These are two distinct words. They aren’t quite homophones (there and their are homophones, two distinct words that have the same pronunciation)2 but they do sound sufficiently similar to create confusion. To be wary is to be cautious or concerned “about possible dangers…”.1 . . . Continue reading →
Mike writes to ask what resources I use or that have influenced me regarding grammar and style. Here is a quick list of some of the books that have influenced me over the years. Let me say, however, that this list is . . . Continue reading →
Several years ago I began to notice that young people were verbally articulate but their ability to speak well did not necessarily translate into an ability to write well. More recently it seems that verbal skills are suffering. There are a variety . . . Continue reading →
This one will not be easy to change but it is easy enough to understand. Hopefully is an adverb, a word that modifies a verb (an action word). Thus, a correct usage would be: “Hopefully, he rose to address the assembly.” In . . . Continue reading →
These two sets of words present two different problems. The first, affect and effect, is that two words sound alike and are formally distinguished by vowels that can be easily confused for one another. Nevertheless, affect and effect do mean different things. . . . Continue reading →
English is a wonderfully flexible and acquisitive language. Estimates vary but as the British and European colonial powers that harvested antiques and riches from the Mediterranean, so English has harvested a significant number of words from a variety of sources. English is . . . Continue reading →
One of the weirder abstract nouns that has popped up recently is the word agreeance, as it, “I am in agreeance with that position.” A noun is a person, place, or thing. An abstract noun is a concept. One cannot see, touch, . . . Continue reading →
Have you ever used, heard, or read these cumbersome constructions: “I had had that same experience but then something else happened” or “She said that that car nearly hit her”? My experience suggests that they are being used more frequently but they . . . Continue reading →
One of the more frequent mistakes I see in email and online is confusion between role and roll. These are homophones. They usually make the same sounds in English but they are different words with distinct meanings. One plays a role on . . . Continue reading →
Since the wizards of education theory gave up on Latin as a “dead language” English grammar has declined. It doesn’t have to be that way. Learning Latin (or Greek) does improve English grammar but you can improve your English usage without learning . . . Continue reading →
It is common now to regard the old rule against splitting infinitives as outdated and stuffy. That might be so but there are still some reasons for observing the rule. Here is one example: Newly declassified documents, obtained by George Washington University’s National . . . Continue reading →
Noun —a member of a small independent group taking part in irregular fighting, typically against larger regular forces: this small town fell to the guerrillas | [ as modifier ] : guerrilla warfare. ORIGIN early 19th cent. (introduced during the Peninsular War . . . Continue reading →
As the newspaper business enters its final stage of life and newsrooms with clattering typewriters, copy boys, and ink-stained editors with green eye shades become a distant memory so copy editing and grammar seem to be disappearing with them. The sports pages . . . Continue reading →
Archaic and dated expressions have their uses. One of them is economy, saying what needs to be said in as few words as possible. Archaic words and expressions may, when used correctly, add a certain color to a sentence or paragraph. If, . . . Continue reading →
An eighth grader Union Grove elementary (Milwaukee, WI) brought home a politically-charged homework assignment recently. It was a crossword puzzle with obviously prejudiced characterization of a particular political position. When the assignment was publicized via social media the teacher, school, and school . . . Continue reading →
At Ref21. (HT: Durell Flood)
Unless you are a cannibal—in which case, good for you for learning to read. Now, stop eating people!—human beings do not come in “amounts.” Once more this morning I heard a figure in the popular media say, “The amount of people.” People . . . Continue reading →
Confused by when to use “which” and when to use “that”? Here’s the transcript from the latest Grammar Girl podcast. Here’s a freebie for Greek and Latin students. If you understand the difference between the nominative case and the accusative and dative . . . Continue reading →
Grammar Girl addresses a growing problem, which I myself have noticed. A listener complains to GG about the substitution of “myself” for “me.” It’s “please contact me” not “please contact myself.” It is a reflexive pronoun. It may be used to intensify . . . Continue reading →