Tag Archives: grammar error

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 →

Posted in grammar, language, writing | Tagged cliche, English, grammar error, Henry Chettle, nip it in the bud, nip it in the butt, writing | Comments Off

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 →

Posted in grammar, language, writing | Tagged English, grammar error, incredible vs incredulous, language, Miller Lite controversy, Shakespeare, writing | Comments Off

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 →

Posted in grammar, writing | Tagged comma use, coordinating conjunctions, English, grammar error, subordinating conjunctions, writing | Comments Off

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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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 →

Posted in grammar, language, writing | Tagged English, grammar error, language, Must I always be waiting on you, Waiting for you, Waiting on you, writing | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in grammar, language, writing | Tagged English, grammar error, language, nominative pronoun, objective pronoun, pronouns, we or us, We the people, writing | Comments Off

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 →

Posted in grammar, language, writing | Tagged can't help but think, can't help thinking, English, grammar error, language, writing | Comments Off

Complement/Compliment

Posted on January 16, 2009 by languageandgrammar

As a verb, to complement is to complete or to supplement. The wine complemented the meal. As a noun, complement is something that completes something else. The addition of the B6 vitamin to my morning routine now gives me a … Continue reading →

Posted in language | Tagged compliment or complement, English, grammar error, language, writing | Comments Off

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 →

Posted in grammar, language, writing | Tagged English, grammar error, language, number or amount, writing | Comments Off

Stationary versus Stationery

Posted on January 9, 2009 by languageandgrammar

There are certain lessons—and when I say lessons, of course, I mean grammar lessons—that we always remember having been taught, and this is one of them for me. I still recall my elementary-school teacher explaining the difference between stationary, which … Continue reading →

Posted in grammar, language, writing | Tagged English, grammar error, language, stationary, stationery, writing | Comments Off