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Are You Woke About 'Woken'? Jul. 22, 2020
Q: In a story I just read, I found this: "I was woken up bright and early." Is "woken" a word? ̵... Read More
Heading for the 'High' Ground Jul. 15, 2020
Why do we say that people enjoying an opulent, elegant lifestyle are living "high on the hog"? The t... Read More
July 5, 2020 Jul. 05, 2020
Dear Annie: After living and working for 35 years in a large city, my husband and I were able to ret... Read More
Classic Ann Landers Jun. 14, 2020
Editor's Note: Hundreds of Ann Landers' loyal readers have requested that newspapers continue to pub... Read More
When Being 'Correct' Can Lead to a Wreck Jun. 03, 2020
A newspaper reporter recently wrote that an Edgar Degas exhibit was "up for fewer than 10 days." I d... Read More
Summer Books for the Alone Ranger May. 27, 2020
Whether you're self-isolating at a cove, cabin or campsite this summer, or just stuck at home like t... Read More
Slash Your Way Through These Prose Thickets Apr. 22, 2020
Reading awkward, verbose prose can feel like trying to navigate a dense thicket of branches and bush... Read More
Taking the Terror out of 'Terrific' Feb. 26, 2020
Q: Could you explain why "terrible" and "horrible" are synonyms but "terrific" and "horrific" are an... Read More
Dad Fires Up His 'Range' Rover Jan. 22, 2020
My 23-year-old daughter called me the other day to tell me that her landlord had provided a "new ove... Read More
Bristle While You Work Jan. 15, 2020
One of the occupational hazards of writing a language column (other than introducing myself and havi... Read More
Blooper Patrol Finds Cash in the Cellar Jan. 08, 2020
Members of the ever-vigilant Word Guy Blooper Patrol have sent me this latest collection of gaffes, ... Read More
Walking in a Winter 'Worder'-land Nov. 20, 2019
Put some words in your wassail and some punctuation in your punch this holiday season with one of th... Read More
Shoo, 'Of,' Don't Bother Me! Nov. 06, 2019
The seemingly harmless preposition "of" is the fly in the ointment of good writing. This pesky pest ... Read More
Lock, Stock and Peril Oct. 02, 2019
— Answering a Loaded Question: President Donald Trump's recent description of the U.S. militar... Read More
Reading Between the Lines Sep. 25, 2019
Bing Crosby once crooned in a classic song, "You've got to accentuate the positive/ Eliminate the ne... Read More
Reader Offers a Clever 'Why's Crack?' Sep. 04, 2019
Q: Why is the adjective "crack" used to describe someone who's good at something, as in a "crack sho... Read More
Using 'Times Less' Subtracts From Clarity Aug. 21, 2019
Q: I see the following two phrases all too often: 1) "Three (or two or four) times less." I would th... Read More
'Trooper' Trope Troubles Troupers Aug. 14, 2019
Q: The lead character in the comic strip "Rex Morgan, M.D." recently referred to someone as a "real ... Read More
Dogged Readers Snarl at Pet Peeves Jun. 05, 2019
Every so often, I like to unleash my readers' pet peeves, aka 'pete noires, 'cur'sed terms and 'dog'... Read More
The Night That Changed My Life May. 22, 2019
DR. WALLACE: I'm responding to the girl who was put under a lot of pressure to be a party girl. So f... Read More
