Paul Yeager's weather book
Paul Yeager's language book
Tag Archives: English
From Does Not Mean Off
The word from is not synonymous with the word off or the words off of. This is something that I hear fairly often. For example, I got these nematodes off the guy in the lab next door or I got … Continue reading
Now, Don’t Be Lazy
Why do I more often hear people say lacksadaisical than lackadaisical? I’m asking because lacksadaisical isn’t a word; the correct word is lackadaisical. Lackadaisical means without enthusiasm or interest or vigor, so someone who is lackadaisical lacks enthusiasm or interest … Continue reading
Posted in grammar, language, writing
Tagged English, grammar errors, lackadaisical, lacksadaisical, language, writing
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Conjunctive Adverbs—-or Adverbial Conjunctions
A sign is hanging up at work: Empty the trash, then line the basket with a new bag. I saw the forecast for my local area: Rain will end this morning, then it will be partly sunny this afternoon. Both … Continue reading
Posted in grammar, language, writing
Tagged adverbial conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs, English, grammar errors, punctuation with then, writing
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Rarely Is Hardly Ever
The rarely ever grammar goof is really just a hybrid of rarely and hardly ever, which both mean the same thing; thus, together, they create a type of redundancy. Use either rarely OR hardly ever, not rarely ever. I rarely … Continue reading
Posted in language
Tagged English, grammar errors, hardly ever, rarely, rarely ever, writing
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Is it Disorganized or Unorganized? What a Mess!
A reader wrote to us to say that she’s heard, on several occasions, people in the media use the word unorganized when they should have used disorganized. If something (or someONE) is a mess, thus creating a difficult situation, then … Continue reading
Posted in language
Tagged disorganized, English, grammar errors, language, unorganized, writing
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Possessive Pairs
No, I’m not talking about when your wife won’t let you go out with your friends or your husband doesn’t let you talk to anyone at the office Christmas party. What I’m talking about is how to indicate possession when … Continue reading
I Was So Dis-focused—–I Mean Distracted….
I heard a commentator on one of the 24-hour news channels use the non-word dis-focus last week. At first, I thought that it was a grammatical hiccup, but then he used it thrice more. He was talking about one of … Continue reading
Don’t Torture Me: Tortuous, Torturous
Sometimes, learning grammar rules can be torturous. Or is it tortuous? Be careful with these two words; the second -r makes all the difference. Torturous has torture as its root, and it means that something is very painful, that is, … Continue reading
Going Nucular
Richard Nixon once said, “…when the President does it, that means that it is not illegal.” Well, that might be true of wire-tapping without court-approved warrants, but I’m almost certain that it does not hold true for grammar, punctuation, and … Continue reading
Posted in grammar, language, writing
Tagged English, George Bush, grammar errors, nuclear, nucular, pronunciation errors
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Cancel One L
Remember that spelling rule you learned in elementary school about doubling the final consonant before adding -ed or -ing to a verb? Well, if you remember, then you know that there is a little more to the story. When making … Continue reading
Posted in language
Tagged canceled, canceling, cancelled, cancelling, English, grammar error, language, spelling errors, writing
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Everything Language and Grammar 