Some more Practical English Usage questions

Once again, the sections to look at are in the Comment below.

1. What's the difference between 'big', 'large' and 'great'?

2. What do speakers of US English do on a 'crosswalk'?

3. How many pounds are there in one billion pounds in formal, UK English?

4. There are three common intonation patterns in speech in English. What are they, and what are they used for?

5. Which is correct and why: "the climate gets warmer" or "the climate is getting warmer"?

The Richardson household is a bit of a hospital right now

I've been having a bit of a fraught week - the rest of family came down again with stomach flu (magsjuka) at the beginning of the week. I've been spared, but that's meant that I'm the only person who's been available to nurse all the others!

So … if you've been expecting responses to me to posts or e-mails, I'm afraid I've just been too busy doing other things.

Normal service will be resumed soon, since it looks as if they're all recovering nicely (and, boy, will I get good treatment the next time I'm ill!).

Getting to know Practical English Usage

Practical English Usage is the 'grammar book' on this course … but it's actually a lot more than that. It's a great source of practical information about how English works, and you can use it to help you plan language presentation lessons too.

So … here are five questions, the answers to which you'll find somewhere in Practical English Usage (If you look at the Comment I've written on this post, you'll find which sections to look in).

1. When Americans say 'pitcher', what do British people call it?

2. What's the difference between 'speak' and 'talk'?

3. What do you use a colon for in English?

4. When do you use 'some' and when do you use 'any'?

5. What's the difference between 'small' and 'little'?