410GG Just Because

1151. This week, we look at the deep history of words with Doug Harper, creator of Etymonline. We look at the "gravitational" link between digging a grave and having a grave problem, the surprising 1839 origin of "OK," and why some of our favorite word stories are actually "folk ...  Show more

1150. This week, we look at "impact" as a verb and why it's a pet peeve for so many editors and readers. Then, we look at the linguistic shift between sympathy and empathy, exploring how "sympathy" began to sound patronizing and how "empathy" expanded to fill the gap.Links to Get ...  Show more

📚 In this video, I explain the best way to improve your speaking skills, why vocabulary tends to be more important than grammar, why second-guessing grammar harms your ability to communicate, and why you don't need to STUDY grammar rules to correctly FOLLOW them. 

In this grammar episode, you get to practise Dutch sentences with omdat, want, daarom, dus. These are not easy, because some take inversion, some don't (and sometimes you can choose). Take ten minutes to translate and repeat, to make real progress. Don't forget to check ...  Show more

In this video, I talk about why grammar instruction is not as important as we are taught to think and why you're better off focusing on reading, listening, and speaking. 

I want you to STOP saying "I don't like it."

Why?

Well, there's nothing wrong with that sentence, but English has so many alternatives!

So let's get beyond that basic phrase and <a href= "https://www.espressoenglish.net/10-english-phrases ...