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Category: Language

Captain Tom, a legend 100 times over: Happy Birthday from us all

Posted on April 29, 2020 by Brian McGee - General, Language, Outdoors

Captain Tom Moore is turning 100. The World War II veteran, modest, friendly and cheerful, has touched the hearts of us all by completing a challenge to walk 100 times around his garden near London with the help of his stroller. Raising £29 million and counting (£29 million!) for charities supporting the National Health Service… Read more »

Swallowed the dictionary? 8 ideas for clear and engaging business writing

Posted on April 17, 2019 by Brian McGee - Editing, General, Ghostwriting, Language

Like any skill, it takes effort, practice and perseverance to write clearly and in a way that engages your loyal clients – and attracts new ones. Whether it’s writing a business plan, a blog or an award entry, here are 8 ideas that will help you to boost your writing skills – and, if writing’s… Read more »

St Patrick (diplomat, snake chaser) – and the gifts of language from Ireland

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Brian McGee - Creativity, General, Language

What better excuse to celebrate the language and turns of phrase of Ireland than the feast day of St Patrick, patron saint and myth magnet. Beyond the tales of snakes chased into the sea and a herd of swine rustled up for hungry sailors, would you ever spare a thought too for St Brigid, another of… Read more »

Burns: Scottish poet’s lonely glens, tim’rous beastie, homage to haggis

Posted on January 24, 2019 by Brian McGee - Books, General, Language

Wee tim’rous beastie: wouldn’t you be with that bird of prey in pursuit? As Burns Night beckons, what better occasion to savour some of his poetry. Celebrations to mark the birth of Robert Burns are held in venues from eastern Scotland’s Glamis Castle to the Birmingham Whisky Club 7 hours south. Then there’s the homage… Read more »

Books wish list (take 10 minutes): AI, trees, furious hearts, Rumpole’s poetry

Posted on January 21, 2019 by Brian McGee - Books, General, Language

We all have way too much to do, whether for work or all the rest of it. All the more reason, perhaps, to take 10 minutes here and there to read a book… Relaxing? For sure. Develops our skills including writing? I’d say so. Reading fiction also helps us become more empathetic, I’ve often heard… Read more »

Halloween: straddle the broom or shun the revellers? 9 words to savour

Posted on October 29, 2018 by Brian McGee - Creativity, General, Language

Bats in your belfry… Zombies, ghouls and skeletons giving you goosebumps… Halloween is getting increasingly hard to ignore. Fan or not of fright night, leave the eye of newt and lizard’s leg to simmer in the cauldron then join us on a meander around 9 Halloween-themed words. Poetry is included – you decide whether that’s… Read more »

Beyond the commentary box, off the pitch… a tour around clichés

Posted on July 3, 2018 by Brian McGee - Editing, General, Language

football penalty blog cliché

Football commentators, usually ex-players of the beautiful game, often face criticism for using clichés. (A game of two halves, anyone?) At the end of the day, and when all’s said and done, why should they get all the flak – or have all the fun*? As England faces Colombia in Moscow, here’s a brief meander… Read more »

Adventures in language: around the world in eight… expressions

Posted on March 21, 2018 by Brian McGee - Books, General, Language

You arrive in a country, thinking you have a fair grasp of the language. Then along comes a word or expression that bamboozles, confuses — or perhaps just delights… Grab a magic carpet, prick up your ears and join us for a whistle-stop tour of eight linguistic lovelies. Botswana / Botswana: reetsa It’s a command that… Read more »

Father’s Day: four things my dad taught me – by doing them

Posted on June 16, 2017 by Brian McGee - General, Language, Marketing, Networking

My dad — who moved on to the great blogosphere in the sky, as he might have put it himself, a few years back now — had consistent, unwavering “brand values”. Brand is what brand does, I heard RBS head of marketing David Wheldon say at a conference a while back. This isn’t about banking… Read more »

French elections: time for a madeleine-free meander

Posted on May 3, 2017 by Brian McGee - Books, General, Language

Whatever sound and fury at the moment with Brexit bickering back and forth, the election’s second round in France at the weekend is, as they might say, incontournable. No treatise here on Macron vs Le Pen and politics outre-Manche. Rather a brief meander, in no particular order, around things French and language. (Excuse the lack of French… Read more »

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