Speaker: Mark Worden (Standard British accent)

PRACTICAL ENGLISH USAGE

When do we use a past tense with a future meaning? Do I say “big,” “large” or “great?” What exactly is the difference between “close” and “shut?” How do I read out an email address? The answers to these and other questions (which even native speakers find difficult) can be found in Practical English Usage, an international best seller by Michael Swan (whose poetry has often appeared in Speak Up). The book’s publisher, the Oxford University Press, has now made it available in app form. The app contains over 600 entries covering all the important problems for learners of English and includes notes on differences between spoken and written English, British and American, and changes in the language.