“Mr Clennan?” said Mr Barnacle. “Be seated.” Mr Clennan became seated. “You have called on me, I believe,” said Mr Barnacle, “at the Circumlocution–” giving it the air of a word of about five-and-twenty-syllables, ” Office.” … “I have found Read more…
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that you can’t spend any time in London without catching a phrase or two of roadman slang. So whether you’re a frazzled mum trying to decipher what the heck your kid is saying, or just Read more…
I submitted planning permission for an extension to my house, and almost immediately received three letters, each headed: ‘Successfully submitted planning application’. But they’re not from the council. They’re from local builders. Here are the opening paragraphs: I’m reaching out Read more…
Imagine a kitten. You decide if it’s black and white, ginger or another colour, and how fluffy it is. What is it doing? Is it curled up asleep, or walking about, sniffing? Listen very quietly… what can you hear? Is Read more…
As a business, are you a generalist or a specialist? Both can work. My first Saturday job (way back in the 1980s) was in a department store. A one-stop shop where anyone could buy anything. We’ve since witnessed the rise Read more…
Italian singer, Adriano Celentano, released a song in the ’70s with nonsense lyrics meant to sound like American English, apparently to prove Italians would like any English song. It was a hit.
I asked my neighbour what he did for a living. “I’m a sub-editor,” he told me, “with special responsibility for commas”. His response made me laugh. Hope it did the same to you? Punctuation matters. I’m a word geek, so Read more…