English in Madrid

In previous posts we have seen the use of negative inversion . Here are some examples to jog your memory : Not only did he win gold,  he also broke the world record Not only will she be the first woman Prime Minister, but she will also be the youngest person to hold the office. Under no circumstances must you talk during the exam. On no account should he get all the blame for the mix-up. Never does my boss  admit that she is wrong. Rarely will an opportunity this good come our way again. Little did I know that we would end up working for the same firm. Only then did I realise that something was wrong. At no point did he show any signs of stress. No way am I going to do that again. No sooner had he arrived than a heated discussion began. We can also use inversion with conditionals . Consider these examples of zero and first conditional : If you need any more information, don't hesitate to call us.. If you want to go ahead, let me know asap. If the flight is dela...

Source:  Brett Jordan on Unsplash University students will not be marked down for bad spelling because it would be ELITIST  Academics have been told that insisting on good written English discriminates  Some universities have been adopting so-called 'inclusive assessment' systems  Regulator wants to reduce gap between white and black student attainment rate University students will not be marked down for poor spelling , grammar and punctuation in exams because it would be 'elitist'.  Academics have been told that insisting on good written English discriminates against ethnic minorities and those who went to 'underperforming' schools.  The Office for Students wants to reduce the gap between the proportion of white and black students gaining good degrees and cut dropout rates among poorer students.  In response, some universities have been adopting so-called 'inclusive assessment', a more flexible scheme first introduced to level the playing fie...

Source: Wikipedia (Archives New Zealand) Prince Philip on royal duty: In his own words   Despite the DoE's many achievements in a long life of service, some will remember him as a man who was often blunt , sometimes to the point of giving offence.  His supporters always said his sense of humour was misunderstood and his remarks often taken out of context. And he himself was not unaware of his reputation - he once described himself as a " cantankerous old sod ".  Here are some of his most well-known lines, in chronological order. You may find some of the quotes below offensive.  2. "Dontopedalogy is the science of opening your mouth and putting your foot in it , a science which I have practised for a good many years."  According to Time magazine, the duke coined a new term for his verbal missteps - incorporating the Latin words for "mouth" and "foot" - in a speech to the General Dental Council in 1960.  3. " Looks like the k...