In these days of marketing and competition for students, it is inevitable that Britain's universities will produce glossy material and state-of-the-art websites in the attempt to steal a march on their competitors. However, I would just like to point out that one particular adjective is used ad nauseam: vibrant. Here are just a few examples accessed in ten spare minutes from university websites:

- We are a vibrant, innovative 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ dedicated to pursuing excellence ... (51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Teesside).

- Heriot-Watt is a vibrant, forward-looking 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ ... (Heriot-Watt 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ)

- The city of Bristol is not only one of the most vibrant and exciting cities in Britain ... (51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Bristol)

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

- Plymouth: a vibrant city ... (51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Plymouth)

- 16,000 students make up the 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ's vibrant cultural mix ... (Staffordshire 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ)

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

And of course it would be possible to quote examples ad infinitum. Perhaps Universities UK or the British Government should issue a press release explaining that all the nation's universities - and the towns and cities where they are located - are "vibrant". That way the universities themselves would no longer need to go to the trouble of pointing it out.

Brian Poole, Singapore.