Category Archives: grammar

Subordinating Conjunctions

Posted on February 9, 2009 by languageandgrammar

While coordinating conjunctions (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet), which connect clauses of equal importance, get a great deal of press in every grammar book, they’re not the only conjunctions in town. Subordinating conjunctions connect clauses as well, but … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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Is It Amount, or Is It Number?

Posted on January 15, 2009 by languageandgrammar

The number of times that I’ve seen these words confused is more than I can count—and that’s actually the point of the amount/number topic. Number refers to things that can be counted as individuals. Amount refers to a mass quantity, … Continue reading →

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The “C” in Arctic Stands for Cold!

Posted on January 13, 2009 by languageandgrammar

While the blast of bitterly cold Canadian air will be the major weather story across the country for the next several days, I thought that it was a good time to correct a common pronunciation (and possibly spelling) error. The … Continue reading →

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