About the blog
I started this blog for a number of reasons. Among those are my interest in the English language, my wish to improve my own skills and those of others by sharing knowledge and communicating mistakes, and to provide answers to questions I could not find answered satisfactorily elsewhere. Although I sometimes point out funny mistakes made by others, there will also be mistakes in my blog (while I do proof-read before posting, this blog is only a hobby of mine and my time for it is limited). Moreover, and rather unfortunately, the fact that I have this blog does not at all imply that I manage to completely avoid these and other mistakes myself! Learning English can indeed be a painful process.
I have decided to write this blog in English, even though much of the material is intended for German native speakers trying to get to grips with the English language. The reason is that I believe that the best way to learn a language is to use the language. Moreover, writing in English is only appropriate for a blog about English, and makes the material useful for a much wider audience. However, if you come across something you would like to have explained in German, feel free to leave a comment and I will try to help.
The target audience is rather mixed, including language students, professionals who have to communicate in English in their job, as well as scientists who have to write and talk in English. I am very interested in hearing from you regarding topics that you would like to see discussed.
About the author
I’m a theoretical physicist in the field of condensed matter theory, with a great interest in all aspects of the English language. I was born in Austria, so I consider my native language to be German. I have lived in England for a number of years, where I fell in love with cities like Cambridge and London. My interest in the English language was very much inspired by a very demanding but at the same time excellent high-school teacher. At that time, I began reading books, buying dictionaries, using flash cards, etc. At the moment, I live and work in Germany, but I still try to keep my English skills in acceptable shape, for example by writing this blog. If you are interested, have a look at my website at hohenadler.com.
You can contact me at info@painfulenglish.com.