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Google search results have shown inquiry about whether ‘tamper justice with mercy’ is correct. The simple answer is NO. To ‘tamper’ is to make changes without permission, especially to damage, so it doesn’t correlate with ‘mercy’. ‘Temper’ means to make something less strong or extreme. Consequently, ‘temper justice with mercy’ is the correct expression and it is used to plead for lighter…

Reports show that borrow and lend are often interchanged by some speakers of the English language. For clarity, these words are converse antonyms—words that cannot exist without each other. This implies that for someone to borrow, there must be another to lend. Borrow and lend are also reciprocal pairs like give/take, teach/learn and open/close that show both sides of a situation. Let’s explain…

Though most speakers of English know this is a negative word, it is often mistaken for ‘loud’ or ‘noisy’. Lousy, an adjective, actually means ‘very bad’, ‘unpleasant’, ‘very poor’, ‘of bad quality’. Examples: He gave me a lousy book which made no sense. I had a lousy weekend. She is such a lousy girl and nobody wants to associate with her. Meanwhile, other words that are close to talking loud…

As opposed to a belief that it is the unholy money you get after diabolically sacrificing a human being, blood money has a range of different meanings. The open compound word means ‘money paid to a person who is hired to kill somebody’, ‘money paid to the family of a murdered person’ or ‘money paid to someone for giving information about a killer’. Examples: He was a local informant who got rich…

Impeach, a verb, is a popular word in politics and public service. In the US, to impeach is ‘to charge a public office holder with a serious crime, such as fraud’; in British English, it’s ‘to charge someone with treason or another crime against the state’. However, it doesn’t mean the person has been removed from office. It can also mean ‘to question the validity of a practice’ or ‘cast doubt on…

The adjective ‘restive’ is one of those English words that seem to mean the opposite of what they actually denote. When you are restive, you are ‘unable to stay still’ or ‘unwilling to be controlled’. Examples:  He was so bored that he remained restive throughout the lecture. Let’s talk to the restive ones before the situation escalates into something serious. His partner was restive throughout…

The word ‘double date’ is an open compound noun used as a synonym for ‘infidelity’, ‘cheating’ or ‘dating two people’ by some speakers. However, this is not correct. A double date is a situation where two couples go out on a date to see a movie, go to a restaurant, etc. It simply means an occasion where a couple goes on a date with another couple—four people in all. Examples:  Tomi and Charles…

Bogus is one of those English words that do not mean what they sound like. Bogus, an adjective,  doesn’t mean ‘massive’ or ‘big’; it simply means ‘not genuine or true’, ‘counterfeit’, ‘illegal’, etc. On the whole, it describes something that is made to look like what it’s not. Examples: He brought some bogus documents to the meeting and couldn’t defend himself. We didn’t pay her because the…

If you have ever heard or used the word ‘tasking’ to replace ‘physically and mentally demanding’, then it’s time to start using ‘taxing’. The word ‘taxing’, an adjective, is used to say something is difficult, demanding or needs a lot of effort. Examples: He was so tired after the taxing project that he switched off his phone to rest. If the tasks here are taxing, we will all resign sooner or…

IELTS preparation: The single mistake that ruins everything

If you don’t stop making this mistake like most candidates, you will continue taking IELTS exam while also wasting money on tutorials and time on preparation. The mistake is: focusing on the exam rules more than the rules of the language. Don’t get this wrong. The rules are very important—and you should learn them—but examiners grade your proficiency, not your knowledge of exam rules. Imagine…

EASY ENGLISH (PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTS & EXAMS)

This is a unique study ebook for any English language test or exam, whether written or spoken. EASY ENGLISH encapsulates COMPREHENSION, GRAMMAR and ORAL ENGLISH tricks and tips as well as model questions, answers and simplified explanation of each answer. It also simplifies grammatical names and functions, two of the toughest topics in English grammar. For IELTS candidates, the tricks and tips in…

Short lesson: Why you should not use ‘self-acclaimed’

The compound word ‘self-acclaimed’ has been used by some speakers of the English language in place of ‘self-proclaimed’ for a long time. However, whoever coined such word has not enjoyed grammatical recognition up to today. No English dictionary has ‘self-acclaimed’ in its lexicon nor does it exist in English language. The word ‘acclaimed’ is an adjective meaning…

The arrangement of adjectives has been quite a task for a number of English language users.

Let’s go through it right away.

The arrangement

Sometimes, we use more than one adjective before a noun, that’s why we need to know how to arrange them.

If you have a car, red in colour, expensive, salon and small, how do you arrange these attributes in a sentence? Generally, adjectives which describe…

Meet Edward Okpoko A.K.A VOICEMAN

Edward Okpoko is a Nigerian singer and songwriter who hails from cross River State. Popularly known as Voiceman, he was born in Zaria kaduna, raised in Abuja and is currently based in Abuja.

In 2018, Voiceman  made his music debut officially in Nigeria. His energetic personality, coupled with his passion for music has set him apart as a voice in the society that speaks in the interest of people.

Free Ebook Download: questions, answers, explanations…

You’ve seen and studied questions/answers books, but would you love to see one with a simplified explanation of each answer? That’s what this ebook is all about.

Whether you’re studying for an examination or just need lessons in modern English, this is for you.

You would love it—rest assured.

May you find the knowledge you seek.

Download.

The comma rules you should know

On the one hand, the comma is apparently the most popular punctuation mark in English; on the other hand, it is often misused.

These are the uses of the comma you should know:

v To separates items.

Examples:

1. He bought shirts, jackets, trousers, socks, and shoes. 2. The names on the list were: Olusola Adeboye, Leon James, Uchechi Anazodo, Usman Rabiu, Polinosky Sanzer and Emily Kuzalu.