Category: vocabulary

Will vs. Would

will you marry me

Here we look at when to use will and would.

After reading this post, I’m sure you’ll agree that ‘will you marry me?’ is a better option than ‘would you marry me?’.

Use of will 

We use will to talk about the future.

For example:   “Natasha will complete editing the report by this evening.” 

We use will when we decide to do something at the moment of speaking:

“Don’t worry. I will help you with the accounts.”

 Use of would

There are many ways to use would.

We use it:

to talk about the past, in the same way we use ‘used to’.

When I was in Mumbai, I would jog everyday in the morning. 

When  Shazia was here, we would review the sales figures every Monday. 

to ask a polite question.

“Would you like to meet the duty manager?”

to make a polite request.

“Would you mind if we leave early?”

to make a polite recommendation.

“I would suggest that we wait till tomorrow.”

to talk about something conditional.

“If I were you, I would hire both of them.”

 “I would attend the conference, if I could find the time.” 

“I would have sent you the file, if you had asked me.” 

with indirect speech.

“He said that Anjali would meet us tomorrow morning at the hotel.”

In indirect speech, we are reporting what someone else said. In this case, we use would and not will. We should not say: “He said that Anjali will meet us…”

When to use will instead of would

There are situations when using would could cause some confusion.

Let’s look at these two sentences:

I would send you the finalised contract.

I will send you the finalised contract.

The first sentence sounds tentative. I may or may not send the contract. The unsaid meaning could be: If certain conditions are met, I would send it.

While the second sentence is more certain.

It is more reassuring: yes, I will send it.

Having said that, do keep in mind that the use of would and will can be more nuanced.

For example, if you want to be polite and are sure that there will be no confusion in the mind of the reader, you can write: I would send you the finalised contract. However, if you feel that there could be room for misinterpretation, then go for: I will send you the finalised contract.

And now you know why the question is: will you marry me.

Would you agree?

“He has a chip on his shoulder.” or does he?

blue chip

This is a commonly used idiom: he has a chip on his shoulder.

Some people use it to indicate that he is behaving arrogantly, normally due to his success or position. Perhaps they are making a connection between the chip on his shoulder and a microprocessor chip or a blue chip stock. Actually, this is not the meaning of the idiom.

It is not related to being arrogant.

When someone has a chip on his shoulder, he is angry or feels disrespected. And he feels angry/disrespected because he is under the impression that he has been treated unfairly in the past.

And that is what it means to have a chip on one’s shoulder.

A venture capitalist once said that he looks for an entrepreneur who has a chip on her shoulder, as this means that she will try even harder to succeed. Does that make sense?

How many idioms related to war can you think of? Learn about four of them here.

How many Indianisms can you find in this letter?

out of station

There are three Indianisms in this letter. They are:

  1. out of station

Instead one can say: out of town.

2. kindly

This is a very common word in India. Nothing wrong with it, but do keep in mind that outside India, people usually say please instead of kindly.

3. the same

This, like kindly, is a classic example of Indianism. Instead of ‘the same’ one can say: ‘it’.

And so, the full sentence reads:

Please resend it.

For more on Indian English, check out this post. 

3 common errors in business email writing

You need to be professional in your communication. It is important not to make errors while writing business emails. If you do make them, it will reflect negatively on you. Make sure that you are not making these errors:

3 common errors in business email writing

Here are three common errors that many people make:

1. This email is with regards to your visit.

It should read: … with regard to your visit.

We use the word ‘regards’ when we say: “Send him my regards!”

Or, when we sign off  on an email:

Regards,

Payal

    2. I am looking forward to meeting you.

The phrase, looking forward to, is informal.  We use it when communicating with friends. For example: I’m looking forward to meeting your cousin.

If you wish to have a more formal tone, then write:

I look forward to meeting you.

Note that it should not read: I look forward to meet you.

The verb should always end in -ing. For example:

I look forward to receiving the book.

I look forward to speaking with you.

In this structure, instead of  a verb (speaking, receiving), we can use a noun.

For example:

I look forward to your reply.

I look forward to the presentation.

3. For any clarification, contact me. 

This is informal, and it is okay among friends / colleagues (who are friends).

If you wish the tone to be more formal, write:

If you need any clarification, do not hesitate to contact me. 

If you need any clarification, please call me at 86393389. 

If you need any clarification, please send an email to Tony at: abc@xyz.com

 Do not write: If you need any clarification, please contact the undersigned.

In this case, we normally treat clarification as an uncountable noun, so do not add an ‘s’ at the end. 

This sounds like a lot of work. The reader will first have to find who this mysterious ‘undersigned’ is.

Remember, in general, try to keep your business communication simple and straightforward.

For more in-depth information on the topic, read how to improve your email writing skills.

Spot the Indianism in this photo

Departmental

Indianisms are words / phrases that are particular to India.

In this photo, departmental is an Indianism.

In the US, the word would be replaced with department.

We do use the word departmental, but in a different context. For example, Rani attends a departmental meeting. After the meeting, she buys accessories at a department store.

There are other words and expressions which qualify as Indianisms:

    1. No issues. This is fine when used among Indians. If you work in an international setting, you could say instead: ‘no worries’ or ‘no problem’.
    2. Concerned department. Concerned person. In the US, people say relevant department or relevant person. To my ears, this sounds better.
    3. Godown. In the US and UK a godown becomes a warehouse. 

Have you ever wondered just how Indian your English is?

Can I have more words, please?

pexels-photo-256417

Many people find it difficult to express themselves in English.

Simply put, they do not have enough words in their ‘vocabulary bank’.

Learning new words take time. It is said that you have to come across a word six to twenty times before it becomes ‘yours’.

Some people use big words to impress others. Be careful! Make sure that the word you use means what you think it does. If it means something else, your listeners could get confused. And it may look like you are trying to show off!

To improve their vocabulary, many learners learn (or memorize) lists of words. That is a very, very difficult way to learn new words. Learning words without a context is no fun. And you may not remember them.

I believe that the best way to improve your vocabulary is to be an active reader and listener. Being a coach potato who watches lots of TV can actually help!

When you come across a new word, do not ignore it. Instead, check its meaning. If you come across it again and are not sure what it means, look it up again. Don’t be lazy! Over time, you’ll be able to use the word accurately. 

Here are some excellent resources for learning new words. 

If you want to find out the meaning of a word and practise using it, go to Vocabulary.com.

Curious to know what friendflation is? Find out from Cambridge dictionary’s blog. (It’s under the section: New Words–20 October 2025.)

To learn more vocabulary, try watching this:

Enjoy the process of learning new words. Make a mental note of how they are pronounced. Be curious to know their meaning.

What I find interesting is that after learning a new word, I suddenly start noticing it being used. This could happen to you!

Remember, you are building a castle–brick by brick.

Use a dictionary to improve your vocabulary

pexels-photo-270233

We usually refer to a dictionary to find out the meaning of a word. 

Let’s consider the word opportunity.

To search for its definition we can go to an online dictionary. When we are there, we check how it is pronounced (both UK and US).

But there is more to discover. 

You have a group of friends that you prefer spending time with. Words feel the same way. They like to be around familiar words that they know. When words do this, we call it collocation.  

How many words do you know that collocate with the word opportunity? 

Here is a screenshot from the Cambridge Dictionary.  Can you spot the collocations?

Page from Cambridge Dictionary

There are three collocations here:

unique opportunity to

missed the opportunity to

at the earliest opportunity

There are more such collocations on the page:

have an opportunity

at every opportunity

a golden opportunity

By spending just a few minutes reading these collocation, you enrich your word bank–allowing you to express yourself with greater precision. Your language gains more flexibility. You widen your range of vocabulary. 

This is a goldmine–expanding your vocabulary could not be easier.  Would you agree?

At the earliest opportunity, use one of the collocations. 

How many collocations can you think of with the word risk? 

3 free websites for learning English

pexels-photo-323503

People ask me what are the best sites for learning English. I understand that there are a lot of websites out there, and it can get overwhelming.

Here are 3 websites I always recommend:

1. British Council covers a lot of ground, from vocabulary to grammar to business English. Spend time here to get acquainted with all it has to offer. I especially recommend this site for learners at the beginner to upper-intermediate levels.

2. BBC Learning English has engaging videos and articles on current affairs. It is an excellent site if you want to improve your general knowledge or if you are preparing for English exams where you will need to read passages about current affairs. The site also covers the basics in grammar and vocabulary. Overall, an excellent resource. One of my favourites. Here’s my post that takes a deep dive into this website.

3. ThoughtCo.  is for people who are fluent speakers of the language. If you are at the upper-intermediate level and above, do visit this site. You will find it rewarding. Look out for articles by Richard Nordquist, an American professor. I find his articles on grammar to be insightful.

Here is some general advice on learning the language.

Explore the three websites and find the one that suits  you the best.