I Couldn’t Care Less….Could You?
Contrary to popular usage and belief, the statement is “I couldn’t care less,” not “I could care less.” The reason is simple. If one could not care less, then one is as completely un- or dis-interested in something as it is possible to be. It would not be possible for the person to be any […]
Don’t Snigger at Me, You Oaf!
Once again, a controversy over spellings darkens the skies. Is it “snicker” or “snigger”? Let the Grammar Guru help, won’t you? Snicker means “to utter a half-stifled, possibly snide, laugh.” Snigger means “a disrespectful laugh, usually partly-stifled.” In essence, they are synonyms, although snigger carries more negative connotations of disrespect or furtiveness, usually giving the […]
Serial Killers Don’t Murder Cereals
A cereal killer would be someone who takes the life out of your bowl of porridge. A serial killer, on the other hand, is someone who makes a habit of taking the lives of others according to a pattern. Cereal, you see, is a noun meaning a type of grain product. In Europe, it can […]
When You Need Advice, Ask Someone to Advise You!
The Grammar Guru has been asked to explain the difference between advise and advice, two frequently misused words that should be easy to tell apart. Advise is a verb, meaning “to tell someone what they ought to do.” It is pronounced /ad-VIZE/. Someone advised him not to invest in widgets. Advice is a noun, meaning […]
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 […]
“That” or Not “That”…That Is the Question!
There is a movement afoot in publishing and academic circles to remove “unnecessary” instances of the word that from writing. The problem is that it is difficult to codify when that is unnecessary and when it isn’t. For example, more than half of the “experts” would omit my use of that between “problem is” and […]
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 […]