New year, new books: The Wager
One of my resolutions for 2024 is to get back into reading (paper) books and spend a bit less time ...
Zach McLaughlin
My 2023 in the rearview mirror
My biggest achievement of 2023 was finally visiting Nova Scotia for the first time in my life. In J...
Zach McLaughlin
Quick tips: exaggerating numbers
Many languages have words for large but indefinite numbers, and English is no exception! In fact, t...
Zach McLaughlin
How will AI affect language learning in the future?
Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash Two years ago, during my Master’s degree program, I took a cou...
Zach McLaughlin
Christmas movies: New(ish) favourites
Today I’d like to share two Christmas movies that are fairly new (they came out within the last 5 y...
Zach McLaughlin
Autumn/Winter 2023: Tutor Column Award
I know I haven’t been posting articles as often as usual during this busy holiday season, so I was ...
Zach McLaughlin
Talking about weather in English (verbs): Part 1
You’re no doubt familiar with common weather words like “snow” and “rain,” but do you know how to d...
Zach McLaughlin
For a long time, I didn’t really decorate my apartment for Christmas. Because I always spent Christ...
Zach McLaughlin
Quick tips: British vs. American spelling
Some of the differences between British and American English spellings follow well-known patterns, ...
Zach McLaughlin
Many Canadians will tell you that the history we learn in school is not particularly interesting, b...
Zach McLaughlin
Photo by Morgane Le Breton on Unsplash It’s been a while since I posted anything and that’s becaus...
Zach McLaughlin
The pumpkins are carved and the spider cookies have been made. The house has been decorated and the...
Zach McLaughlin
How long do you think a dog can live? The average lifespan of a dog is 10 to 13 years, but Bobi, th...
Zach McLaughlin
Halloween traditions - bobbing for apples
Halloween traditions have changed a great deal over the years, but one of the oldest Halloween trad...
Zach McLaughlin
Talking about ghosts in English
Different types of ghosts Halloween is fast approaching, so today I’d like to introduce some diffe...
Zach McLaughlin
Photo byJenny Kalahar onUnsplash While I love autumn decor of all kinds, I make an effort to use n...
Zach McLaughlin
Working at a chocolate shop: Part 2
In Part 1, I introduced SOMA, a chocolatemaker in Toronto. But what is it actually like to work the...
Zach McLaughlin
Working at a chocolate shop: Part 1
As some of you may know, my wife is the manager of a chocolate shop in Toronto called SOMA, and I a...
Zach McLaughlin
Autumn vs fall: Is there a difference? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “Both are used...
Zach McLaughlin
Planning a fall getaway - busy October
Photo - Leaves changing colour near my homeI feel like I missed fall last year because I had Covid ...
Zach McLaughlin
Quick tips: in the blink of an eye
There are plenty of ways to express the quick passage of time in English. The most well-known is pr...
Zach McLaughlin
Changing language trends at work
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash Business Insider published a new article recently detailing the ...
Zach McLaughlin
Photo byTracey Hocking onUnsplash Earlier this year, I went into the kitchen after dinner and foun...
Zach McLaughlin
Talking about retirement in English
In a recent post, I talked about pensions and retirement, so today I’d like to share some vocabular...
Zach McLaughlin
Photo byAaron Burden onUnsplash Many people are concerned about their retirement and pension these...
Zach McLaughlin
Quick tips: stressful vs. stressed (out)
When it comes to adjectives, one of the most common mistakes I hear is when people use the word “st...
Zach McLaughlin
Favourite summer activities (in Canada)
Photo byMichael Niessl onUnsplash I recently came across an article about 11 summer activities tha...
Zach McLaughlin
Talking about insects in English: Part 2
Things insects do While some insects fly or hop/jump, most insects crawl. Ex. Ack! A caterpillar ...
Zach McLaughlin
Talking about insects in English: Part 1
Summer is a busy time for insects. You can hear the cicadas calling and the bees buzzing throughout...
Zach McLaughlin
Photo: My Dad, Mr. BBQAlthough I already took a few days off in June to visit Halifax, Nova Scotia,...
Zach McLaughlin