Author Archives: languageandgrammar

Mmmmmm, Probly (Probably)

Posted on February 6, 2009 by languageandgrammar

While this is not a terribly common written error—-although I have at times seen it spelled this way on the information superhighway—-the pronunciation of probably as probly is constant and irritating. You should probably have a good lawyer if you … Continue reading →

Posted in grammar, language, writing | Tagged English, grammar error, probably, probly, pronunciation | Comments Off

Smarter Planet; Dumber Advertising

Posted on February 5, 2009 by languageandgrammar

It must be something about companies with initials for names since both IBM and BMW are producing “smarter” products. In fact, IBM, which always has grand plans, wants to make the entire planet smarter. Smart, as an adjective, typically means … Continue reading →

Posted in grammar, language, writing | Tagged advertising, BMW, grammar, IBM, IBM Smarter World, language, marketing, Smarter, writing | 3 Comments

Not-So-Super Advice

Posted on February 2, 2009 by languageandgrammar

Having days and days and days of Super Bowl preview shows is analogous to 24-hour-per-day news coverage. With so much time to kill, there is simply not enough good information to fill the time, and the result is quite a … Continue reading →

Posted in off topic, sports | Tagged Ben Roethlisberger, off topic, sports, Super Bowl XLIII | Comments Off

Waiting for You, Waiting on Table #3

Posted on January 30, 2009 by languageandgrammar

There’s a song whose lyrics include Must I always be waiting on you and I can’t always be waiting on you. When I hear must I always be waiting on you, I can’t help picturing him wearing a bowtie and … Continue reading →

Posted in grammar, language, writing | Tagged English, grammar error, language, Must I always be waiting on you, Waiting for you, Waiting on you, writing | 1 Comment

Like a Bull in a China Shop

Posted on January 29, 2009 by languageandgrammar

Most cliches have enough truth to them that, while the use of the phrase is monotonous and ineffective, there is at least some logic behind using it. That’s apparently not the case with the ever-popular like a bull in a … Continue reading →

Posted in language, off topic, writing | Tagged bull in a china shop, cliches, Discovery Channel, English, language, mybusters, writing | Comments Off

Big Off-Season Move

Posted on January 26, 2009 by languageandgrammar

Winter is nearly as important to baseball as summer, when the games are played, because the foundation for the team is set during the winter off-season. With that in mind, it appears as if the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team that … Continue reading →

Posted in humor, sports | Tagged AJ Burnett, baseball, CC Sabathia, humor, Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees, off topic, Pittsburgh Pirates, sports | Comments Off

We versus Us: We the People

Posted on January 23, 2009 by languageandgrammar

I’ve already written about general pronoun choice, but the we/us dilemma is worth tackling separately. We is a nominative pronoun, which means that it is used as a subject, and us is an objective pronoun, which means that it is … Continue reading →

Posted in grammar, language, writing | Tagged English, grammar error, language, nominative pronoun, objective pronoun, pronouns, we or us, We the people, writing | Comments Off

It’s Not What It’s Cracked Up To Be

Posted on January 22, 2009 by languageandgrammar

I don’t know the origin of the phrase It’s not what it’s cracked up to be, and I’m not particularly interested in finding out. The phrase is overused and doesn’t make sense to most people who use it. It’s not … Continue reading →

Posted in grammar, language, writing | Tagged colloquialisms, grammar, idioms, It's not what it's cracked up to be, language, writing | Comments Off

Can’t Help But Cringe at This Construction

Posted on January 20, 2009 by languageandgrammar

Try to avoid the can’t help but construction. While it has been around for a while, most grammarians agree that it’s not the most logical construction. It’s considered to be a confused mix of the expressions can but and can’t … Continue reading →

Posted in grammar, language, writing | Tagged can't help but think, can't help thinking, English, grammar error, language, writing | Comments Off

Man Up

Posted on January 19, 2009 by languageandgrammar

Man up is a relatively new term that’s all the rage. All I can say is: Oy. I know that it’s intended to be funny. I know that men-are-different-than-women humor has been popular since Eve picked the apple from the … Continue reading →

Posted in grammar, language, sports | 3 Comments