Author Archives: languageandgrammar

Larry King on Language

Posted on May 17, 2009 by languageandgrammar

When I was doing a recent google search for trendy language (is that really that much more difficult than saying when I recently googled trendy language?), I came across some Larry King commentary on the topic. His comments, found at … Continue reading →

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Desperation Versus Determination

Posted on May 13, 2009 by languageandgrammar

I believe in the power of words, and I also believe in the power of positive energy; therefore, it’s not surprising that I believe it’s important to focus our language–and thus our lives– in a positive direction. That’s why I’m … Continue reading →

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Possessive Pairs

Posted on May 11, 2009 by languageandgrammar

No, I’m not talking about when your wife won’t let you go out with your friends or your husband doesn’t let you talk to anyone at the office Christmas party. What I’m talking about is how to indicate possession when … Continue reading →

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Your Language Complaints

Posted on May 6, 2009 by languageandgrammar

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, this is the fourth installment of what you, the readers languageandgrammar.com, have listed as Your Pet Peeves. Since we’ve had well over 100 comments, with probably close to 200 peeves, we thought that it only … Continue reading →

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I Was So Dis-focused—–I Mean Distracted….

Posted on May 4, 2009 by languageandgrammar

I heard a commentator on one of the 24-hour news channels use the non-word dis-focus last week. At first, I thought that it was a grammatical hiccup, but then he used it thrice more. He was talking about one of … Continue reading →

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Snow in May?

Posted on May 2, 2009 by languageandgrammar

Since it’s the weekend, I thought I’d take a break from grammar and highlight my favorite weather blog (Paul’s!), cloudyandcool.com. While I like snow as much as the next person during the winter, I certainly don’t want to think about … Continue reading →

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Close But No Cigarette

Posted on April 30, 2009 by languageandgrammar

We’ve all done it–either misstated something or slightly mangled a common statement or cliche, and the result was a humorous sentence that didn’t make sense. I call this “close but no cigarette.” One of our blogger friends, Pamela Villars, recently … Continue reading →

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Don’t Torture Me: Tortuous, Torturous

Posted on April 29, 2009 by languageandgrammar

Sometimes, learning grammar rules can be torturous. Or is it tortuous? Be careful with these two words; the second -r makes all the difference. Torturous has torture as its root, and it means that something is very painful, that is, … Continue reading →

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Going Nucular

Posted on April 27, 2009 by languageandgrammar

Richard Nixon once said, “…when the President does it, that means that it is not illegal.” Well, that might be true of wire-tapping without court-approved warrants, but I’m almost certain that it does not hold true for grammar, punctuation, and … Continue reading →

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Why Language Changes

Posted on April 23, 2009 by languageandgrammar

We at languageandgrammar.com don’t throw around the term “great” loosely, but Forbes.com has a great article on the evolution of words.  Actually, we’re just having a little bit of fun. It wouldn’t be fair for us to comment on the … Continue reading →

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