Reading · Close attention
The pause that changes a paragraph
Read for movement, not just information. See how punctuation controls pace, emphasis and expectation.
Open the annotated story →A journal for curious English learners
Notice more.
Say more.
Language is in the details.
0:00 / 0:09
Start with a story →/ˈnjuː.ɑːns/ — nyoo-ahns
Not just a synonym — a shade of meaning!
Sentence under the lens: subject → predicate → detail
Carefully,AdverbthewriterNounchoseVerbawordNounthatRel. pron.carriedVerbmoreAdverbthan onemeaning.Noun
Start by noticing.
One useful detail can change the way you read, write, listen or speak.
Try this today
Underline the smallest word in a sentence. Ask what disappears when you remove it.
Listen twice
First for the idea. Then for stress, linking and the speaker's attitude.
Three ways in.
Short enough for today; substantial enough to change tomorrow's language.
Writing
Revision is a way of thinking
A practical method for making sentences more exact without making them stiff.
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Listening
Hear the sentence beneath the words
Use prominence, pauses and pitch to hear what a speaker considers important.
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Words
Build a useful word map
Connect meaning, register, collocation and sound instead of memorising an isolated definition.
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