First English sighting of ‘ball lightning’: a 12th century monk’s chronicle reveals all: Scientists still struggle to agree on what ball lightning is caused by. Wikipedia, CC BY On June 7, 1195, a fiery spinning ball emerged from a dark cloud in an erstwhile sunny sky close to the London lodgings of the bishop of …
Five ways the internet era has changed British English – new research: Irina Bg / Shutterstock The dramatic changes in technology over the past 20 or so years, from the internet to the smartphone and digital assistants like Alexa, have made communication more accessible than ever before. We have created an online world where we …
South Africa in the news: The English cricket Christmas 2021 gift guide: If English cricket really is in the doldrums, then a look at the cricketing gifts available for loved ones this year tells a different story. If not bathed in quality, the 18 first-class counties and …: “South Africa” – BingNews Rugby League Heroes: …
South Africa in the news: Restoring the oyster reefs of old to protect English waters: In South Africa’s Pinnacle Point cave, where the earliest artifacts of Homo sapiens have been found, lies evidence that about 150,000 years ago, our ancestors shifted from a terrestrial diet to the …: “South Africa” – BingNews The Code Switch …
Football: English fans want an independent regulator – here’s how it could help save clubs from ruin: Bolton Wanderers celebrating promotion to League One in 2021. Shuttterstock/Jake Kirkman Football clubs are not like other businesses. Their primary aim is not to make a profit, but to win matches. Research shows this creates a conflict between sporting …
What’s missing from English literature at school – emotion: BearFotos/Shutterstock Reading fiction is an emotional experience. Feeling emotions – even negative emotions such as sadness – drives reading and helps us enjoy books. Research from the National Literacy Trust, a UK charity, has found that nearly 45% of children and young people said that reading …
An artist and a writer visited the English seaside during the pandemic – this is what they found: An older couple sit outside beach-huts in Bournemouth. Louis Netter, Author provided Unfurling along the sandy border between town and beach, the English seaside is a place of contradictions – rich and poor, old and new, fun …
South Africa in the news: Sri Lanka await arrival of English juggernaut in Sharjah: England will be aiming to continue their perfect start to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 when they face Sri Lanka in Sharjah on Monday.: “South Africa” – BingNews ICC T-20 Cricket World Cup: Two matches to be played today: …
I translated the Marquis de Sade’s only gothic novel into English: Wikimedia In 1813, a year before he died, the Marquis de Sade wrote his last published book, The Marquise de Ganges. The novel is based on a 17th-century true crime that Sade – notorious aristocrat, libertine and pornographer – probably first heard of as …
Five things people get wrong about standard English: When I recently explained why teaching grammar in primary school still matters, Radio 4’s Today programme invited me to debate the importance of standard English. My opponent was Nevile Gwynne, a British private tutor, author and, as presenter Nick Robinson put it, a “stickler for the right …
Jimmy Greaves: English football’s top goalscorer who blazed a trail of stardom and redemption: Jimmy Greaves was the most prolific goalscorer in top-flight English football. @SpursOfficial Watching the surviving film of the football work of the recently departed England international striker, Jimmy Greaves, is a stark reminder of the vastly different playing regimes that existed …
The carbon footprint of a full English breakfast – and how to reduce it: One of the most popular UK breakfasts is less than friendly to the environment. Ruckers/Pixabay Over four-fifths of the English population say they enjoy a full English breakfast. But when food production accounts for a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, …
Check out this Paternoster image: Image from page 576 of “An introduction to English literature” (1902) Image by Internet Archive Book Images Identifier: introductionto00panc Title: An introduction to English literature Year: 1902 (1900s) Authors: Pancoast, Henry Spackman, 1858-1928. [from old catalog] Subjects: English literature Publisher: New York, H. Holt and company Contributing Library: The Library …
Jack Grealish, Harry Kane and why release clauses should become standard in English football: Jack Grealish has become the first £100 million footballer in Premier League history with his move from Aston Villa to Manchester City. This record for an English club transfer may not last long, though, because Manchester City are reportedly willing to …
Check out this Camps Bay Beach image: Mum and Dad at the English Bay Inukshuk (_32_6431) Image by [Ross] An inuksuk (plural inuksuit) [1] (from the Inuktitut: ?????, plural ??????; alternatively inukhuk in Inuinnaqtun,[2] iñuksuk in Iñupiaq, inussuk in Greenlandic or inukshuk in English[3]) is a human-made stone landmark or cairn used by the Inuit, …
Check out this Paternoster image: Image from page 241 of “Hippopathology : a systematic treatise on the disorders and lamenesses of the horse, with their most approved methods of cure ; embracing the doctrines of the English and French veterinary schools ; the opinions of Professors Colem Image by Internet Archive Book Images Identifier: hippopathologysy02perc …
A cool Paternoster image: Image from page 82 of “The captivity and death of Edward of Carnavoron ; Some conflicting tendencies in English administrative history during the 14th century ; Mediaeval and modern warfare” (1919) Image by Internet Archive Book Images Identifier: captivitydeatho00tout Title: The captivity and death of Edward of Carnavoron ; Some conflicting …
UK Nationality and Borders Bill Q&A: how will it affect migration across the English Channel?: Record numbers of migrants have reportedly been crossing the English Channel into Britain, with news websites full of photos of people on tiny boats making the dangerous crossing from France. According to some reports, at least 430 migrants reached the …