Everyday English for Grown-ups

Here are some examples (well there’s one already):

Stationery/Stationary Paper and envelopes/Remain still

tense tells us about the time of the action (now, in the past, in the future). The person refers to who is carrying out the action: first person singular (I); second person singular (you/thou); third person singular (he, she, it); first person plural (we); second person plural (you plural); and third person plural (they).

This usage can add colour or humour to what a person is saying – but it has to be deliberate and discerning

A two-tier language developed, with Norman French words being used by the ruling class, while their Anglo-Saxon equivalents were used by the natives

Civilization is based on communication; faulty communication leads to misunderstanding and can impede progress. As the world has developed, so has language, and quite rightly

The tense tells us about the time of the action (now, in the past, in the future). The person refers to who is carrying out the action:

Most infinitives in other languages are one word, but English infinitives take a to before the verb – to be, to go. This is why it’s the only language that can split its infinitives – by inserting an adverb between to and the verb as in ‘to boldly go’– much to the dismay of some purists, who point out that although the infinitive is made up of two words, those two words represent a single idea

give an indication as to who performed the action.

Verbs are the most complex parts of speech. This is because, as well as describing an action, they tell us when the action took place, and give