I Warned You It Was a Trick Question…
Ricky got it: the difference between the words stalactite and stalagmite is the spelling. This was just a little teaser to illustrate the importance of using the correct words to convey your meaning. Most people (myself included, the first time this was asked of me) assume that you want to know the difference between the […]
A Little Brain-Teaser
What’s the difference between the words stalactite and stalagmite? This is a trick question.
How the Grammar Guru Embarrassed Herself With the State Capital
Once upon a time, the Grammar Guru was just a cocky teenager without much good sense. She read a newspaper headline that said “Protesters Converge on State Capital” and decided that her local newspaper needed the benefit of her editorial skills. She called to complain that the newspaper should get it right … when referring […]
When Is a Stone Not a Stone?
Why, when it’s 14 pounds, of course, as my British friends and readers know full well. Which means I weigh 13 stone 11 pounds, or 13st 11lb. So what does this have to do with grammar? Two things. If you are an American writing a piece of work with a Brit as a character, you […]
Quoting Queries….When to Play Doubles, When Singles
Quite some time ago, a fellow blogger named Kiwi.Writer posed an interesting question in one of her posts; she was perplexed about the use of single and double quotation marks. It seems that Kiwi submitted a paper for review, and her instructor marked out all the double quotes surrounding dialogue and marked them to be […]