What's the etymology of the phrase "once and for all"? What's the earliest known attestation?
posted by topynate
on Feb 11, 2011 -
5 answers
I’m in the process of writing an English education book, and I’m going to be using a lot of information: maps, lists, etc. I need to know how I should cite my sources.
[more inside]
posted by eggrollover
on Feb 10, 2011 -
5 answers
Why is the sentence "Let's read,
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen." incorrectly punctuated?
[more inside]
posted by rinosaur
on Feb 9, 2011 -
35 answers
What is the best English MA grad school that focuses on literary forms and content, and literary canon? Secondarily, a PhD program that has a 'hidden' MA possible in this area?
[more inside]
posted by reenka
on Jan 21, 2011 -
14 answers
I only speak English and I live in a country where much of the English spoken is devoid of plurals and tenses and has a very limited vocabulary. In order to communicate most effectively, would I be better off speaking in technically correct sentences or simplifying my speech similarly?
[more inside]
posted by m1ndsurfer
on Jan 17, 2011 -
20 answers
Looking for group exercises, videos, exciting material to teach easily-distracted college students the building blocks of essay-writing and analysis.
[more inside]
posted by ilana
on Jan 15, 2011 -
2 answers
Can't remember a poem about drowning, and I think it has a mention of a "piston". Can anyone help?
[more inside]
posted by asymptotic
on Jan 12, 2011 -
6 answers
I'm teaching a humanities course at an open-admission college. The students are extremely poor writers, and have almost zero knowledge of English grammar. This semester, I want to help them avoid comma splices, since that's one of the top three issues I see in their papers (spelling errors and sentence fragments being the other two). Can you help me design a lesson/activity to help them?
[more inside]
posted by philosophygeek
on Jan 11, 2011 -
16 answers
When a sentence uses more than one object, how are objective pronouns used with them? Common sense would say that they are only relevant to the direct object, but what if I want to refer to the indirect object? Hardcore grammar-mining ahead!
[more inside]
posted by Senza Volto
on Jan 8, 2011 -
21 answers
Is there any graduate program that emphasizes writing skills (in English) while providing a rigorous education in grammar, literature, and related languages (i.e. Latin), without focusing on literary criticism, but rather on writing itself? More after the jump.
[more inside]
posted by Nebula
on Jan 8, 2011 -
17 answers
A friend is searching for "a word that describes the state of knowing something but being unable to express it". Not by physical defect or injury, but like being tongue-tied. He's looking for one word only.
posted by jeffrygardner
on Jan 2, 2011 -
26 answers
English language filter: Do all nouns have a plural form? If not what is an example of a noun with no plural form?
posted by West of House
on Dec 16, 2010 -
46 answers
Can you suggest a good television series (preferably with available English subtitles) for people learning English?
[more inside]
posted by rhombus
on Nov 23, 2010 -
13 answers
How do you go about the thought process to make an argument (as opposed to a theme, statement, or observation) about a work of literature for AP English Literature?
[more inside]
posted by elaine
on Nov 20, 2010 -
3 answers
Give me an idea of two very different things, that I could show similarities between -- that relate to me.
[more inside]
posted by ptsampras14
on Nov 16, 2010 -
11 answers
I want to make this short and excuse my uneasy temperment.
I'm in Korea teaching English. Teaching for almost a month to be exact. No background in teaching nor attending a seminar for ESL teaching. It's very hard since I'm doing this in the middle of the last school semester.
I don't know what to do to be honest. I speak Korean and this is a menace. They have huge expectations about me as I can speak both languages.
I need to improve my teaching skills overall
ASAP. But what to do?
posted by sanskrtam
on Nov 15, 2010 -
29 answers
Have you ever heard the word "palaver" in actual use in English to describe a group discussion? What other English synonyms are there for a workplace group discussion?
[more inside]
posted by keijo
on Nov 13, 2010 -
40 answers
Looking for a Spanish tutor to help me polish my skills while I'm in Tegucigalpa, Honduras for a month (Feb-Mar '11) - do you know such a person? Do you know a better way?
[more inside]
posted by stuboo
on Nov 10, 2010 -
3 answers
Help me refresh my Spanish at the same time that my 8 month old acquires it. Where can we watch Spanish-language cartoons online?
[more inside]
posted by 256
on Nov 9, 2010 -
7 answers
I am a volunteer for an organization building a nonprofit university in Angola. I am tasked with finding funding for English as a Second Language education--all students who do not speak English will take year long intensive course in English. I'm looking for whatever help I can get in finding funds.
[more inside]
posted by wires
on Nov 4, 2010 -
10 answers
I'm trying to remember the name/address of a funny website I used to visit perhaps 8-10 years ago or so. It was a humor site from out of England I think, presented in kind of a newspaper 'broadsheet' format, and had a distinctly anachronistic writing style, which I remembering being kind of Edwardian/P.G. Wodehouse-ish.
[more inside]
posted by pziemba
on Oct 28, 2010 -
5 answers
I am toying with starting Polish/English conversation group in London and I want it to be a success. What can I do to make it work?
[more inside]
posted by Helga-woo
on Oct 28, 2010 -
3 answers
Other than, "It just is!", how do you explain to someone the pronunciation rule for: bush/push versus hush/lush/rush where the
ush is pronounced differently.
posted by querty
on Oct 6, 2010 -
35 answers
Do you know of any programs to help an elderly Chinese and Vietnamese speaker learn English?
[more inside]
posted by rybreadmed
on Oct 3, 2010 -
8 answers
Teachers and other folks who work in the field of education: Where can I find out what’s currently popular/important in middle-school and high-school education? I’m looking for professional resources, trends, current education gurus—the kinds of things I’d find at Heinemann or at conventions like NCTE or IRA, but I’ve already been on the Heinemann site, and I can’t make it to conventions this year.
[more inside]
posted by TEA
on Sep 20, 2010 -
6 answers
Is there a term in linguistics for the residual accent a non-native speaker has when speaking English?
[more inside]
posted by Biru
on Sep 17, 2010 -
11 answers
Curriculum recommendations for teaching English (ESL kids, ages 3-5, 6-7, and 10-11)
[more inside]
posted by sdis
on Sep 7, 2010 -
4 answers
Please help me find similar pronunciations of profanity and non-profanity for my Korean class e.g., "beach" and "NSFW"
[more inside]
posted by Knigel
on Aug 17, 2010 -
13 answers
I'm currently finishing my last English Literature Honors paper and aim to continue academic study. My dilemma is that I am unsure of whether to apply for an English Literature MA or a Creative Writing MA.
[more inside]
posted by New England Cultist
on Aug 12, 2010 -
18 answers
Are British people kind of socially retarded or is it normal for them to not be chatty and friendly with people they don't know well?
[more inside]
posted by KimikoPi
on Aug 5, 2010 -
57 answers
I'm trying to make a list of epics that kill most people in college Lit - the really great ones that for many people are impossible to get through, but can be so worthwhile if they do. Here's a rough list so far:
[more inside]
posted by soulbarn
on Jul 28, 2010 -
65 answers
