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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
To Boldly Go... to 'Infinitive' and Beyond! Jan. 04, 2023
"Never split an infinitive!" Perhaps no dictum struck more terror in our childish hearts. (Well, OK,... Read More
Learning From My Meaty 'Misteaks' Dec. 28, 2022
Do you think of me as a pillar of linguistic virtue, a Doric columnist of verbal perfection? Alas, p... Read More
Old English 'Godmother' Spawns Lurid 'Gossip'! Dec. 21, 2022
Word Guy goes tabloid! Today's column is filled with nothing but "libel," "slander," "scandal" and "... Read More
Sometimes You Need to Be a 'Passivist' Nov. 30, 2022
The passive voice has been getting a bum rap lately. Writing teachers tell would-be Hemingways to pu... Read More
These Names Are All Over the Place Nov. 23, 2022
During the early 1870s, the residents of a Tennessee hamlet sent a handwritten letter to the federal... Read More
Give the Gift of Gab This Year Nov. 16, 2022
Tickle the tinsel of your word-loving friends and relatives this holiday season by giving them one o... Read More
Over the River and Through the Words Nov. 09, 2022
As you prepare to stuff your Thanksgiving bird, see whether you can stuff the blanks in this well-kn... Read More
Some Pronunciations Are Rotten Tomatoes Nov. 02, 2022
You say, "tah-MAY-toe." I say, "tah-MAH-toe." That's what many debates over pronunciation boil down ... Read More
Should 'Halloween' Be Penalized for Clipping? Oct. 19, 2022
I don't mean to sell "Halloween" short, but this word provides a good example of a linguistic proces... Read More
Abbreviations Play Trick or Treat Oct. 12, 2022
Acronyms and initialisms are like the trick or treaters who show up at our doors on Halloween. We TH... Read More
