Category Archives: English Grammar

Blogging from A to Z Challenge: Theme Reveal 2021

Ill-fitting grammar are like ill-fitting shoes. You can get used to it for a bit, but then one day your toes fall off and you can’t walk to the bathroom. ~Jasper Fforde

As the image conjured by the above quote lingers in my mind – and perhaps yours too – allow me to introduce my theme for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2021 Theme Badge

I prefer having a theme and create content around it – it makes it so much easier to focus my research and writing.

For this year’s challenge, I’m focusing on grammar and the common glitches that trip writers up. As a second-language English speaker, I include myself in this description.

I started to learn English at the age of nine. Before that, I spoke only Portuguese. I dedicated myself to this new language and was a top student both at school and at university where I majored in English Literature.

English grammar is not easy to master, even for first-language speakers and writers. It is with that in mind that I dedicate this year’s A to Z Challenge to the common glitches that tend to trip writers up. My aim is to make the articles informative and fun.

So join me on this journey into the marvellous and oft-times confusing English grammar.

Immersion Or Emersion

Similar to immigrate and emigrate, these 2 words are often used incorrectly.

I use this easy way of remembering of distinguishing one from the other.

Emigrate and immigrate

Going away (the ‘from’ country): emigrate is when you leave your home country to go and live in another country – e.g. you emigrate from New Zealand.

Going towards (the ‘to’ country): immigrate is when you go to live in another country – e.g. you immigrate to Australia. Think of the letter “i” as in going in to another country…immigrating.

Emersion and immersion

Coming out or up: emersion is when you appear from, coming out or up of; emerging from something (e.g. water) or somewhere (e.g. a retreat or sabbatical).

Going in or down: immersion is to submerge, sink or go down into something; to become involved in, to cover oneself. Again, think of the letter “i” as in going inimmersion.