Love your job (again)
Dear English Square, I’ve worked at the same company for six years, and it’s OK. Well, it could be better, but I don’t know how to go back to liking, or loving, my job again. In the beginning it was great, but now it’s all routine and more and more meetings. I’ve...
Which English level exam should I take?
Maybe one of your 2021 resolutions is to take an official English exam to certify your level of English. People take these exams for different reasons – work, study, or personal goals – but perhaps the most important thing is to know which one you really need. TOEFL...
How to be more efficient
Now that you’re sitting down to think about resolutions and goals for 2021, maybe one of them is to be more efficient at work. If so, here are some tips to help you get started. Flow Set clear goals that are challenging and at the same time attainable, with deadlines....
Setting goals for the new year? Be SMART!
Resolution: the act of deciding on a course of action. Setting goals for the new year? Be SMART! Resolution: the act of deciding on a course of action. We all love to make resolutions when January 1st rolls around. Lose weight, stop smoking, spend more time with the...
Do you hate writing reports?
It’s the end of the year, which means… time to write reports! We’re talking about budgets, forecasts, productivity, progress, sales summaries, marketing, etc. Bosses, clients, and colleagues want to know what you’ve done, what’s happened, and what will happen, but...
How to write corporate Christmas cards and emails
While most people used WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms to wish friends and family a Merry Christmas, what should you do with your clients and colleagues? A holiday message, apart from expressing warm wishes, can be used to strengthen...
Gender neutral writing
“Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before!” Captain James T. Kirk Sorry, Captain Kirk! You...
ONE and its uses as a pronoun
One is usually used as an adjective, equal to the number 1. That’s easy enough. One day next week you can come to my house. There’s one piece of cake left. When used as a number, it’s a noun. That’s also easy. Four minus three equals one. But one can also be used as...
How did English become so important?
The figures vary, but approximately 360 million people in the world speak English as their first language and another 430 million as a second language. It is estimated that there are 1.5 billion students of English worldwide, and English speakers can be found in...
Rules for writing effective emails in English
Have a clear and direct subject line. This gives the recipient essential information – what is the email about? Is it important? Is it relevant? Make sure the purpose or intention of the email is clear – if this is not explicit, then maybe the email is not...