February 2013
15 posts
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January 2013
87 posts
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The Oxford (Serial) Comma
Serial Comma (Within List Of Similar Elements)
When creating a list or series of multiple things which are similar, commas should be used to separate each item in the list.
N.B. American English requires the use of a comma before the last and in a list; British English does not. Be sure to follow local protocol, particularly in formal writing.
Teenagers are often anxious to grow up, get a...
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Enter the Grammarly Essay Contest and you could... →
Have you entered yet? WIN $1,000 for school with the best essay. Contest runs until 15 February 2013.
*For US residents only
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Palindromes
palindrome
-n.
A word, phrase, number or any other sequence of units which has the property of reading the same forwards as it does backwards, character for character, sometimes disregarding punctuation, capitalization and diacritics.Level, madam and racecar are examples of single word palindromes.
A poetic form in which the sequence of words reads the same in either direction.
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Bear vs. Bare
Bear and bare are homophones—words that sound alike but have different meanings.
bear
-v.
1. To carry something.
2. To be equipped with something.
the right to bear arms
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bear -n.
1. A large omnivorous mammal, related to the dog and raccoon, having shaggy hair, a very small tail, and flat feet; a member of family Ursidae,...
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WatchGrammar Revolution is a documentary Kickstarter project by David and Elizabeth O’Brien, aimed at changing the way people think about grammar. From the Kickstarter page:
“Dear Backers,
$22,000 is the minimum we need to finish the Grammar Revolution documentary. This fundraising campaign is all or nothing. We have to meet our goal of $22,000 by February 7. Your credit card will only...
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Creatively Speaking: Commonly Misused Words and... →
tonysmithcreates:
Writing is different from speaking. While it is easy to form a series of words and phrases while holding a conversation, translating the spoken word into the written word leaves tons of room for error. Tons of homonyms or words are pronounced the same despite their different spellings and…
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Cold Weather Idioms and Phrases
With the frigid weather that swept the USA this week, many of us have been “freezing our butts off” (a frequently used, colloquial phrase in English that implies weather so cold that our buns turn to ice!).
Some other cold weather phrases are:
To come in from the cold (bring in from the cold): to be welcome in or become part of a group, particularly if you are new or alone.
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Double Comparatives and Superlatives
The comparative and superlative of mountains!
There are times in writing when a comparison is necessary. A description gives the reader specific details in order to provide them with an image. Making a comparison is another way of providing the reader with imagery within a descriptive narrative. The usage of both comparison and description helps in to keep the reader engaged with the text.
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Double Negatives
A double negative refers to the use of two forms of negation in the same sentence.
Examples:
I don’t have none.
We aren’t never leaving.
Double negatives are not used in American Standard English, but are common in African American Vernacular English and in some regional dialects. Double negatives are also common in some foreign languages.
It is important to note that in most...
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Good vs. Well
Adverbs are disappearing. One of the most neglected is “well.”
Good is an adjective. Adjectives are used to describe nouns—persons, places, things, or ideas. Good can also be a noun, meaning “that which is morally right; righteousness.”
Well is an adverb. Adverbs are used to describe verbs—action words.
So, are you doing good, well, or both?
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Cool Things We Do With Words: Vows, Oaths, and...
What is more special than a promise? As children (and let’s be honest, as adults, too) we valued promises highly among our friends and family. The act of promising and the act of being worth promising something to elevates our relationships. It’s a perfect example of how beautiful and powerful words can be.
There are a lot of amazing activities we do with words and language. Few are...
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How Commas Are (Were) Made
Comma History
“In the 3rd century BC, Aristophanes of Byzantium invented a system of single dots (distinctiones) that separated verses (colometry), and indicated the amount of breath needed to complete each fragment of text, when reading aloud. (1) The different lengths were signified by a dot at the bottom, middle, or top of the line. For a short passage (akomma), a media...
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The Subjunctive Mood
The subjunctive is a grammatical mood. Many languages use subjunctive verb forms to indicate varying degrees of uncertainty and unreality. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish subjunctive in English because the verb form is identical to forms in the indicative mood. In some other languages, like Spanish, the subjunctive verb forms are visually and functionally distinct from the...
