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Take a Verbal Voyage This Summer May. 24, 2023
Become a "word" traveler this summer with one of these new books about language. If you're reading t... Read More
The Season of Pomp and Circumlocution May. 17, 2023
Ah, graduation. Time for all the academic regalia: pomp, circumstance, mortarboards, diplomas and ye... Read More
Yes, Ira, There Is an Adjectival Clause May. 10, 2023
Q: I am writing on behalf of my seventh-grade class. We consulted four dictionaries, and all of them... Read More
Readers Have Their Say on What We Say May. 03, 2023
Some of my readers are fully capable of writing this column. So today I'm turning it over to them. "... Read More
The Not So Good Old Daze Apr. 26, 2023
How much tougher was life in the old days? When The Washington Post put that question to readers a w... Read More
Reviewing Some Principal Principles Apr. 19, 2023
Bob Calnen of Manchester, Connecticut, is a man of "principles" — and "principals." He loves t... Read More
Readers Weigh In, But Word Guy Still Sins Apr. 12, 2023
What are my readers' top pet peeves about poor English usage? (Of course, I would never commit any t... Read More
Swimming Through the Cold Porridge of Academese Apr. 05, 2023
Consider these memorable opening lines: "Call me Ishmael"; "It was the best of times, it was the wor... Read More
You'll Find This Column Puzzling Mar. 29, 2023
Some of my readers are posers. No, they're not pretentious phonies. They simply enjoy posing word pu... Read More
Language Snoopers Nab the Bloopers Mar. 22, 2023
Eagle-eyed readers have sent me these mistakes from newspapers and magazines. Can you spot the blots... Read More
Hold 'Regard' in High Regard Mar. 15, 2023
Q: I use the phrase "in regard to your question," but I frequently read and hear others using "in re... Read More
Some Issues Deserve a Good Hearing Mar. 08, 2023
Remember Emily Litella, the befuddled TV editorialist played by Gilda Radner on "Saturday Night Live... Read More
'Aks' Pronunciation Has Long History in English Mar. 01, 2023
Several readers have asked me about the pronunciation of "ask" as "aks." While this nonstandard, dia... Read More
Putting Modifiers in Their Place Feb. 22, 2023
There's a demon stalking our fair nation. George Santos? Well, yeah, him too. But the real menace to... Read More
Obeying the Law of the Bungle Feb. 15, 2023
Murphy's Law says this column will have a mistake in it. Parkinson's Law says it will take you as lo... Read More
This Slogan Had Grammarians Smoking Feb. 08, 2023
"Winston tastes good like a cigarette should." That famous advertising slogan, created by the Willia... Read More
Homophones Demand 'Sound' Choices Feb. 01, 2023
Did you hear about the perfume maker whose business made a lot of "scents" ... or was that "sense" .... Read More
The Schoolbook That Once United Our Nation Jan. 25, 2023
Americans today are engaged in heated debates over the content of classroom textbooks, so perhaps it... Read More
It's Time to Knock 'Would' Jan. 18, 2023
Q: Why do so many people say, "If I would have known" instead of the simpler "If I had known"? ̵... Read More
Rhymes of the Ancient Mariners Jan. 11, 2023
How do we know that English speakers once pronounced "none" as "known"? You'll find the answer on th... Read More
