The Spelling Nazis Are at It Again!
Very amused by a recent exchange on the Forbes.com website, commenting on an article about multi-level marketing. One guy corrected another’s spelling, and lo, and behold, the wars were on! The argument was over which of two spellings was correct: bush league or Busch League. I did a little online research, and I share my […]
Stop It, Stop It, STOP IT !
The Grammar Guru cannot take it anymore! “Low and behold,” “roads to hoe,” “lines to tow,” “here, here!” and “he has more then me.” WHAT is this world coming to that even simple, everyday expressions cannot be accurately spelled? The phrase, dear friends, is Lo, and behold! As is “lo, the angel appeared unto Mary.” […]
Do You Want to Copywrite or Copyright? There IS a Difference!
The Grammar Guru keeps coming across this unbelievable error in her excursions through both online and print media. She doesn’t really understand why there is confusion between these two terms, but she thought that she ought, perhaps, to try to clear it up anyway. Copyright. This is the registration that confirms that an author’s work […]
These Words Are NOT Interchangeable!
The Grammar Guru has become painfully aware of a more and more common mistake in word usage. She has seen this on blogs, on news sites, and in various other written venues. And the mistake is creeping into people’s speech. So The Grammar Guru tells everyone, right now, to stop it! The words adieu and […]
Puzzling Redundancies
You see them all the time. Phrases in which the main idea is repeated more than once. (Yes, I did that on purpose.) Take, for example, the phrase I saw today in an article about ugly team uniforms. The author mentioned the “arm sleeves.” Why? When you are talking about clothing, sleeves are the arms. […]
Less and Fewer Are Not Interchangeable
These two words may be the most misused words in the language. They are not interchangeable; each has a specific meaning and a specific usage. Fewer is a comparative adjective used with things that may be counted — a good test is to determine whether the word is something that has both a singular and […]
The Core of the Corps Is Loyalty
But if you use the wrong form of the word pronounced /kohr/, you will have little loyalty from your editors or your employers. Core means the middle, the base, the main parts. An apple core, core curriculum, core values … all basics. Corps means a body of people acting as a single group. The Marine […]
Stop Adding Syllables!
Some pronunciation — and now spelling — errors have become quasi-acceptable in the language, to the point that a couple of them can even be found in the dictionary. That still doesn’t make them right. Orientated is not a word. Orient is a verb meaning to find one’s position or direction. One can orient oneself. […]
I Can’t Accept Your Exception to the Rule
Like the words affect and effect, accept and except are often confused. Misusing them, however, is an egregious error that can give a very bad impression of your communication skills. Accept is a verb that means “to take something that is offered.” You can accept the terms of a contract, accept a marriage proposal, accept […]
Get Your Hands off My Tutu!
Apparently there is some confusion about which form of the word pronounced /tu/ to use in a given situation. To is a preposition meaning “toward” or “directed at.” As in: I went to the store. Give the book to John. Too is an adverb meaning “excessive” or “also.” As in: That pepper was too hot […]