When you’re looking for a black and white, right versus wrong answer, please don’t make the question be anything about the usage of “embed” vs. “imbed.”
Are fossils embedded in stone or imbedded in stone? Is the video of Grammartopia-RVA embedded on my website or imbedded in my website? Is a journalist embedded with soldiers or imbedded with soldiers?More
Clearly, grammar is my jam. I just love it—and I’m going to argue the expression “That’s my jam” applies to more than just favorite music—so when I see words misused, I just have to stop and think, “did you really mean to write that?”
For example, if I see the phrase “door jam,” my imagination concocts all sorts of nonsensical ideas from jelly squeezed out of doors to architectural traffic congestion to something right out of the Mad Hatter’s tea party.
However, I’m guessing none of these are what a writer intends to imply.More
Once upon a time, you thought language was simple, didn’t you? Then came the moment you started to over-think the differences between “onetime” vs. “one time” vs. “one-time”—and your boggled mind hasn’t been the same since.
I jest… but then, maybe I don’t. These are the subtleties that catch us and take our writing back a step.More
I just might be catching you using a phrase that doesn’t actually exist with this one. Think fast. Which one is correct? “Shore up” or “sure up”?
When a plan at work needs some extra strategic support, when your offensive line has some major gaps, or when your sandcastle is falling down, what do you need to do?
I almost hate to break it to you, but:
the correct phrase is “shore up” not “sure up.”More
Eek! That’s the sound of me squealing either because I’m scared to death of ostriches or because spellcheck once again was not your friend.
If you’re writing about “eeking” out a living, maybe it would make sense if you’ve totally nailed the horror movie scream and are constantly cast in roles in this genre. Or maybe if you’re tending ostriches and those giant freaky birds are good at sneaking up on you. However, the expression in its correct form is to “eke out a living.”More
Love him or hate him, but you can partially credit Kurt Cobain for a shift in spelling that has occurred in the past twenty-five or so years around this(these) word(s).
What do you think of when you hear, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Come As You Are,” and “Lithium”?
Nevermind. No, I’m not discounting my last question. “Nevermind” was the name of Nirvana’s 1991 album.
What fascinates me is that parallel with this release is the growth of “nevermind” as one word, rather than “never mind,” the two word form. It didn’t start with Kurt Cobain, but there’s a good chance that this album title played a major role in this spelling shift.More
So many of us dream of being poets. The dream starves a bit amidst tiresome email correspondences or other words in our daily lives thrown down quickly and without much introspection, with no intention more than making a point as simply as possible—though, perhaps “simple” is the wrong word to contrast with a poem. Perhaps the opposite of poetry is plainness.
There is a time to be plain, but there is also a time to be astonishing. That’s why I’m thrilled that the talented poet Jon Pineda joined me to chat about his editing process.
If you’re writing about a “faux pa,” I’m tempted to ask, who’s you’re daddy? Though, maybe I should back up…
Remember, the phrase you’re looking for seeped into English from French. Phonetic spelling never works in such instances. It’s not “fo pah” or “faux pa.” The correct form of this expression is “faux pas”More
When I first mentioned this interview series—talking to professional writers about their editing processes—many I spoke with immediately jumped to “authorship” in terms of books. But you know what’s awesome about creatives? There are a lot of us, and we’re just about everywhere. We’re hunched over our laptops in coffee shops; we’re staring out windows at the falling rain; and we’re even in offices with conference rooms and break rooms and, if we’re lucky, ping pong tables. (Yes, ping pong tables.)
Some writers, in fact, don’t have to quit their day jobs to unleash their creativity, because writing is their day job. One such talented wordsmith was recently kind enough to let me pepper her with questions about editing and grammar.
Sara Grunden Kuhs is a senior copywriter at The Martin Agency in Richmond, Virginia where she’s worked with many national brands over the last 12 years. She got her masters from VCU Adcenter (now Brandcenter) and did her undergrad at DePauw University in Indiana, majoring in writing and minoring in philosophy and psychology. In her spare time, she and her husband like to bowl, cook, wear hats, and entertain their two German Shorthaired Pointers.More
A well-crafted phrase gives me the same reaction as taking that first bite into a really good cheesecake. I want to forget everything else just for that one moment and simply enjoy it for all of its luscious, delectable splendor.
As writers, many of us strive for that perfect word or that perfect line; however, poetry is an art-form focused on each and every bite. Those who can weave language, rhythm, and meaning are the ones who make me salivate and make me want to beg for their recipes.
I’m thrilled that Nathan M. Richardson, a man of many talents as a poet, a performer, and a teacher, took the time to chat with me about his writing and editing process. A reviewer of his book, Likeness of Being, once said, “This is more than a book of poetry, this is a book that resonates with the soul on a deep level.” I’d argue the same about Nathan himself.
Nathan M. Richardson is an accomplished performance poet and published author. His published collections are “Likeness of Being” and “Twenty-one Imaginary T-shirts.” He has also contributed to the following anthologies: The Poets Domain, The Cupola, The Channel Marker & Skipping Stones. Nathan teaches a variety of workshops for emerging writers and is the Head Coach of the Hampton Roads Youth Poets a division of the youth empowerment organization—Teens with a Purpose.
Demonstrating his ability to switch hats from poetry and storytelling to history and theater, Nathan is preparing for his 3rd year of The Frederick Douglass Speaking Tour, in which he delivers a remarkable portrayal of the former slave, writer, orator, and abolitionist Frederick Douglass. A short list of Nathan’s other affiliations include the Poetry Society of Virginia, Young Audiences of Virginia, and the Suffolk Arts League.More