Paul Yeager's weather book
Paul Yeager's language book
Monthly Archives: April 2008
War on Everything
Many of us have heard of the law of attraction, which is the belief that whatever a person experiences is a direct reflection of what he believes. For instance, if he believes that he has to fight for every penny, then he will, indeed, have … Continue reading
Posted in language, writing
Tagged English, grammar, language, law of attraction, war, war on crime, war on drugs, war on poverty, writing
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Every One and Any One
This grammar error only makes itself obvious in the written word, but it does seem to be fairly common. Use anyone if you can substitute it with anybody. Did anyone else hear the news anchor use the slang (read inappropriate) … Continue reading
Posted in grammar
Tagged anyone or any one, English, everyone or every one, grammar error
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Definite Possibility
An oxymoron is the pairing of two or more words to create a meaning that is contradictory or seems to be contradictory. A couple of examples of oxymorons that seem contradictory include objective opinion, speed bump, and jumbo shrimp. (For what … Continue reading
Posted in grammar, language, writing
Tagged definite possibility, English, grammar, language, oxymoron, writing
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To, Too, Two Grammar
O, that this too too grammar error would melt… I’m sure that Shakespeare wouldn’t mind my re-writing one of his most famous and quoted lines—as long as it’s done in the name of good grammar. Most people don’t have problems … Continue reading
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Tagged English, grammar error, meaning also, preposition, to, too, two
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There, Their, They’re
There, there now; they’re really not as confusing as their reputations might have you believe. They’re is the contraction for they are. They’re related to a prominent New England family. They’re not sure which candidate they’re going to hire. … Continue reading
I Want to Be a Statistic–Sometimes
A statistic is a numerical value or fact or an inanimate numerical representation of a piece of information. Examples include 53% of the the vote, $3.59 cents per gallon, a .309 batting average, and 63% of all bananas that my co-worker brings to … Continue reading
Whether or Not
When I was in high school, I wrote a short, humorous poem about my potential future career; it was titled Weather or Not. Unless you’re reading that poem, which is highly unlikely since it’s never left the back of my closet, you … Continue reading
Posted in grammar, language, writing
Tagged English, grammar error, language, whether or not, writing
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Jeff Corwin, Move Over
We at languageandgrammar.com took a brief respite from saving our readers from language pitfalls–just long enough to save nine ducklings in what could only be called a “daring rescue.” Ok, so it wasn’t that daring, but it was a rescue nonetheless. … Continue reading
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Tagged ducklings, ducks, Jeff Corwin, rescue
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Fed Up with Up
Up, Up, and Away could be the title of a sequel to Literally, the Best Language Book Ever. Rather than a book with 350-plus words, phrases, and expressions that you should never use again, it would be a book with … Continue reading
Sit, Set: Setting the Record Straight
You’re not really supposed to sit something on a table, and you’re not supposed to set awhile when you need to rest. It’s not the actions to which I object; it’s the verbs used to do them. To set means … Continue reading
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Tagged English, grammar error, set something, set vs sit, writing
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