At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, synchronous online learning replaced physical classes worldwide. However, sustaining the quality of education during this transition was a challenge. Specifically, teaching and learning the four English skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) among English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners in contexts such as Saudi Arabia required greater adjustments to meet learners’ demands during the pandemic. Within this context, this study explored how online teaching and learning helped develop the four English skills among Saudi EFL students. A survey was conducted among EFL faculty and learners in a Saudi Arabian higher-learning institution regarding the diverse aspects of language skills development before and during the pandemic. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that e-learning was most beneficial for writing and least beneficial for speaking and that writing was most nurtured and adopted in almost all schoolwork, while speaking was neglected during online courses. Indeed, instructors must be prepared for an effective online learning experience in the future. This study aims to strengthen the field of EFL teaching and learning in Saudi Arabia and related contexts by describing learners’ perceptions of their experiences before and during the pandemic.

Novelty and Topicality: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected the education sector, with eLearning transforming the global education system. Research Purpose: This study sheds light on how the English departments of King Khalid University overcame the pandemic’s impact, with respect to the shift to online learning. Motivation for the Study: The findings of the present study are of great importance for transforming the education system, not only in Saudi Arabia but worldwide. The globalization of education will help the universities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia make borderless, cost-effective education available to the citizens of the world from the comforts of their homes. Design and Methods: The study seeks to identify the challenges and advantages of eLearning, based on the perceptions of English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners and instructors. The data were collected through Google forms and analysed using various SPSS software tools. Main findings: The findings revealed that the advantages of eLearning outweigh the challenges faced by students. The advantages of teaching English online include flexibility of learning, constant availability of learning materials, time efficiency, and the upgrade of technical skills. The major challenges for students and instructors include a lack of in-person interaction and poor Internet connectivity. Practical Implications: Notably, the study findings can improve the efficacy of eLearning in the education field in general and Saudi English departments in particular. Contribution: The outcomes can help explore future possibilities for reforming the education sector, both within and outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

PurposeThis article studies the particle qad in standard Arabic (SA) and Asiri Arabic (AA). In SA, qad is pronounced as [qæd], whereas in AA it is pronounced as [q?d] and written as qid. Qad in SA is different from qid in AA regarding its functional use and syntactic distribution. Accordingly, the study discusses the semantics and selection properties of qad/qid.Design/methodology/approachContrasting analyses are presented to verify which syntactic analysis better suits extended projection principle (EPP) extension, and tree structures are provided to elucidate ongoing problematic configurations and to provide solutions.FindingsThe SA particle qad has three functions: (1) a probability modal, as in may or might; (2) a perfective auxiliary, as in have, has and had; and (3) indicating emphatic purpose, as in do, does and did. Contrariwise, qid in AA has two meanings: (1) have, has and had (perfective auxiliary); and (2) the past tense of the English copula was/became (a linking verb). Given this background, there has been a debate in the syntax literature about whether qid/qad is an adverb. The current article provides evidence indicating that qid and qad are not adverbs.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited to the analysis of qid in Asiri dialect. Further research needs to be done on the different branches of the Asiri dialects according to the tribe. Sometimes, tribes have different sound for some words. There is not any literature review found on the Asiri dialects in the designated area of study; the particle qid.Practical implicationsThe study can be counted towards the Asiri linguistic heritage in documenting the syntactic and semantic properties of qid particle. The study contributes to the linguistic field of the Arabic language and its varieties.Social implicationsThe study offers a general review of the linguistic background of Asir region. The study introduces the reader to qad particle in SA and holds a comparison between the two researched versions of qad in SA and qid in AA.Originality/valueThe paradoxical analysis between qad and qid on all levels is presented (semantics, functional use, selection properties and level of configuration (EPP)). Also, it introduces the particle qid in AA as it was never investigated before.

Writing is regarded as the most challenging skill to acquire when learning a foreign language. Extensive research into students' writing abilities is one method for understanding the challenges they face when writing. This study aims to investigate the most frequent English writing errors made by Saudi female university students at the tertiary level. The study's population comprised forty female college students. They had 45 minutes to write paragraphs on a variety of subjects. The participants in this study were selected at random and asked to compose an essay on any of the topics provided so that errors could be identified; the results were then analyzed and explained. Based on the findings, we can conclude that all 40 paragraphs of the essays written by Saudi female university students at the tertiary level contained 192 misspellings. There were 41 plural form errors, 58 comma punctuation errors, and 52 full stop punctuation errors. There were 119 instances of incorrect grammar, syntax, or word choice. The data analysis concludes that female students make numerous punctuation, syntactic, grammatical, and lexical errors, with most errors occurring in spelling and syntax. The results of this study are significant because the identified errors will have pedagogical implications when teaching writing skills to college-level English language students. This result sheds light on the areas that should be emphasized when teaching writing skills to EFL students in Saudi Arabia.

Social distancing is one of the most practical and most widely emphasized non-pharmaceutical interventions recommended globally in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though its efficacy remains debatable, social distancing continues to be advocated as a strategy to “flatten the curve” by reducing individual infections. This study aims to decode the semiotics of COVID-19 pandemic from one side and to show how commercial branding transformations took place from another. Global organizations have aligned themselves with social distancing precautions by adapting their commercial branding for visual messaging. This study takes a semiotic approach to the commercial branding of companies that could transform their branding during the pandemic and those that did. The two questions addressed by the study are: (1) How did commercial branding transform during the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) what semiotic codes are evident in these transformations? The findings show that organizational branding was separated or reworded or took a two-pronged approach (combining rewording and transformed images).