Paul Yeager's weather book
Paul Yeager's language book
Author Archives: languageandgrammar
Career Opportunites
For decades, when a business was looking for employees, a Help Wanted sign would be hung in the window. Now, the help wanted sign is as rare as finding a pearl in a plate of oysters at a restaurant; now, … Continue reading
You Have Problems, Not Issues
Somewhere, at some point over the recent past, someone decided that it was no longer acceptable for a person to say what he or she means; it was no longer acceptable to speak in precise, direct words. And what’s worse, … Continue reading
Posted in grammar
Tagged grammar, problem and issue, sportscenter, using issue to mean problem
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50% Chance of Rain
I’m a meteorologist, so how long did you expect this blog to go without a weather post? While a 50% chance of rain may not be a grammar error, this type of language use is representative of the information included … Continue reading
Posted in humor, language, weather
Tagged 50% chance of rain, forecast, language, meteorologists, weather
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Subtle Sexism
Obvious displays of bias are often less dangerous than subtle displays, just as it’s better to know that your co-worker is actively campaigning for your job than it is to find out that there’s a microphone under your post-it notes. … Continue reading
Posted in language, politics
Tagged democrat, language, Mrs. Clinton, politics, primaries, Senator Clinton, sexism
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Symbolism of Patriotism
There are many ways to communicate, and our word choice is just one way. We also use non-verbal communication, such as body language, and a good old-fashioned eye roll says more than most of our sentences possibly could. Symbolism is another effective communication tool, … Continue reading
Posted in language, politics
Tagged freedom, language, military, patriotism, politics
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Price Point Has No Point
I recently saw a popular fashion expert on television talking about what she knows best–fashion–where she said There’s a perfect black pant for every price point. There’s also a perfect solution for every grammar problem–well, maybe not every grammar problem, … Continue reading
Posted in grammar
Tagged grammar, Oprah, price, price point, price range, Stacy London
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Choosing Later Retirement Age?
I talked about the subtley of language a couple of days ago in a post about politics (Democrat Party). When a politician says something, he or she clearly does so for a specific reason; when it’s done in a news … Continue reading
See You Next Year
Do yourself and everyone you know a favor–fight the nearly uncontrollable urge to say see you next year today. I know that it’s New Year’s Eve, which means that the next time you’ll see many people, it will, indeed, be … Continue reading
Posted in humor, language
Tagged Dick Clark, Holiday, New Year's Eve, Ryan Seacrest
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Democrat Party
A politician’s image is as finely crafted as a pink flamingo made of hand-blown glass, so when something is repeated by a politician or a political party, there can be no question that it’s being done for a reason. There … Continue reading
Controlling Destiny
Bob Costas, on Sunday Night Football, made a good point about language, so I though I’d share it. It’s common for sports announcers and fans alike to talk about how a team “controls its own destiny” when the team playoff … Continue reading
Everything Language and Grammar 