Nick Shepherd
Subscriber since: Sun Jan 03 11:35:13 EST 2010
Location: London, United Kingdom
About Me
I'm especially interested in looking at language as more of a plant than a structure. Language doesn't follow rules, it makes them.

I work with people who are learning English as a second language, as a teacher, and as language editor of Modern English Teacher, a journal for TEFL/ESOL teachers. Contact me at [email protected]

I also help English speaking children to learn about "language" - not "a language", but "language".
My Word Lists
My Favorites

Favorite Quote:

"Only connect..."
- E M Forster

Favorite Topics:

Dictionaries:

The Post-Dictionary World?
Thu Jun 03 09:00:00 EDT 2021
Finding (or Inventing) Euphemisms in the Latest OED Update
Wed Nov 13 00:00:00 EST 2019

Grammar:

Seven Sentences You Should Stop Writing
Mon Nov 23 09:00:00 EST 2020
How to Make Your Sentences Shorter
Thu Jun 25 09:00:00 EDT 2020

Language:

Metaphors We Live By (Updated)
Thu Mar 03 00:00:00 EST 2022
Brand Names of the Year for 2021
Thu Dec 16 00:00:00 EST 2021

Language arts:

The Enduring Impact of English Teachers on Students
Tue Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2015
The Art of Subterfuge: Using Pop Culture to Create Interest in the Classics
Fri Dec 05 00:00:00 EST 2014

Linguists:

Joseph Stalin and Problems of Linguistics
Thu Apr 07 00:00:00 EDT 2022
Of Dialects, Vernaculars, and Code-Switching
Thu Feb 03 00:00:00 EST 2022

Teaching:

Teach Your Children Well
Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2019
The Enduring Impact of English Teachers on Students
Tue Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2015

Word Origins:

Shoot! How Gun Idioms Color Our Speech
Thu Jul 21 12:00:00 EDT 2022
Scale Your Onboarding
Thu Jun 02 00:00:00 EDT 2022