Category Archives: grammar

Meantime, the Controversy Rages

Posted on March 16, 2009 by languageandgrammar

Fine,  it’s not a major controversy, but I figured I would need a sensationalistic headline in order to get any but the most grammar- and language-obsessed among us to read about the proper use of meantime and meanwhile. It’s not … Continue reading →

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Redundant Language

Posted on March 11, 2009 by languageandgrammar

Just a short, little post today. It’s absolutely essential that if we want to develop the best ever language skills that we all join together for a brief moment to eliminate all repetitive redundancy that we hear on a daily … Continue reading →

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Voila!

Posted on March 6, 2009 by languageandgrammar

Yo no hable frances (and my Spanish is kind of rusty, too), but if I did, I would be even more annoyed with how many times I’ve heard the word voila butchered by Americans. It’s not Wa La or Walla … Continue reading →

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Bringin’ ’em back from the dead: hitherto and henceforth

Posted on March 4, 2009 by languageandgrammar

I thought I’d take a break from pontificating about grammar rules and share with you some of my favorite words that have gone the way of the whole two tin cans and a string thing—-except whenever I can work them … Continue reading →

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Nip it WHERE????

Posted on March 2, 2009 by languageandgrammar

No matter how many times you’ve said it—and you know who you are—nip it in the butt is NOT the correct phrase. Nip it in the butt? Ouch! If you must use this cliche, then use it properly: Nip it … Continue reading →

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Scratch and Dent Sale

Posted on February 27, 2009 by languageandgrammar

Language and marketing are inseparable since the key to effective marketing is effective communication, and with that in mind, I’d like to mention that I’m troubled by the frequency of scratch and dent sales that take place at a local … Continue reading →

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Symbols of Patriotism, Obama Address to Congress

Posted on February 26, 2009 by languageandgrammar

With all due respect to EF Hutton, when President Obama speaks, people listen–well, most people. I didn’t listen to the entire Obama address to Congress; however, I heard an important part of the speech–one that made a fascinating statement about … Continue reading →

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THAT’S Incredible; I’M Incredulous.

Posted on February 24, 2009 by languageandgrammar

I’ve heard the word incredulous attributed to situations, as in That’s an incredulous story. The problem is that incredulous means skeptical or disbelieving, which is a human trait, not something that can be attributed to an inanimate object, a theory, … Continue reading →

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Look Mom, Hands Free

Posted on February 23, 2009 by languageandgrammar

One of the terms that I wrote about in Literally, the Best Language Book Ever was our use of -friendly. We use the same construction, pairing a word with -friendly, in ways that are inconsistent, which leads to understandable confusion. … Continue reading →

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Road to Hoe

Posted on February 10, 2009 by languageandgrammar

If there is anything worse than using a cliche, it’s trying to use a cliche and getting it wrong. You would think we wouldn’t get something wrong that’s been repeated so often! I like to call these instances Close but … Continue reading →

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