The evolution of English – updating our Usage

Last month saw the publication of the new fourth edition of the Collins COBUILD English Usage, an in-depth guide to modern and authentic English. To celebrate this event, we thought we’d look at some of the ways in which English usage is evolving in today’s world.

The area of vocabulary is always the most visible sign of changes in the language, reflecting current lifestyle trends, recent changes in technology, political developments, and a greater understanding and tolerance of the human condition. Some of the words to make the lexicographic grade on the website include:

climate strike

smart speaker

ULEV

Pride

green wall

cannabidiol (CBD)

body positivity

Abbreviations

Social media has an ever-increasing influence (thanks to numerous influencers) on English usage, including the way that the language is written. More and more, on social media platforms, traditional rules of spelling and grammar are put to the side in favour of short cuts and abbreviations. Here are some of our faves - do you know what they mean?:

• BFFL
• CBB
• FTW
• HMU
• IDK
• JK
• NGL
• NSFW
• TBH
• TYVM

Blogs

Slide left / right to view blogs

In the new edition of Collins COBUILD English Usage, lexicographers have investigated how language has been changing in recent times. The series of blogs below look more closely at some of these changes.

British English vs American English Quiz

The clear-cut divide that used to exist between British and American English is now much less pronounced in many cases. Try our quiz to see if you can identify which words are generally used in British English, and which are mainly used in American English!

Collins COBUILD Collection

English, Usage, Grammar and Dictionaries

Collins COBUILD Grammar

With a user-friendly style and simple explanations, the Collins COBUILD English Grammar provides a comprehensive and authoritative guide to modern English grammar, using grammar terms that learners will understand.

• Thoroughly updated following corpus research into areas of grammar that have changed in recent years.
• Supplements covering grammar for academic purposes, and grammar points that are common in a business environment.
• Language level benchmarked against the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR): B1-C2.
• In-depth treatment of common grammatical patterns, clearly presented in simple language.
• Key differences between British and American usage highlighted.
• Lists of common words used in each structure help users learn typical collocations …….and more

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

Ideal for upper-intermediate and advanced learners of English, this dictionary covers all the words, phrases and idioms that students need to master in order to speak and write effective English. Thousands of updated examples taken from the 4.5- billion word Collins Corpus, show learners how the words are used in authentic contexts. The dictionary offers extensive help with grammar through the inclusion of grammar patterns at examples, plus a new supplement to help with academic and business grammar.

• Full-sentence definitions explain what words mean, how they are used, and which words they are commonly used with.
• Thousands of updated corpus examples – all from Collins Corpus – show learners how English is really used today.
• Full colour throughout.
• A wealth of additional information on collocation, etymology, usage, and synonymy.
• Ideal for students preparing for Cambridge English, IELTS, TOEIC and TOEFL examinations
• For learners comfortable at B1/B2, aiming to improve to C1 or C2 of Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Collins COBUILD Advanced American English Dictionary

This dictionary is ideal for upper intermediate and advanced learners of American English. It covers all the words, phrases and idioms that students need to learn and master to be able to speak and write effective American English. With full-sentence definitions written in simple, natural English, this dictionary is easy to use and understand. The examples, taken from the 4.5-billion-word Collins Corpus, show learners how the words are used in authentic contexts.

• Up-to-date coverage of today’s language, including the newest words and phrases. Hundreds of updated example sentences from the Collins Corpus.
• Full colour throughout, and with illustrations for key vocabulary topics.
• Full-sentence definitions show what words mean, how they are used, and which words they are commonly used with (collocations).
• Ideal for students preparing for Cambridge English, TOEIC, TOEFL and IELTS.
• For learners comfortable at B1/B2, aiming to improve to C1+ of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
• Illustrated Word Web features present related words, and offer a higher level of vocabulary, to help learners increase their vocabulary skills.
• Word partnership panels show the high-frequency word patterns that learners really need to master.