English Grammar Day 2025

Billy Clark is Professor in English Language and Linguistics at Northumbria University, UK. He has worked on several projects which explore connections between linguistics in schools and in universities, including as a committee member for the UK Linguistics Olympiad. His research interests are all concerned with aspects of meaning and communicative interaction. He has published widely on this, including an accessible introduction: Pragmatics: The Basics (2021).

Rob Drummond is Professor of Sociolinguistics at Manchester Metropolitan University, where he researches, teaches and writes about the relationship between spoken language and identity. He recently led the community-focused Manchester Voices project, exploring the accents, dialects and identities of people in Greater Manchester, and he co-leads The Accentism Project, which strives to challenge and raise awareness of language-based prejudice. Rob does a lot of public-facing academic work and is the author of You’re All Talk: Why we are what we speak (Scribe Publications, 2023, 2025), a book for a general audience that sheds light on the fascinating relationship between how we speak and who we are.

Sarah Kirk-Browne is a PhD candidate in the Linguistics department at Queen Mary, University of London, and works in the spoken English department at the British Library Sound Archive. Her research interests focus on English regional dialects, and corpus linguistics. This talk relates to her recently published chapter in Linguistics and Oral History: Towards an Interdisciplinary Approach (edited by Chris Fitzgerald).

Simon Horobin is Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford. He has published a number of books on English linguistic topics, including textbooks, e.g. Chaucer’s Language (Bloomsbury, 3rd edition 2025), and Studying the History of Early English (Palgrave, 2009), and ones for a general audience: Bagels, Bumf, and Buses: A Day in the Life of the English Language (OUP, 2019), The English Language: A Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2018), How English Became English (OUP, 2016), Does Spelling Matter? (OUP, 2013). His most recent book, A History of English Spelling, will be published by Edinburgh University Press in 2025.

Beth Malory is Lecturer in English Linguistics at University College London. Her research focuses on the impacts of language on experience of, and attitudes to, reproductive and sexual health. Her talk for English Grammar Day draws on her research on two ongoing projects: VERDI, funded by the European Union, and COMMET, funded by UKRI. Both projects use recent global mpox outbreaks as case studies for research into improvement of pandemic preparedness and public health measures around emerging infections. Beth also leads a research consortium, funded by the AHRC and Research England, with a common interest in understanding the impact of language on experiences of pregnancy loss, which includes Tommy’s, Sands, Petals, and the Miscarriage Association. Her book, Language, Gender and Pregnancy Loss is due to be published by Cambridge University Press in 2025.

Zara Shah is an author, teacher and primary school governor who has co-authored Succeeding as an English Teacher (2021) and Bloomsbury's teacher's guide for Anita and Me (2024). Zara has experience working as a KS3 and KS4 Coordinator for English and as a Learning and Teaching Specialist for English for the Leading Learning Partnership (Leeds). She is a passionate advocate for equity and evidence-informed practice and has an MA in Teaching. She is also a mentor and Regional Lead for LitDriveUK, a non-profit organisation committed to better balance and subject-specific CPD.

Holly Wimbush is a teacher and Head of English with a strong commitment to fostering academic excellence and promoting literacy across the school. She is also the co-author of Succeeding as an English Teacher (2021) and has written articles for numerous publications. Holly is passionate about creating an inclusive and dynamic learning environment, where every student is empowered to achieve their full potential in English and beyond.

Deborah Cameron is Professor Emerita of Language and Communication at the University of Oxford: she’s also a blogger, occasional broadcaster and sometime stand-up comedian.

This is an in-person only event in the British Library Knowledge Centre. Please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start time of this event.  If you have specific access requirements please email customer@bl.uk

There are a range of concessions available. These include discounts for British Library Members, half-price tickets for students and under 26s, free entry for carers as well as a number of other concessions.