It is easy to confuse two words when they have the same root. This is the case with the adjectives (words that modify nouns or persons, places, and things) incredulous and incredible. As incredible as it might seem and as incredulous as . . . Continue reading →
The distinction between while and though is neglected but should be recovered. The writer observes it is clearer and more useful to his reader. Most often today, even in edited publications (e.g., newspapers, magazines, and books) one sees them used interchangeably and . . . Continue reading →
The other day a sports-talk show host, whom I enjoy, said, “Me and him talked about it.” I was taken aback. As I understand it, this fellow is the child of a school teacher who would surely not permit him to speak . . . Continue reading →
One hears and sees these two adjectives confused with increasing regularity. E.g., in a Dallas, TX news story an attorney is quoted as saying, “It’s incredulous that this lease is being used….” The word incredible is derived from the Latin incrēdibilis, which . . . Continue reading →
For the better part of the last decade I have been hearing and reading the expression, “I do not like that conversation” or “I do not like that discussion.” If, in this context, the nouns discussion and conversation mean “the exchange of . . . Continue reading →
Thanks to H. H. Fowler’s reincarnation on Twitter for this very clear explanation of the distinction between an adverb and an adjective: Kirk Douglas is right. Badly is an adverb. To “feel badly” means that one’s sense perception is damaged. To “feel . . . Continue reading →
Sports-talk radio is a never-ending source of malapropisms and a good indicator of the state of the language. One abuse which I hear regularly on the radio and in personal conversation is the unnecessary use of the preposition of. A preposition indicates . . . Continue reading →
I have noticed these two words being confused more frequently of late, hence a grammar guerilla post. Your is the possessive of you. It means that something belongs to you. “I see that your ball rolled into the street.” “The house is . . . Continue reading →
Talk radio is either the fertile valley or the fruited plains of popular speech. As a regular listener to several genres I have noticed both hosts and listeners confusing these two words: quasi and pseudo. One may almost understand why there might . . . Continue reading →
Almost without fail today, whether on a media news program, in print, or in causal discussion, when one hears or reads the phrase “begs the question” (or some variant) it is used to mean, raises the question. On its face this might seem an odd thing since raises is hardly an obscure or antiquated verb. Continue reading →
To anticipate an objection: yes, language evolves but language also has a fixed core. There is a connection between language and the nature of things. There is a distinction in nature between the subject and the object. The languages with which I . . . Continue reading →
HB reader Barbara asks, “Is conversate a word? I am a nurse and see other nurses using it in their progress notes. Example: ‘The resident was seen conversating with her room mate.’ Thanks Barbara. That is a good question. In English verbs, . . . Continue reading →
Language evolves over time and that process is often driven by popular usage. This may be one of those instances where popular usage has so far outstripped the original use of a phrase that it is beyond correcting. Nevertheless I persevere if . . . Continue reading →
There are a couple of simple ways to distinguish it’s from its: It’s is a contraction. It stands for it is. Whenever you wish to say it is informally use it’s as in “It’s almost time for lunch.” Its is the neuter possessive. It performs the same function . . . Continue reading →
It’s that time of year. Chapters from MA theses and term papers are beginning to come across my desk and one of the mistakes that I see most often is the confusion of while for though. The latter may be used as . . . Continue reading →
So they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers (Matt 27:7). Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, answered, “To Caesar you have appealed; to Caesar you shall go.” (Acts 25:12) When . . . Continue reading →
Not only is impact being widely abused now I hear the verbal Frankenstein impactful. There are alternatives. An impact occurs when when two cars collide. The word that is usually wanted is influence as in, “Her writing had an influence on the recovery of good . . . Continue reading →
In recent years a number of ersatz words have entered the popular vocabulary (particularly in sports broadcasting). One of the chief offenders is “comfortability.” Comfortability, as in, “He shows great comfortability moving the pocket” is a classic example of the practice of . . . Continue reading →
On sports-talk radio one gets a good sense of what is happening to the English language. College-educated hosts regularly abuse the language in ways that would frustrate their teachers to no end. For example, one of the hosts of one of my . . . Continue reading →
Clear writers distinguish between further and farther. The latter refers to distance and the former refers to logic. There are parts of the country (e.g., where I grew up, on the plains) where this distinction is ignored. Back home we say, “Go further down . . . Continue reading →