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In any spoken language, punctuation marks are so discreetly used that students (and even adults) are not able to use them correctly. Punctuation helps organise sentences so that we know when there’s a stop, a pause, an emotion or an inquiry. Knowing how to punctuate correctly is critical to avoid unwanted misinterpretations.

Observe these two sentences. The same words are used; the only difference is the punctuation used, and its position in the sentence.

1. A woman, without her man, is nothing.
2. A woman: without her, man is nothing.

Sentence #1 shows how important the role of a man is in a woman’s life.  On the other hand, Sentence #2 indicates that a woman is important in a man’s life. As you can see, it’s the opposite of Sentence #1. Neither sentence is gender-biased, so which belief do you subscribe to?

See how different sentences mean just by changing the position (and the type) of the punctuation mark? In spoken English, you’ve to ensure that when you say something, you need to stop and pause at the right time, or else you’ll get into trouble. Therefore, for both example sentences, you should say like this:

1. A woman, [pause] without her man, [pause] is nothing.
2. A woman: [stop] without her, [pause] man is nothing.

Here’s another example. Compare all three sentences. Can you tell the difference?

• The man eats shoots and leaves.
• The man eats, shoots and leaves.
• The man eats shoots, and leaves.

Have fun and hope to hear from you.

You know what I like about English? You could confuse others with homophones especially in the written form. Homophones are words that are spelt differently, but pronounced in the same way. Two of such words are “lumber” and “lumbar“.

lumber (n.) = wood that has been roughly cut up, or has been cut into planks or boards

lumbar (adj.) = referring to the lower back of your body

Examples:

• The house is made of hard lumber so that it lasts a long time.
• Get a chair with good lumbar support to avoid severe backaches.

For a comprehensive list of homophones, click on this external website.

What’s one of the most problematic word in English? It is “I”, the pronoun. By itself, the pronoun is not a problem, but when used with the conjunction “and“, the problem occurs. Which of the following is correct?

• you and I,  OR
  you and me
  

Both are correct!! The only difference is where they are positioned in a sentence. However, to see the difference, you need to know whether the pronoun is in the subject position or the object position in that sentence.

Note:
A “subject” is a noun(s) or a pronoun(s) that appears before a verb.
An “object” is a pronoun(s) that comes after a verb.

Examples:

1. Jack and I (subject) went (verb) up the hill.
   
2. Tom met (verb) Jack and me (object) on the hill.




3. Tom is waiting for (prep.) Jack and me (object) on the hill.
4. Jill climbed the hill with (prep.) Jack and me (object).

Sentences #1 and #2 are obvious. In Sentence #3, you see the preposition “for” before the pronoun. The grammar rule states that for any preposition objects, use the pronoun “me” in the sentence.

Remember Michael Jackson’s environment song, “Heal the World“? Here’s part of the lyrics (the chorus) to illustrate the use of preposition objects for pronouns:

… Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And (For) Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And (For) Me …

Take note that I’ve put the preposition “for” in parenthesis to indicate that it is optional especially in the written language.

I believe you’ve been in a situation where you wanted something in the kitchen, but when you asked for it, all you could say was: “Please give me that… that thing [pointing to the object].”

Here are some of the objects that are commonly found in kitchens but not commonly asked for in English

measuring spoons

grater

spatula

mortar and pestle

rolling pin

grinding stone

meat cleaver

ladle

turner

tong

peeler

wok

We use body language all the time. In fact, body language is universal. No matter what language you speak, the body language doesn’t change. Whether you’re happy in Mandarin, Tamil, Japanese, Thai or English, you smile and anyone who speaks these languages understands you. That’s the beauty of body language. It conveys a universal message without having to speak. Check out this video and have fun with body language.