I was surprised to learn that of the more than 6,000 Heidelblog posts, two of the most popular have been Grammar Guerrilla posts: Grammar Guerrilla: Comfort v Comfortability and Grammar Guerrilla: Agreement v Agreeance. Continue reading →
Writing
Grammar Guerrilla: Regardless v. Irregardless
Americans love to add intensifiers to words. They do it to add force to existing words. Irregardless, an adjective and an adverb, is a good example of this tendency. The earliest citation in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1912, but it occurs in . . . Continue reading →
Grammar Guerilla: Wake, Woke, Woken And Transitive And Intransitive Verbs
The widespread use of woke, the past tense of wake, as an adjective is ungrammatical but there are other issues with the use of forms of wake. The conjugation of wake is: wake (present): It is time to wake up and smell . . . Continue reading →
Grammar Guerrilla: Grammar Is For Everyone
I submit that given a library of about 300 well chosen books, a chalkboard/dry erase board, a supply of paper, pencils, and pens, a cadre of dedicated, well educated teachers, who had authority to discipline students, produce outstanding high school graduates who, upon examination, could gain entrance into any university in the West. A substantial percentage of what, after Dewey is reckoned education is, in fact, a waste of time and energy. Continue reading →
Grammar Guerrilla: “Prayers For” Vs “Prayers To”
The economy is hard for everyone right now. Even prepositions have fallen on hard times. In popular media, in news media, and particularly in social media, one regularly sees the expression, “prayers to so and so.” This usage reveals two errors, one . . . Continue reading →
Review: Why Johnny Can’t Preach: The Media Have Shaped the Messengers By T. David Gordon (Part 1)
I am a fan of T. David Gordon. He writes well. He speaks plainly. He does not mince words. With some writers, it is quite possible for five people to read them and come away with five different conclusions about what the . . . Continue reading →
Review: Why Johnny Can’t Preach: The Media Have Shaped the Messengers By T. David Gordon (Part 2)
Up to chapter four, Gordon has focused on the form of preaching. But at this point he turns to questions of content. He says, “In addition to the cultural matters that have concerned me throughout, I also believe that preaching today fails . . . Continue reading →