O Tempora! O Mores!
This post was sparked by a comment that I made on another blogger’s post (her name is Homegirl), in which I mistakenly assumed that she had misquoted the old saying “the pot calling the kettle black.” I was wrong. She had intentionally changed it, for reasons that I understand and respect. But this tendency in […]
There Was No Cavalry at Calvary
At least, not a cavalry as we know it. A cavalry, pronounced /kav ul ree/, is a group of mounted soldiers. Calvary, pronounced /kal vuh ree/, is the place where Jesus was crucified, on Mount Golgotha, just outside the gates of Jerusalem. While there were soldiers present at the Crucifixion, they were infantry — Roman […]
Don’t Flaunt Your Tendency to Flout the Rules….
… it might make you look silly. Here are a couple of words that are oh-so-frequently interchanged — incorrectly. Flaunt (pronounced “flawnt”) means to ostentatiously display your behaviour, to show off. The little girl who has just gotten a new dress will show off, strutting about and making it obvious to everyone that she knows […]
Y’all Are Making the Grammar Guru Crazy
Okay, look, it’s simple. Hear means to use your ears or your hearing aid to listen to something that is being said. If you agree with someone’s statement emphatically, you say, “Hear, hear!” Here means in this exact place. So you can say, “I can’t hear you because there is a crazed iguana screeching in […]
Now What’s That Word Again?
Here’s a few obscure but very useful words for writers looking for a unique descriptive or “that exactly correct” word. Did you ever wonder what that large flap, or apron, of flesh that hangs down from an obese person’s tummy? Yeah, yeah, a small, beginning one is called a “beer belly” or, for those who […]
Clearing up Confusion
Who is the man with whom you were laughing? Who is the subjective or nominative case of the word; in plain English, who acts as a subject or predicate nominative…most of the time. I don’t know who you are. Who steals my purse steals trash. Whom is objective case; that is, it must be an […]
Toward? Towards? The British Bug Bites Again
An urgent request for help has just been received at Grammar Grotto, and the Guru is ready to help. The question is “I’ve written a poem, and one of the lines is …’she is floating toward him.’ Is it toward or towards?” And the definitive answer is {drum roll, please} either one! That’s really helpful, […]
If I Eat More Than You, Then I Will Be Fat.
I have been asked to explain the difference between the words then and than. Really, I have never understood the confusion between the two, as they bear no resemblance to one another, not even in pronunciation. But I, too, have seen a disconcerting number of cases where the two have been confused. So, an explanation. […]
Take a Breath! Breathe, Breathe, Breathe!
breath, breathe: This one is simple, but it’s a very common mistake. Breath (breth with a soft /th/ sound) is the noun: I need to catch my breath. Take a deep breath and cough. Breathe (/breeeeeth/ with a hard /th/ sound) is the verb: Breathe in and out slowly, please. Don’t breathe the chlorine fumes. […]
The Grammar Guru Butts in and Corrects Everyone
I refuse to start pointing fingers or editing everyone’s blogs — I don’t have the time or the inclination to cultivate rabid enemies. But there are a few words that need to be defined so that we don’t keep using the wrong word and making ourselves look silly. Those in the know will notice that […]