English Enjoyed Extra

Episode 23 - Borrow vs Lend

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 17:30:23 GMT

Dear English Aesthetes,

Borrow and lend may seem straightforward at first blush, but just like make and do, bring and take, they have their nuances.

These words are commonly confused because they describe the same temporary transfer of ownership from two opposite perspectives—giving versus taking. The confusion is exacerbated by influence from other languages that use a single word for both, and the fact that “borrow” is often used incorrectly to mean “lend” in colloquial speech (e.g., “borrow me a pen”).

May this lesson lend you a hand in your pursuit of mastering them.

Yours faithfully,
Thomas

Episode 22 - Bring/Take/Fetch

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 05:30:50 GMT

Dearest English Aesthete,

Bring, take, and fetch may already feel perfectly, or intuitively logical to you; however, I assure you there is some nuance to be discovered because the appropriate word hin…

Episode 21 - Remember/Remind/Forget

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 07:31:04 GMT

1. The Core Rule

The verbs Remember and Forget are unique because they change their meaning entirely depending on what comes next: an Infinitive (to do) or a Gerund (doing).

It is a question of time tr…

Episode 20 - Make vs Do

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 16:31:08 GMT

Dearest English Enjoyer,

The difference between Make and Do is one of the most common stumbling blocks for learners of English, as many languages use a single verb for both.

If English is one of our mother tongues, we learn this distinction through collocation—which is the habitual juxtaposition of a particular word with another word or words with a frequency greater than chance—or more simply expressed: through exposure and repetition.

I hope you do your homework, and make a note of any mistakes.

Yours faithfully,
Thomas

A Cacophony of Homophones

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:03:10 GMT

Dearest Member,

Homophones are words that sounds the same, but are spelt1 differently. Think: there, they’re, their.

While question words are not typically confused for other words, here is a playful s…

Episode 19 - Can vs May

English Enjoyed with Thomas — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 17:31:01 GMT

Episode 18 - Comparisons

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 18:30:53 GMT

Dearest Member,

Today is a curious case of comparisons.

As we most aspects of grammar, there is the rule, and—to keep one ever guessing— exceptions to the rule.

When learning language as a child, we us…

Episode 17 - Collective Nouns

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 18:30:37 GMT

Dearest Member,

Today we have the curious grammar case of collective nouns. Sometimes they are singular; sometimes they are plural—how capricious of them. American English tends to favour using singul…

Don’t say… noisy

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 17:31:15 GMT

Dearest member,

Here is a shorter and slightly different video on expanding your vocabulary.

The word “noisy” is a linguistic blunt instrument. It tells us the volume is high, but it fails to tell us t…

Episode 16 - Allow/Permit/Let

English Enjoyed with Thomas — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 09:31:05 GMT

1. The Core Rule

The verbs Let, Allow, and Permit all mean “to give permission”, but they follow different grammatical patterns.

The choice depends on formality and sentence structure:

Let (Informal): F…

Episode 15 - So/Such/So Many/So Much

English Enjoyed with Thomas — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 09:30:21 GMT

1. The Core Rule

In English, we use So and Such to add emphasis or intensity (meaning “very” or “to a great degree”). The choice depends entirely on the type of word following them.

Using SO

Use So befo…

Quarterly Review - 1

English Enjoyed with Thomas — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 12:08:03 GMT

Dearest member,

We have safely surpassed the tenth episode in A Murder of Mistakes—although some characters have not made it unscathed through their depositions!

My hope is that your English has become…

Largest vs Biggest

English Enjoyed with Thomas — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 17:30:17 GMT

1. The Core Rule

While often used interchangeably as synonyms for “maximum size”, biggest and largest carry distinct underlying meanings regarding dimension versus intensity.

Largest: Refers primarily …

Episode 14 - Must vs Have To

English Enjoyed with Thomas — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 08:55:55 GMT

Dearest Member,

Must you do something? Well, sometimes we have to. If you’re curious about the subtle nuances between these two terms and how to use then effectively, then it is absolutely imperative …

‘Only’ placement focus

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 19:33:41 GMT

Dearest member,

Are you reading only this and nothing else? One hopes so. For should you miss today’s lesson, you will miss not only a rule that governs whether you will be invited back to my dinner p…

Episode 13 - Some vs Any

English Enjoyed with Thomas — Sun, 15 Feb 2026 08:30:24 GMT

Dearest member,

Today’s lesson broaches the topic of Some vs Any. This should be a wonderful refresher for learners of English and a delightful insight into just how these words are used for those who…

The use of 'quite' in British English

English Enjoyed with Thomas — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 17:30:18 GMT

1. The Core Rule

In British English, the word quite is a linguistic shapeshifter. Its meaning changes entirely depending on the type of adjective that follows it.

Scenario A: The Diminisher When paired…

Episode 12 - Much/Many/A Lot

English Enjoyed with Thomas — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 08:31:25 GMT

Present perfect for subtle emphasis.

English Enjoyed with Thomas — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 17:31:14 GMT

Dearest member,

Ah the English tenses… there are twelve major verb tenses to master, each of them evoking various degrees of subtlety and nuance. Today we spotlight on the Present Perfect tense and ho…

Episode 11 - A Few vs Few

English Enjoyed with Thomas — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 09:30:15 GMT

Have you ever noticed how by simply adding the letter ‘a’ before ‘few’ or ‘little’, you can change the whole meaning of what you are saying?