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Developments in technology often lead to new vocabulary entering the language. The Blackberry – as I’m sure you know – is a hand-held device which you can use to check your emails as well as to send texts or sms messages and to make telephone calls. Blackberry is a brand name but other companies such as Samsung, Nokia, Hewlett Package make similar products. These devices have become very popular, particularly with commuters – people who have a long journey into work each day. You can see them on the tube in London, typing away on their miniature keyboards with their thumbs.

But these machines have also brought about a new set of problems. Now, you’re only ever a few seconds away from your inbox! What used to be a quiet, relaxed journey into work on the train is now dominated by the latest problems at work. Maybe you used to get to the office at nine o’clock on a Monday, but now your office comes to you as soon as you open up your Blackberry. If you’re feeling like work is coming to dominate your life because you can never get away from your email, you might feel Blackburied! That means you feel inundated and exhausted trying to be on top of all your email twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. You feel buried under all the extra work that the easy access to your email has brought to you!

It seems that these devices are also very addictive – it’s impossible to ignore that shiny black object in your pocket or bag, and you simply have to check for new messages, all the time! Day and Night. You’ve been Blackburied!

Mark Shea has been a teacher and teacher trainer for eighteen years. He has taught English and trained teachers extensively in Asia and South America, and is a qualified examiner for the University of Cambridge oral examinations. He is currently working with journalists at the World Service and is the author of the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ College of Journalism's online English tutor.