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If elephants could write, they'd use their trunks. The Trunk is a collection of articles with advice on language, learning and communicating better in English at work.

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Is your English as fit as a fiddle?

We use idioms every day to express common beliefs.

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Category: Common English ConfusionsHealthcare EnglishEnglish Learning Tips

Conquer conundrums with classic catchphrases

When you watch movies or listen to songs in English, are there famous lines or favourite quotes that stick in your mind?

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Category: Common English ConfusionsEnglish Learning Tips

Pesky Points Part 5

Still hesitating whenever these popular pesky points pop up:

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Category: Common English ConfusionsEnglish Learning Tips

Remember this punctuation trick

The trend to using less and less punctuation doesn’t mean you don’t need any at all.

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Category: Common English ConfusionsWriting in English

Don’t be fooled by ‘in’

These three pairs of words look like they should be opposites, but are they?

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Category: Common English ConfusionsHealthcare English

Is it ‘common’ or ‘mutual’?

People often hesitate when they have to decide between these two words.

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Category: Common English ConfusionsHealthcare EnglishEnglish Learning Tips

What’s the purpose – ‘for’ or ‘to’?

A common confusion is when to use ‘for’ to describe purpose and when to use ‘to’.

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Category: Common English ConfusionsHealthcare EnglishEnglish Learning Tips

Pesky Points Part 4

Recycling doesn’t just benefit the environment.

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Category: Common English ConfusionsEnglish Learning Tips

Don’t be afraid of ‘me’ (Part 3)

I like chocolate.

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Category: Common English ConfusionsEnglish Learning Tips

See, look or watch?

All three involve our sense of sight, but there are differences.

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Category: Common English ConfusionsHealthcare EnglishEnglish Learning Tips

Safe vs secure

Sometimes, ‘safe’ and ‘secure’ are interchangeable, but not always.

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Category: Common English ConfusionsHealthcare English

Pesky Points Part 3

Have you been using this power tool to its potential to advance your English skills?

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Category: Common English ConfusionsEnglish Learning Tips

How to clear up common confusions with catchphrases

Doing fun stuff like watching TV shows, reading books and listening to podcasts are valuable ways to beef up your English.

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Category: Common English ConfusionsEnglish Learning Tips

Should your patient lay or lie?

With their similar sounds and meanings, ‘lay’ and ‘lie’ are easy to confuse.

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Category: Common English ConfusionsHealthcare EnglishEnglish Learning Tips

Don’t be afraid of ‘me’ (Part 2)

‘Myself’ isn’t a substitute for ‘me’.

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Category: Common English ConfusionsEnglish Learning Tips

Don’t be afraid of ‘me’ (Part 1)

Sometimes you have to proceed with caution when copying native speakers.

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Category: Common English ConfusionsEnglish Learning Tips

3 quick fixes

I hear and read these slips of the tongue all the time.

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Category: Common English ConfusionsEnglish Learning Tips

How do you say the CH in headache?

We all know that a common confusion in English concerns pronunciation.

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Category: Common English ConfusionsEnglish Learning Tips

Is that a hard or a soft C?

In the current confusing chaos, we need courage and creativity.

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Category: Common English ConfusionsEnglish Learning Tips

Can you assure me that you’ve ensured to insure your hands?

She’s a gifted surgeon whose skills are in high demand.

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Category: Common English ConfusionsHealthcare EnglishEnglish Learning Tips

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