Who done it?

Mites grow up and tites hang down.
My DD mixes up then and than. She has done so since childhood, and however much I correct her, I have never been successful.

You mean like "in a while?"

We use it all the time in the north of England, don't know about the south but I'm sure they do too!

Both while and whilst are conjunctions and mean exactly the same according to Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary. While can also be a noun, which whilst cannot, again according to Chambers. If that strikes you as odd, it's probably because the use of while as a noun is most common in Scotland. Do you even say it in the south of England?

You lie down "to lie" never takes an object.

"to lay" always takes an object. You lay a book on the desk.
We lay the table for dinner, because we place cutlery and crockery on it. There isn't any real difference in meaning between to place and to lay, as long as whatever you lay, lies flat, otherwise of course you would stand it on the table, won't you?

American English doesn't seem to distinguish between lie and lay, at all, probably some dialects of British English don't either.

Haitch drives me crazy too, even the BBC is guilty.

An hotel is correct as the 'h' is not sounded.

Witzend I remember the 'turn it around' rule from my English teacher at school. It is obvious then isn't it.

English is easy for us people who are born here. Not so easy for a person from another country to learn.

Going 'off of' the subject at the end of that post. :-)

Grandmama that is a good way to remember the difference between stalagtites/mites.

I remember practice and practise by saying 'c' for a company or doctor, 's' for a sport.

Love Frank Gardner Emelle19! Have you seen the 2-part documentary of him and a friend in Papau New Guinea? Worth a watch.

Yes Jalima and you have to learn them not to do it again

you mean when someone borrowed you some money?

pollyperkins

The one I never understand is when to use due to and owing to?

This is one of my pet hates! Modern dictionaries will tell you that both are an acceptable substitute for 'because' as they have become so by usage. I think when they're used that way it sounds like the writing of a primary school child who's been told off by their teacher for using 'because' too often!

Here's a page of google results which tell you what 'due to' really means:

www.google.co.uk/search?q=due+%2B+meaning&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b&gfe_rd=cr&ei=aweZWPnBBsnU8gfjiKugAQ

'Owing' is a bit more straightforward because it's really just about paying back something you've borrowed from someone (or something), or, paying for something.

primary

Alidoll tights weren't invented when I was a child
socks in primry then lisle stockings and suspenders for high school.

Stalactites have to hold tight to the roof of a cave, and stalagmites might grow up from the floor to join them up.
So said my lovely geography teacher C1962. It's an aid memoir.
for which is which.

Oops.
Stalactites Grow down from the ceiling
Stalagmites Grow up from the ground

How about,
Stalactites grow from the ceiling and
stalagmites grow from the ground

DD rang me today to ask if she shoud write "while" or "whilst" in a sentence. My Grammar for Grownups book wasn't any help but we decided that as she was writing a grant proposal for the EU "whilst" would look more impressive

Oh yes! Potassium, sodium, lithium, calcium, magnesium etc. I remember that well.

Then there's

Please send Charlie Mackay a zebra if the lean horse can't munch short grass ...any ideas for that one?

I'll give you a clue...

Reactive stuff!

Tights come down and mites climb up! (another way to remember which made me laugh as a child)

Yorkshiregel, that's exactly what EmilyHarburn was demonstrating;lay is a transitive verb and requires an object.

I was taught that stalactites hold on tight
and stalagmites grow up with all their might

but I still have to think!

Not exactly a spelling help - but stalactites have a C so they grow down from the Ceiling. Stalagtites have a G so they grow up from the Ground.

I was taught

I before e except before c
or when pronounced a as in neighbour or weigh

I think there is a bit more to the verse too.

My father used to say 'there's no aitch on h'.
It is the only letter with a spelling so there is no excuse really for getting it wrong.

'i before e except after c' and when the sound is 'ee', doesn't always apply. Weird for example.