Q: What's the proper use of "a.m." or "p.m." for 12 noon and 12 midnight? — Bertha Williams, St. Augustine, Florida

A: Midnight is "12 a.m." and noon is "12 p.m." I always use this handy mnemonic: "noon" is part of "afternoon," thus it's 12 p.m.

This distinction is important (just ask Cinderella), so it's probably best to specify "12 noon" and "12 midnight." That way, the guests you invited for that nice luncheon won't show up for a midnight snack.

Q: Which is correct: "all right" or "alright"? — Eric Whiting, Clinton Township, New Jersey

A: "Alright" will never be all right in my book. True, "all" and "right," following the examples of "all ready" and "all together," could have been joined in holy matrimony and lived happily ever after ("already," "altogether"). But they didn't.

So "alright" is a shotgun marriage at best. Don't write "alright" unless you intend a jocular, casual tone.

Q: Help! I am grinding my teeth at what I hear on radio and television and read in papers: "It was too exciting of a prospect." Why is this "of" being inserted unnecessarily? — E. Jean Sutherland, Madison, Connecticut

A: My hunch is that people say "of a" because it provides a nice little two-beat intro to the word they want to stress. "It's not that big of a deal" sounds more emphatic than "It's not that big a deal."

But when "of a" appears in writing, it IS time to start grinding your teeth. What's acceptable usage in writing and what's acceptable in speech are sometimes "molar" opposites.

Q: As you drive along streets today, you often see signs posted that read, "Drive like your children live here." Shouldn't it be "Drive as if your children live here"? — Jim Gadarowski, Newington, Connecticut

A: In a perfect world, everyone would obey speed limits, and signs would read, "Drive as if your children live here." In reality, alas, drivers speed, and signs read, "Drive like your children live here."

Seventy years ago, most grammarians would have faulted that sentence because it uses "like" as a conjunction. During the 1950s, many purists, including the editors of The New Yorker, huffed and puffed over an ad claiming, "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should."

But in recent decades grammarians have stopped breathing fire when they see "like" used as a conjunction, accepting sentences such as, "Tell it like it is" and "I remember it like it was yesterday."

Linguistic concerns aside, let's all slow down and watch out for those kids — no matter whose they are!

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Connecticut, invites your language sightings. His new book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to WordGuy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

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