Category Archives: language

Time to Run Down Run Up

Posted on February 7, 2008 by languageandgrammar

There are myriad reasons for objecting to the war in Iraq, and I will focus on the least important of all–the now-obsessive use of the term run up. Ever since that war was merely in the planning stage, the phrases run … Continue reading →

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Hope Against Hopefully

Posted on February 2, 2008 by languageandgrammar

The word hopefully is an adverb; notice the -ly, which to an adverb is analogous to the stripes on a zebra–most adverbs have them. An adverb is a word that describes a verb, so hopefully is a word that describes how something is done. Charlie … Continue reading →

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Where Are You At?

Posted on January 26, 2008 by languageandgrammar

Asking where are you at is a common grammar mistake, and the mistake and error is as obvious and evident as is the redundancy and repetition of the second part of this sentence and complete thought. More simply–and less redundant–the word where … Continue reading →

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Candidates Lash Out

Posted on January 22, 2008 by languageandgrammar

I know what you may be thinking by now: I thought this was a language and grammar blog, but it’s more like a language, grammar, and politics blog! That’s not true. In fact, there is no truth to the rumor that we at … Continue reading →

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Values Voters

Posted on January 19, 2008 by languageandgrammar

Certain parts of the media–and by that I mean nearly every part of the media–have started to refer to the part of the electorate who supports candidates based mainly on Christian religious beliefs (in this case, those who support Governor … Continue reading →

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Career Opportunites

Posted on January 16, 2008 by languageandgrammar

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 →

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50% Chance of Rain

Posted on January 12, 2008 by languageandgrammar

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 →

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Subtle Sexism

Posted on January 9, 2008 by languageandgrammar

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 →

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Symbolism of Patriotism

Posted on January 6, 2008 by languageandgrammar

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 →

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Choosing Later Retirement Age?

Posted on January 2, 2008 by languageandgrammar

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 →

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