What flows more naturally to your ear? “She dived into the water” or “she dove into the water”? One of these constructions has been correct since roughly 1300, and the other was first misused about two centuries ago. Do you know the difference? And more importantly, does it even matter?
Where is the center? In the middle, right? So how can the center be around something? Aren’t these two concepts a bit of an oxymoron when placed next to each other? You’re either at the center or you’re around. Will everyone please stop saying and writing “centered around” now?
If your grandmother installed certain values in you, I have to ask… are you an android of some sort? Was your kindness downloaded? Was your generosity transferred via a floppy disk? Do you see the difference a single letter can make?
Someone recently asked, “Grammar mistress, what’s the difference between straight vs. curly quotation marks?” A couple things about this question make me happy. First, I’m kind of digging “grammar mistress,” and second, these are the subtleties that no one ever seems to talk about. So let’s talk about it.
“I first met author, editor, and blogger Kris Spisak at the 2015 James River Writers Annual Conference in downtown Richmond, Virginia, when I attended her Friday Master Class, “Nuts and Bolts: Editing your Work like a Pro.” She was an energetic, dynamic, and knowledgeable presenter, and I found the information she conveyed so helpful that the following day, instead of eating alone, I overcame the introverted tendency so stereotypical of writers and attended her Lunch and Learn, ‘Ask an Editor,’ an informal, conversational lunch meeting during which writers could ask Ms. Spisak questions about the writing, revising, and publishing process (or sundry other topics)…”
Read the full interview at Amanda Sue Creasey’s “Mind the Dog Writing Blog, and thanks so much, Amanda, for asking me to participate!
If drag racing happened yesterday, would it be drug racing? No, that’s not right, though there’s definitely a bad pun of a book idea somewhere in there.
Are we talking about wedging a foot into a doorway or about shooing something in a certain direction? Do you know?
When this expression is spelled wrong, it’s almost justifiable. To “get a foot in the door” is a common idiom, and this one could be related… But it’s not.
Perhaps with birds of prey, you might have a “fowl swoop.” Perhaps with gangly young basketball players, you might have a “foul swoop.” But when you’re looking for what to call a sudden, swift action, “fell swoop” is the correct form. How many of you are writing this one right?
Asterisk is one of those words that you just can’t say ten times fast. Try it. I’ll wait…
How’d it go? Turn any heads? Get any “bless you”s?
There are risks to the asterisk*—and not only in saying it correctly with any amount of speed. Asterisks muffle curses, and they are often followed by daggers. And if that doesn’t sound like the start of a really bad grammarian murder mystery, I don’t know what is.
Is “nite” ever right? Can you get away with it in Scrabble? Is this another example of text-speak and late-night fast food chains infringing on our ability to spell?
Your answers: In extremely casual cases, you can get away with “nite,” but note, I’m saying “extremely casual.” Personally, I’d recommend avoiding it at all costs (this spelling makes some people—like yours truly—cringe), but if you’re texting a friend, I suppose this spelling is okay.
However, “nite,” like “lite,” is not an acceptable Scrabble word.
Contrary to first instincts to blame our messy texting and social media posting culture, “nite” has been around for well over 100 years, at least as early as the 1870s. But even with this history, it has never been accepted as a standard form.
And please for the love of words, never say anything about a “nite in shining armor.” That’s just crazy talk. You know better than that.