If you keep your mouth shut, you will never put your foot in it. (Austin O'Malley)

I can really identify with my namesake and her language identity crisis. The classic mistake for me is "We were seven" instead of the more natural "There were seven of us". This is just so that you know we all have our problems with English, natives and students alike. In fact, a couple of weekends ago, when I paid a visit to my hometown, my father said I had acquired an Australian intonation. He asked if I had been watching Australian soaps! My son, who I had recently accused of having acquired an American accent - he spent most of last course in the company of an exchange student - found this hilarious. I, however, was mortified.