Friday, March 11, 2016

American-English — The Official Guide

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If my pages look different, it’s because somebody who hates grammar (or has nothing else to do) broke into my space and befuddled much of wh...
Friday, November 27, 2015

It's Black Friday for Writers

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Okay — so it’s been awhile since you’ve heard from me. Easy answer: I have finished my new grammar book and you’ll be able to look at it aft...
Thursday, August 27, 2015

Comical, Literate Grammar — Oh My!

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Sometimes pure genius shows up in strange places. I look for — and find — it in the daily comic pages and my favorite grammar blogs. Every o...
Thursday, July 23, 2015

Want People to Listen to You?

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I edit book manuscripts. When I discover an epidemic, like any good citizen, I must report it and warn against the dangers the disease can a...
Saturday, May 23, 2015

QUESTION: What is the Official National Language of the USA? ANSWER: None!

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 Most worldwide citizens can answer that quite easily. They have only a couple of languages to choose from. Now — you in the great United S...
Thursday, April 30, 2015

Righting a Wrong!

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The daily newspaper quiz today asked for the “official” languages of a number of countries: from Egypt and Iran to Iceland and Pakistan. I w...
Thursday, March 5, 2015

Temp-er, Temp-er, Temp-er!

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Okay, I realize I’ve offered spelling advice that says, “Look to the root word when seeking better spelling.” But I have also suggested th...
Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Well! Well! Well!

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So now you know the difference between “well” and “well”! Ain’t grammar fun! Thanks to Dan Piraro, my artist doppelganger, and BIZARRO...
Saturday, February 14, 2015

Save the Earth—It's the Only Planet That Feeds Us

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An author friend inquired about whether or not to capitalize the word “earth” when using it to refer to the planet, rather than to soil. W...
Saturday, January 10, 2015

Mass Nouns and Uncountable Nouns, 0-boy!

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Have you ever heard of Mass Nouns? Don’t feel bad. Neither had I… until I came across the term in a comic strip the other day and real...