Editor: Kee Thuan Chye
Let's face it. Our English could do with a leg up. Especially in this fast-paced world of the Internet, when access to knowledge requires proficiency in the language. That is why The Star has, since April 2001, embarked on a campaign to promote the correct use of English. As we are inviting every Malaysian to come in with us on this, we're calling our campaign Mind Our English. The campaign is being promoted in our print version but you can also check us out on this site where we will include useful links and also multi-media clips when appropriate. To get in touch with the campaign people, email english@thestar.com.my

Jan 18: Between the two goal posts
Language, particularly English, should not be static, old-fashioned, many say. Necessarily, it must evolve – even to the point of absorbing words of other languages – to reflect the lives and lifestyles of its users, regardless of their nationalities.

Jan 18: A bit more about ‘th’
From David King, Penang.

Jan 18: This from a tuition centre?
Readers spot instances of poor English usage.

Jan 17: What’s ‘pengampu’ in English?
FADZILAH AMIN answers your questions on English usage.

Jan 17: Who’s ‘in-change’ of this?
Readers spot instances of poor English usage.

Jan 16: Which is the odd one out?
LOOK at the words in each of the groups below and see if you can spot the odd one out.

Jan 16: The only correct way
AS the saying goes: The little things in life are important. To which I add: True, but small matter is no matter. The trick, of course, is to know the difference – how to collect the important “little things” in your life and when to ignore the insignificant “small matter” irritating you temporarily.

Jan 16: What do you make of these?
Boob watch: Sent in by Dr Simon Faizal Hakim, Associate Professor in English Language, UiTM Sarawak, Kuching.

Jan 11: Rabbit in Cockney? Cor blimey!
LOGOMANIA: By ELLEN WHYTE

Jan 11: Why can’t the English ...?
By KEITH HARRIS.

Jan 10: Do I pronounce ‘th’ the Malaysian way?
Your Questions Answered by Fadzilah Amin.

Jan 10: The hols did it!
From Keith Harris, Chief Academic Officer, Cambridge English for Life.

Jan 10: Boob Watch
Readers spot instances of poor English usage.

Jan 9: Taking a haircut and losing your shirt
Grant Barrett is co-host of the radio show A Way with Words, waywordradio.org, and a lexicographer and writer living and working in New York City.

Jan 9: More of the same and different
From Dr Lim Chin Lam, Penang.

Jan 9: Apartments with money
Readers spot instances of poor English usage.

Jan 4: Bananas and fruitcakes
Further adventures of EH Poh Nim.

Jan 4: Use ‘and’ with ‘between’
Readers spot instances of poor English usage.

Jan 3: Exception for link verbs
Your questions answered by FADZILAH AMIN’.

Jan 3: Boob watch
From Regular MAS Traveller.

Jan 3: Really ambiguous sentences
Open Channel: Sent in by Mahid Masseluang of Labuan.

Jan 2: Poem to read
Mind Our English will from time to time recommend poems that might be interesting for our readers. We begin with this one by Lord Alfred Tennyson, called ‘Ring Out, Wild Bells’.

Jan 2: Why is it not ‘New Year Eve’?
Your questions answered By FADZILAH AMIN

Jan 2: Tarnished image
Readers spot instances of poor English usage.

Dec 28: Preposterous apostrophes
VISUALLY, an apostrophe looks, well (for lack of a more descriptive word), “funny”, incomplete, a mere half of the “more attractive” quote marks.

Dec 27: Size of road doesn’t matter
Your questions answered By FADZILAH AMIN.

Dec 27: Regrettable errors
Readers spot instances of poor English usage.

Dec 21: It’s reindeer, dears, not deers
Let’s discuss common perceptions of some words that most folks know – or don’t know – are linked with the Christmas season.

Dec 21: Open Channel
From Samuel Chan, Marketing Manager, PepsiCo Malaysia.

Dec 21: Boob Watch
Readers spot instances of poor English usage.

Dec 20: It’s the little things
Your questions answered by FADZILAH AMIN.

Dec 19: A bit of je-ne-sais-quoi
ENGLAND, Scotland and France are neighbouring countries that have fought wars as allies and as enemies for over a thousand years.

Dec 14: Huts walking down the slopes?
FALET’S discuss how to avoid ambiguity. Too often, many of us use sentences in such a way that they sound all right to us and our listeners, but certainly look ambiguous when written.

Dec 14: A lot more bananas
IN Mind Our English of Dec 6, and also some time earlier, Fadzilah Amin answered questions about nomenclature relating to bananas. .

Dec 13: ‘Ice tea’ or ‘iced tea’?
FADZILAH AMIN answers your questions on English usage.

Dec 13: Rooney the student
Footballers who read? They do exist!

Dec 12: Sprogs in a poop factory
A complaint that comes across my desk with fair regularity is that kid should never be used to mean child. The argument is that a kid is a young goat, not a child.

Dec 12: Fun with grammar
By OH TEIK THEAM

Dec 12: Boob Watch
Readers spot instances of poor English usage.

Dec 7: Sounds the same, sounds different
One way to expand your vocabulary is to be aware of how often you use heteronyms and homonyms in your written work.

Dec 7: Boob Watch
Readers spot instances of poor English usage.

Dec 6: What is this mood all about?
Your Questions Answered By FADZILAH AMIN.

Dec 5: Fun with grammar
Look at these little ‘stories’ and see if you can find a mistake in each.

Dec 5: Words about work
Word's up, Eh Poh Nim? - By LYDIA TEH

Dec 5: F for spelling
From Yeong, Petaling Jaya

Nov 30: Lamentable Legalese
The business of English by TOM HAYTON.

Nov 30: Is it sweet to say ‘just deserts’?
The whole, sole purpose of a language is, of course, to communicate.

Nov 29: Light and handy for young users
Review by FADZILAH AMIN.

Nov 29: Open Channel
From dct, Ayer Tawar.

Nov 29: Boob Watch
Readers spot instances of poor English usage.

Nov 28: Search for the impossible
Notes from the language underground.

Nov 28: Fun with hyperboles
By OH TEIK THEAM.

Nov 28: Boob watch
Education Office gets it wrong by Khim.

Nov 23: B sure 2 send rite msg or ull b sorry
We often use SMS when we’re too busy doing something else to make a call. What about SMS in business communication?

Nov 23: Fun with Hyperboles
HYPERBOLE: A figure of speech which uses extravagant exaggeration for emphasis or effect. It is not intended to be taken literally. Many idioms are hyperbolic, e.g. “a flood of tears”, “waiting for ages”, “costs an arm and a leg”.

Nov 23: Wrong use of words on Aussie TV
By STEPHEN KAU

Nov 22: Which is more widely used here?
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED by FADZILAH AMIN.

Nov 22: Justice of the Peace is not a title
From DCT, J.P.

Nov 22: Punny Stuff

Nov 21: Impossible pairs
There are words that, when paired with other words, conjure up a physically impossible occurrence/ scenario.

Nov 21: Man’s best friend
Here’s a piece that uses idioms related to “dog”.

Nov 21: KLIA error rectified
From Jaidev Dorai of Petaling Jaya.

Nov 16: Sell your language
The Business of English, By TOM HAYTON.

Nov 16: ‘Didn’t used to’ is wrong
Open Channel: Sent in by Dr Lim Chin Lam, Penang.

Nov 16: Right way to write dates
Your questions answered By FADZILAH AMIN.

Nov 15: Mondegreens and false friends
By VANCE CARSON.

Nov 15: Confused by ‘electric’ and ‘electrical’
Your questions answered by FADZILAH AMIN.

Nov 15: What flight?
Readers spot instances of poor English usage.

Nov 14: Retard, craptastic, spooktacular, etc
Notes from the language underground.

Nov 14: Wordwise
Do you get into a sweat about speaking English? Don’t sweat it. With some of these ‘sweat’ expressions, you’ll find that speaking English is no sweat.

Nov 14: Isn’t an acronym an abbreviation?
From James Bong

Nov 9:What is the language but its users?
IN the TV sitcom Blackadder III, Dr Johnson’s manuscript dictionary is accidentally used to stoke up a fire. Panic.

Nov 9: ‘Didn’t used to’ is not wrong
Readers respond to the TIME magazine subhead ‘Didn’t he used to be Ben Affleck?’ which was deemed grammatically wrong by the Editor of Mind Our English (Oct 30).

Nov 9: Idiomania
By OH TEIK THEAM

Nov 7: Proverbs, maxims and aphorisms
Some proverbs and words of wisdom can be truly inspiring and give good advice in a delightfully poetic manner.

Nov 7: Stress-inducing ‘Stress-free 40’
Readers discuss issues concerning the usage - or in some cases, abuse - of English in Malaysia.

Nov 2: ‘Was I cheated?'
Your questions answered by FADZILAH AMIN

Nov 2: Fun with English grammar
By OH TEIK THEAM

Nov 2: Old Chestnuts
Logomania by ELLEN WHYTE

Nov 1: Acerbically alliterative
WORD’S UP, EH POH NIM? By LYDIA TEH

Nov 1: Sent to the gallows?
FADZILAH AMIN answers your questions on the English language.

Nov 1: Abbreviation or acronym?
By Stephen Kau.