Showing 1 - 7 of 7
Words of the year are bit of a worry
Roger Crutchley, Published on 07/12/2025
» More words or phrases of the year have been drifting in courtesy of the major dictionaries and I'm afraid most of them are not particularly encouraging. In fact some are a disturbing indication of the direction in which the English language and society are heading.
Plain English fights a daily losing battle
Roger Crutchley, Published on 06/04/2025
» In the UK there is an organisation called the Plain English Campaign that strives to uphold standards in everyday spoken English. Some might say it is fighting a losing battle but they deserve a pat on the back for their efforts.
A magical weekend at Yasgur's Farm
Roger Crutchley, Published on 18/08/2024
» Every year there are anniversaries marking significant events from the past and they always serve as uncomfortable reminders that I am getting a bit old. A classic example is this weekend with the 55th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival. Now that's scary. Surely it couldn't have been that long ago?
Jokes aren't what they used to be
Roger Crutchley, Published on 27/08/2023
» It is customary at this time of the year for PostScript to try and lighten up proceedings with what have been voted the best jokes by stand-up comedians at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe which wraps up this week. Unfortunately this year's offerings have been decidedly underwhelming, or perhaps I'm getting a bit too ancient to appreciate modern wit. Anyway, prepare yourself for a few groans.
Bangkok still tangled up in 'sky spaghetti'
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 14/08/2022
» Earlier this week I was sitting in the customary traffic jam on Sukhumvit near Phra Khanong Bridge and found myself gazing at the tangled mess of overhead cables which have decorated Bangkok's streets for so long. It was not a pretty sight, especially dangling in front of ageing shophouses and filthy iron grilles that are not exactly a vision of splendour themselves.
'Flying comma' suffers a bumpy landing
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 15/12/2019
» Although it didn't make the headlines, there was a small item of news last week that will sadden those who treasure the English language. It looks like the poor old apostrophe is coming to a full stop. Finally admitting defeat, the chairman of Britain's Apostrophe Protection Society dedicated to preserving the much-abused punctuation mark, threw in the towel and announced it was all over, stating "the ignorance and laziness in modern times have won".
Wild Boars become a part of history
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 15/07/2018
» This time last week the rescue mission of the 12 young Wild Boars and their coach had only been half completed. They had all been found miraculously alive, but the question remained how to get them out. And in all honesty, it didn't look great. It was a very strange, uncomfortable feeling. With heavy rains forecast, the initial joy of finding them transformed into the real fear that they could not escape what had become their watery dungeon. It was a race against time.