Unless you've never been on the internet (impossible if you are reading this), you have probably seen the symbol # popping up in messages and in posts online.
It used to be used to show a number, and was often known as the number sign, or hash. In North America it was also known as the pound sign, but not any more. The internet has changed all that.
Variety is the spice of life, and because many words of modern English come from lots of different sources, French, German, Nordic languages, Latin, Spanish and even Hindi and Eskimo, speakers and writers have lots of choice when it comes to which words to use.
For example:-
Is this bed hard or solid?
Is he clever / intelligent / bright / smart ...?
This all makes English a rich language, but it can be frustrating.
According to American linguistic researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Chicago, the language that we speak has an affect upon at least half of what we see. Among the examples they give are the many distinctions made in English, between colours, which do not necessarily appear in other languages, and vice versa.
When it comes to writing in order to persuade other people to believe you know what you are writing about, and to persuade them to buy into what you have written, you need to get it right, but you don’t have be perfect when you are starting out, it takes time to develop your own writing style, so when you start out, keep it simple.
Think about when you tell a friend about a fantastic meal you had at a local restaurant. Do you follow a formula to make sure you’ve told them just the right things? No – I bet you don’t: You just let the conversation flow naturally.
Nice is one of those words which have changed in meaning over time.
Yesterday I was a sent a picture of my young great niece running at her first school sports day. Her mum said, ‘She was going like a train.’ That is with full power, very fast.