Lindsay Lewis

English/ ESL consultant: Word worker, writer, teacher, mentor and poet. Author of This Won’t Hurt a Bit! on writing clear content.

English: The Wild and Crazy Bird

Posted by on Oct 10, 2017

 After 25 years of teaching, I still love my job. My clients reveal the strange irregularities of English grammar which keep it fascinating.  This week, my Iranian engineer wrote a question using the verb to be. We all know that the verb to be conjugates as follows: I am, you are, he is, we are , you are,  and they are, for it is an amalgamation from two verbs in Old English. My student wrote...

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The Goldfinch: A must read

Posted by on May 11, 2017

I have just discovered Donna Tartt- and if you love literature, her novel The Goldfinch is a must read. The novel is luminescent- every word evokes a place, a feeling, a character. Set in New York , the novel explores the world of Theo, the teenage protagonist whose mother has been tragically killed in an accident. Aside from being a riveting plot, it’s the beauty of each word that makes...

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Could you say that again please?

Posted by on Apr 2, 2016

I was looking at runners the other day and the employee at the shoe store had his lovely Labradoodle with him. When his dog began pawing me (he could smell treats), the owner called him.  I was somewhat astonished, however, when he said, “Come here Bastard! ” I thought gosh, that’s an odd name for a dog! Finally I asked the fellow why he called his dog Bastard. “His name...

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Speech: Your business suit

Posted by on Mar 1, 2016

A few years ago, I was in New York, returning from a Yankees vs Mariners baseball game. On the subway, fans were discussing the game. I was listening to one man speak and within 30 seconds, I had ascertained that he was from Seattle. I said to him, “Oh, you are from Seattle!I’m from Victoria.” Shocked, he asked, “How do you know?” “I’m a linguist”,...

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The dynamic nature of language.

Posted by on Feb 4, 2016

English, our much maligned language, has been criticized for centuries for its irregular grammar and guestimate spelling. Hundreds of years ago, before literacy was widespread, monks slaved away in candle-lit caverns, writing announcements with up to three variants of a word. Later, when Gutenberg invented the printing press, English was forced to comply -to a degree- to create a standardized...

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