What’s up with “that”?
Whether writing or editing, I’m consciously aiming for a smooth experience for readers—which means avoiding potholes, bumps, and other obstacles that momentarily distract them, pulling them out of the flow of the text.
Working with a workplace writing coach
Regardless of whether you enjoy or dread your workplace writing tasks, you may find it helpful to work with a writing coach.
Watching our language
One of our neighbours has been downsizing recently, and discards from her bookshelves have shown up on the curb by her house. One volume I snapped up was Watch Your Language by Theodore M. Bernstein, described on the cover as…
Seven challenges for the word lover
What’s not to love about a short quiz on some favourite head-scratchers in the English language? Answers are at the end. Award yourself a chocolate truffle for every question you answer correctly. 1. Which is correct? a) I’ve been racking…
Spooks, zombie rules, and the singular “they”
’Tis the season for spooks, so what better time to talk about zombie rules? First, a little background. The term “zombie rules” was coined by Stanford linguistics professor Arnold Zwicky in a 2005 blog post: In the process of dissemination,…
Those lazy hazy crazy days of summer
Earlier this summer, editorial blogs and the editors’ corner of the Twitterverse focused on “Weird Al” Yankovic’s music video “Word Crimes,” with its list of grammatical errors and its condemnation of those benighted individuals who make them. Everyone from the…
A usage myth that’s more than over
Like witnessing the demolition of a derelict building, there’s something splendid about seeing a false language idol topple. And topple it did when the Associated Press Stylebook announced in March that it’s now okay to use “over” interchangeably with “more…
Ring out some old rules
In his new grammar and style guide, For Who the Bell Tolls, David Marsh of The Guardian newspaper offers a host of suggestions for navigating the ever-changing grammatical peals of the English language. He recommends, for example, not fussing over split infinitives, conjunctions…
Boo to language bullies
When it comes to exercising your command of English grammar and usage in public, are you a respected but restrained and constructive source of knowledge … or a boorish, bullying show-off? What’s the difference between being helpful and being insufferable?…