one of the most common stumbling blocks — especially when deciding between dialogue tags like “he said” and action beats like ...
Let’s be honest from the start: by today’s standards, the phrase “you couldn’t swing a cat in there” (or “there’s no room to swing a cat”) sounds pretty grim. It evokes an image of animal cruelty that most of us would rightly find shocking and unacceptable. Yet many people in the UK still trot it ...
For writers, journalists, and professionals operating within the United Kingdom, adherence to correct UK English spelling is not merely a preference; it is a fundamental requirement of competence. Official and academic audiences expect consistency, and mandate the use of British conventions. Using the established standards ensures clarity, maintains editorial authority, and respects the national linguistic ...
I recently discovered two books that have quietly become my new writing bibles: New Hart’s Rules: The Oxford Style Guide (2nd Edition) and The New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors. And honestly? I wish I’d read them years ago. As I’m deep into drafting my second novel, The Kael’Nyrin Scrolls: The Atlas Edict, I’ve ...
In this post I will focus on why I do not speak German – and most in the West continues to speak English. It is about history – and tough if you have have a dog to bathe, plants to water and Instagram to check on. Did I say you have to read this now? ...
I’m always fascinated to learn new words. When I say ‘new’ I mean words that I did not know or use, or words that I had forgotten about. The following is a recent list, which is being updated as I discover new words: Ham-fisted Bucolic Hagiography Obstreperous Rapscallion Bloviation Skedaddle Sinecure This post is not ...
This is England. They speak English over here. It is the national language. I live in England. I grew up speaking English in another land. It is my only language. I then spend over 30 years living in England speaking the English I knew from another land (that was an English colony), but learned some ...
