A large lexicon helps open our minds, says the memory coach Ed Cooke. Below, try his online word quiz for fun

• How to crack cryptic crosswords
• How to win at quizzes
• Tackle very hard puzzles
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Η αγγλική είναι η διεθνής γλώσσα της επικοινωνίας, που μιλιέται σχεδόν από το ένα τέταρτο των κατοίκων του πλανήτη. H ανάδειξή της στη σημερινή κυρίαρχη θέση της δεν ήταν βέβαια τυχαία, αλλά το αναπόφευκτο αποτέλεσμα της εξάπλωσης της βρετανικής αυτοκρατορίας και, μεταγενέστερα, της επιρροής των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών. H ιστορία όμως αυτής της ανάδειξης είναι ταυτόχρονα και το χρονικό της πρωτοφανούς επιτυχίας της προπαγάνδας που ασκήθηκε από μια ολιγάριθμη ομάδα, η οποία αποφάσισε να αξιοποιήσει πολιτικά τις δυνατότητες της αγγλικής γλώσσας.

Dialects that blend, bend and offend the rigid rules of traditional grammar can be a delight

 A poster in Singapore advertising a comedy album in Singlish. It roughly translates as ”buy our CD, it’s very worthwhile and will make you laugh till you fall over”

Traditionally, music and language have been treated as different psychological faculties. This duality is reflected in older theories about the lateralization of speech and music in that speech functions were thought to be localized in the left and music functions in the right-hemisphere of the brain.

I have recently gone to a networking event at the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in London. As a Communication Consultant who helps non-native English speakers communicate more confidently in international business, I thought I had to walk the talk and speak Portuguese. However, unlike my current and prospective clients, I only spent a total of 3 months actually learning the language. Well, I thought to myself, it doesn’t matter - we are in Britain after all so, surely, we will mostly speak English.