Paul Yeager's weather book
Paul Yeager's language book
Tag Archives: writing
Hitherto and Tautologies
I recently wrote an article about an art exhibit for a local newspaper. Having been both an editor and a copy editor for many years (and those of you who are editors, copy editors, and proofreaders know what I’m talking … Continue reading
Posted in grammar, language, writing
Tagged English, grammar errors, hitherto, language, tautology, writing
4 Comments
Guestimate
This is just a rough guestimate, but I believe that I’ve heard “guestimate” said five times in the past two weeks. If you ask me, that’s six times too many–if you count the time I just said it. I’m not … Continue reading
Posted in grammar, language, writing
Tagged grammar, guestimate, guestimation, ineffective language, language, writing
6 Comments
I’m Glad My Parents Aren’t Alive to See This…
The entire languageandgrammar.com staff went to dinner recently and were taken aback by an excessively loud conversation going on nearby (It was so loud that it was impossible not to hear), most notably when a woman around 60 said to … Continue reading
Posted in language, writing
Tagged glad my parents aren't alive to see this, ineffective speech, language, writing
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350 And Counting…
It’s hard to believe (at least it’s hard for me to believe) that we now have 350 (approximately) separate language and grammar posts on languageandgrammar. com, but since we do, it seems like a good time to highlight two of … 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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The Appointment is Not for the Doctor!
I know that this is a pet peeve more than a serious language error (A Pet Peeve Warning is in Effect!), but when you have an appointment with a doctor, it should be called a doctor appointment, not a doctor’s … Continue reading
Posted in grammar, language, writing
Tagged doctor's appointment, grammar, language, writing
5 Comments
Talk Offline
As I mentioned in Literally, the Best Language Book Ever, it’s not surprising that many language trends begin at work since we spend so much time there. Talking offline is certainly one of those trendy phrases–one that started several years … Continue reading
Posted in language, writing
Tagged business language, business terms, language, literally the best language book ever, talk offline, trendy language, writing
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Costly Language Mistakes
Communication can be costly because how well you communicate will largely dictate your success, but I didn’t know a communication mistake could cost a business $340,000,000 (340 million)! That’s what happened when a Japanese trader accidentally sold 610,000 shares of … Continue reading
Posted in grammar, language, writing
Tagged costly language errors, grammar, language, switched.com, writing
2 Comments
Stop the Insanity!
I always think of 1990’s health guru Susan Powter when I see someone using two spaces after a hard stop (period, exclamation point, question mark, etc.) in 2009. Not only is the reasoning behind the double space antiquated, but it … Continue reading
Posted in grammar, language, writing
Tagged double space after a hard stop, grammar, language, punctuation, susan powter, writing
5 Comments
Everything Language and Grammar 