Cultural English

Topics: American Cities (Territories): American Samoa; how to become a pilot in the U.S.; objective versus subjective, to be flanked by, power versus empowerment; to delegate versus to defer

Topics: Ask an American: corruption in U.S. politics; have to versus must; what about versus how about; worthy versus necessary

Topics: Famous Americans: Langston Hughes; childcare options in the U.S.; to totally own(ed) (someone); bad news

Topics: Native American casinos; YouTube; impact versus influence, created in/on/by; so far versus to date

Topics: Taxes Americans pay; wedding/baby showers and gift registries; leverage, to dig, to guess versus to think versus to believe

Topics: American Cities: San Diego; tabloid press and U.S. libel/slander laws; under (someone’s) thumb; precision versus accuracy; coming to you from

Topics: Ask an American: student exchange programs; begs the question; face value; at the time versus then

Topics: Regulating monopolies and antitrust laws; American songs: Happy Birthday; whilst versus while; to blow away (something); using “do” for emphasis

Topics: Famous Americans: Helen Keller; The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing; opposable thumbs; due to versus because of; the prefix “Mc”

Topics: The U.S. Supreme Court; microloans/microcredit; less than (X) days versus up to (X) days; mainstream account; words ending in –ic versus –ical

Topics: American Cities: Dallas; conservative Christian/fundamentalist universities; to wear (someone) out; shrink; already

Topics: Ask an American: private gun ownership; north of; compulsory versus mandatory versus obligatory; mayday

Topics: Classic comic strips with a political/social commentary bent; child protection laws; uncalled for; state versus status; as though

Topics: Author/artist royalties & ASCAP; house swapping; hop in versus pop in versus drop in; compound nouns

Topics: Famous Americans: Orville and Wilbur Wright; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; each day versus every day versus everyday; split infinitives; to spare (someone) (something)

Topics: American Cities: Indianapolis; Malcolm Gladwell and his books; to brush up on versus to polish up; to come off; a matter of

Topics: Ask an American: segregation; paradise lost; to go off; trip versus journey versus voyage versus travel

Topics: The Secret Service; tween culture; on versus upon; exclamations “My God” and “Jesus Christ”; evidence versus proof

Topics: The Rocky Horror Picture Show; civil disobedience; night versus evening; starring; force versus enforce versus reinforce

Topics: The White House; noises made by animals, humans, and machines; document versus documentation; to have to do with; gawd-awfully (god-awfully)

Topics: Famous Americans: Flannery O’Connor; 60 Minutes; well-(something); red and blue states

Topics: Ask an American: civility; sour versus tart; (something) is king; thorough versus comprehensive

Topics: The Red Cross; Casablanca; to estimate versus to evaluate versus to appreciate; to let (someone/something) be; aim versus goal

Topics: Fraternities and sororities; the foster care and adoption system; scholarship versus grant; commie

Topics: Alcatraz; The Simpsons; using negation with an infinitive; heaven versus heavens; kind of versus sort of versus type of

Topics: NASA; Famous Americans: Jackie Robinson; conference versus meeting versus session; second to none; narrative versus story

Topics: Ask an American: Nursing; responsible versus accountable; -wise; to double back

Topics: Beauty pageants and controversies; the National Weather Service; like versus same as; how do you do?; what’s up; have a good one

Topics: The Golden Age of Hollywood and the studio system; the busing controversy of the 1970s; as well versus also versus too; to take into account; “why” as an interjection

Topics: American Cities (Territories): Puerto Rico; People Who Work for Celebrities; cooperation versus collaboration; instance versus instantaneous versus instant; pronouncing won’t and want