Academics

Many of us are familiar with Thor and his hammer due to their appearance in Marvel’s Thor and the Avengers movies. But the legends of Thor and his hammer, Mjolnir, go back hundreds of years. The Vikings commonly wore Mjolnir amulets, so why did the Vikings wear Thor’s hammer? The Vikings wore Thor’s hammer for …

When you’re in a meeting or writing an email and want to refer to a previous conversation, there are plenty of options in English. But what about when you refer to a specific point, fact, or opinion? Is it correct to say “as discussed”? You can use the phrase “as discussed” when describing a specific …

Imagine you need to get something from a friend. Of course, you’re not going to keep this thing forever, but you’ll just use it and give it back. Is it correct to say, “Please borrow me something”? The structure “to borrow me” is incorrect because the verb “to borrow” explains the action of taking something …

We have all kinds of experiences in life, whether positive or negative. When we have a negative experience, we might say we feel bad about that experience. But wait, is “feel bad” the correct way to express it? The correct phrase is “feel bad.” When we say “feel bad,” we mean we are experiencing negative …

Language is easiest to learn when it follows predictable patterns. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. The word “feet” is one of those cases, so is it correct to say “both feet”? Yes, it is correct to say “both feet.” Since “foot” is an irregular noun, it does not end in “s” in its plural …

As you hear and read more English, you will come across many idioms and phrases that either sound odd or possibly don’t make sense to you. Many of these have developed over time, and native English speakers use them without even thinking. One of these is the phrase “as you are aware.” It is correct …