Category Archives: Language

Brushing up my French with Michel Thomas

Posted on April 21, 2009 by

I have just started brushing up my French by listening to Advanced Course: French by Michel Thomas.  Undoubtedly the man is a genius, although I agree with other reviewers that the level isn’t that advanced.  (I am qualified to teach … Continue reading →

Posted in Language, Self-help | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Acquaintances of various/varying degrees of closeness

Posted on March 8, 2009 by

The other day I sent an email using the heading “Overdue update for relatives, friends and acquaintances of varying degrees of closeness”. I received a witty response from a friend subtly pointing out that I should have said “various degrees … Continue reading →

Posted in Language, Miscellaneous, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fame at last! The voice of “rogue, scoundrel, rascal”!

Posted on March 5, 2009 by

I was delighted to receive an email today telling me that I am now the official voice of the Scots word for “rogue, scoundrel, rascal”. Let me explain: a few days ago I was recorded by Katrina MacLeod of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Language, Miscellaneous, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The French connection, pesto, post, and post-pronoia post positivity

Posted on February 28, 2009 by

Pronoia and positivity work!  Since this post great things have happened, especially today! 1) I received a cheque in the post (for some transcription work). 2) I received a positive email from a potential commissioner, pleased with the sample work … Continue reading →

Posted in Language, Philosophy, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Not hot sex, yet mad fun: the joy of three-letter words. Part II.

Posted on February 27, 2009 by

[UPDATE 20 APRIL 2009: Since this was first posted it has had about 300 hits from people seeking information on the Dogue de Bordeaux. I have added information on this breed, and have referred to two books which should be … Continue reading →

Posted in Language, Pets and vets, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Not hot sex, yet mad fun: the joy of three-letter words. Part I.

Posted on February 27, 2009 by

The last post was heavy stuff, so here’s a fun one! In my penultimate post I mentioned my favourite words.  Later I realised I had omitted one:  yet. yet Yet is the crème de la crème of conjunctions,  a feminine sophisticate.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Language, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The case of the hyphen and other crimes of omission and commission

Posted on February 21, 2009 by

Many lament the effective demise of the apostrophe, misused to the point of uselessness. (Here’s a wee poem I penned on the subject many years ago. Note that it might have better to have referred to possessive adjectives rather than … Continue reading →

Posted in Language, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Public Apology and “The Scottish Cringe”

Posted on January 31, 2009 by

My recent comments, reported in the Edinburgh Evening News,  condemning the lack of indigenous Scottish content in the Edinburgh International Festival, do not represent the views of the Society of Authors.   It was not my intention to give the impression … Continue reading →

Posted in Language, Politics, Scottish Parliament, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment