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Home & Household Vocabulary (Flat or Apartment?)

An American film says "leave your coat in the closet" — flat or apartment, wardrobe or closet, sorted

Roger Fielding 4 min read
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Transport Vocabulary (Lift or Elevator?)

The sign says elevator, you wanted a lift — the transport words that swap sides of the Atlantic

Roger Fielding 4 min read
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Food & Shopping Vocabulary (Crisps or Chips?)

Ask for crisps in an American shop and watch the blank stare — the chips/fries tangle, untangled

Roger Fielding 3 min read
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Clothing Vocabulary (Trousers or Pants?)

You know the words, you've worn the clothes — until trousers meets pants and the meaning flips

Roger Fielding 3 min read
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Formal or Informal? Choosing the Right Register

"Write it formally" says one teacher; "sound like yourself" says another — how to pick the right register

Roger Fielding 12 min read
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Contractions in Formal Writing: Is "Don't" Ever OK?

"Don't" comes back ringed in red on a history essay — when contractions actually work in formal writing

Roger Fielding 12 min read
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Slang, Emoji, Ellipses & Dashes: When They Earn Their Place

One emoji, one dash, one ellipsis... knowing when they land and when they just look sloppy

Roger Fielding 12 min read
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Academic & Professional Style: Credible Without Stiff

Blank page, renewable energy essay due — how to sound credible without sounding like a robot

Roger Fielding 13 min read
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Impersonal Tone, Hedging & Cautious Claims

It could be argued or I think when hedging sounds sharp not shifty

Roger Fielding 10 min read
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Nominalisation: When Verbs-Turned-Nouns Help (and Bury)

Two sentences, same idea, one buries it — spotting when a noun swallows a verb

Roger Fielding 9 min read
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Professional Writing: Emails, Reports & Workplace Tone

It's 4:52 on a Friday and that email won't write itself — getting the tone right

Roger Fielding 13 min read
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Clarity & Concision: More With Fewer Words

You've read your own draft back and it just sags — trimming until it holds

Roger Fielding 12 min read