How many words are there in the English language?
Find out moreHow do you count words? Ashley Wagner discusses the question as part of our video on the number of words in the English language.
Spanish surnames
In Spanish-speaking countries people generally use two surnames. The first is the father’s surname, the second is the mother’s. Thus if Alberto García Rubio and Carmen Haro Santillana have a son called Alejandro, he will be called Alejandro García Haro.
A married woman may choose to keep her maiden name or to use her husband’s, preceded by ‘de’, after her own. Thus Carmen Haro Santillana could be known as:
• Carmen Haro Santillana
• Carmen Haro de García
• Carmen Haro Santillana de García
• Señora de García
• Señora de García Rubio
See more from Usage notes
Further reading
'Compliment' or 'complement': what's the difference?
Read moreA lot of people get compliment and complement confused: they’re pronounced in the same way and have very similar spellings but they have completely different meanings.
Should you capitalize the word "Internet"?
Read moreThe question of whether the word internet should be capitalized is so passionately debated and rife with controversy that it has its own Wikipedia article.
