Cultural English

Topics: D.B. Cooper; the Underground Railroad; extend versus expand; God forbid; brown-bag lunch

Topics: Ask an American: Tattoosto cover up (something), talk versus say versus speak, pronouncing certain consonants in the middle of words

Topics: American Cities: Chicago; The Star-Spangled Banner; just versus only versus mere; to kick butt

Topics: Famous Americans: Amy Tan; Americans with Disabilities Act; to take convincing, full-fledged, dude

Topics: The CIA; how to become a court interpreter and/or an interpreter for the U.N.; haunting versus haunted; completion versus completeness; to take (somebody) on

Topics: The Chinese Exclusion Act; Library of Congress and the public library system; I thought versus I think; anyway versus however; to make (someone) earn (something)

Topics: Ask an American: childhood obesity; besides vs. furthermore vs. moreover; wink-wink; thrill

Topics: American Cities: Salt Lake City; university admissions; within versus inside versus interior; so much for; to want out

Topics: Famous Americans: William Randolph Hearst; what to call people from the top five cities/states in the U.S.; please as the magic word; using an apostrophe (‘) for possessive cases, remember versus remind

Topics: Cook-offs and bake-offs; public health codes; a software evangelist; to look forward to; sandwich versus hamburger

Topics: Registering to vote and efforts to get out the vote; the G.I. Bill; growl, groan, and mutter; personnel and other collective nouns; to be fond of

Topics: Ask an American: cults; can versus could; will versus would; freedom versus liberty

Topics: Make-a-Wish Foundation; American Cities: Key West and the Florida Keys; must versus ought to versus need to; nuts and bolts; to buy (something)

Topics: Naming Rights; Famous Americans: Cesar Chavez; Why Americans have middle names; future perfect tense; American versus U.S. as an adjective

Topics: U.S. Mint; how auctions work; cache versus cash; listen to versus listen for

Topics: Brown v. Board of Education; yearbooks in American schools; indeed; none of them is/are; down to the wire

Topics: Ask an American: underage drinking; to chalk (something) up to; fluke; quite; ain’t; domino effect and chain reaction

Topics: American Cities: Detroit; wills, living wills, and advance healthcare directives; solution and solve vs. resolution and resolve; family vs. household

Topics: Alternative energy; Monticello; criticize versus chastise versus chasten; please inform versus please be informed; to denominate

Topics: Famous Americans: Weird Al Yankovic; Alcoholics Anonymous; figure out versus realize; kind of; noun + --ee and --er

Topics: America's Most Wanted; buying a first home; similar to but distinct from; on the side; a fair extent

Topics: Ask an American: forecasting the future; offhand; off the top of one’s head; out with the old, in with the new; using “more” versus “-er” to form the comparative

Topics: Famous Americans: Barack Obama; presidential inaugurations; common versus ordinary versus normal; darling and dear; full-fledged

Topics: The song Amazing Grace; specialty cable/satellite channels; to slay, to kill, to murder, to slaughter; I love it versus I’m loving it; dollar versus buck

Topics: Appalachia; family arrangements in the U.S.; pain, ache, and sore; diehard; fruitcake

Topics: The Innocence Project; Craigslist; percent versus percentage; the “in” crowd/place; to swear in

Topics: Ask an American: living in a tiny home; volume versus issue versus version

Topics: Famous Americans: Sacagawea; NASCAR racing; to take its toll (on someone); you are/is; whatever versus whatsoever

Topics: Anti-miscegenation laws; Silicon Valley and the Research Triangle; freeway, highway, and expressway; to sport; dosey doe

Topics: Medical/dental tourism; warehouse club stores; yell versus shout; to be depended on; to last; kind versus kindly