Humor | The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation

English Grammar in 2022: Make Way for the March of Emojis

GrammarBook.com — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 11:00:15 +0000

English, like any language, is a body in constant motion. We maintain a system of grammar and syntax to give it an understood structure and clarity, yet we also recognize that language adapts as times and people change. GrammarBook.com has always advocated for proper principles of grammar in daily formal writing. At the same time, […]

The post English Grammar in 2022: Make Way for the March of Emojis first appeared on The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation.

Clichés Are Too Easy

GrammarBook.com — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 12:00:47 +0000

Clichés are to good writing as McDonald’s is to fine dining. You don’t need to shun them altogether; occasionally they have their place. But overall, like fast food, the job they do isn’t worth the toll they take. But what’s really so wrong with avoid like the plague? You know exactly what it means when […]

The post Clichés Are Too Easy first appeared on The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation.

Sweating the Small Stuff

GrammarBook.com — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 12:00:27 +0000

At a football game a few years ago, the University of Notre Dame sold soda in cups that said, “Figthing Irish.” Did no one at this distinguished school have the time or pride to proofread a two-word slogan? Here are a few other items we’ve seen and now wish we hadn’t … Back to Basics […]

The post Sweating the Small Stuff first appeared on The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation.

Christmas ‘Log Review

GrammarBook.com — Wed, 11 Dec 2019 05:00:08 +0000

Every year, for six weeks or so, I get a taste of what it’s like to be a superstar. From late October to early December, I am accosted daily by an aggressive mob of stalkers who know where I live. Their urgent need for my attention seems to be their only reason for being. No, […]

The post Christmas ‘Log Review first appeared on The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation.

More Ear-itating Word Abuse

GrammarBook.com — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 05:00:57 +0000

Although Arnold Schwarzenegger’s star has faded, the erstwhile weight lifter-actor-governor hasn’t quite left the building. Recently, a phonics teacher e-mailed her exasperation with broadcasters who mispronounce the first syllable in “Schwarzenegger,” saying “swartz” instead of “shwartz.” “There IS a difference!” she said. “It’s gotten to the point that it’s like nails on a chalkboard when […]

The post More Ear-itating Word Abuse first appeared on The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation.

What’s Up With Up?

GrammarBook.com — Wed, 22 May 2019 05:00:54 +0000

We thought we would lighten things up a bit this week. We hope you enjoy it. There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that word is up. It’s easy to understand up, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, […]

The post What’s Up With Up? first appeared on The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation.

Nuggets from Ol’ Diz

GrammarBook.com — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 05:00:43 +0000

Let’s welcome baseball season with this item by our late veteran copy editor and word nerd Tom Stern. Baseball’s back. I realize a lot of people don’t care. To them, sports fans are knuckle draggers who probably also read comic books while chewing gum with their mouths open. But baseball isn’t called “the grand old […]

The post Nuggets from Ol’ Diz first appeared on The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation.

The Media Made Me Do It

GrammarBook.com — Wed, 27 Feb 2019 05:00:08 +0000

I heard from a correspondent who hates the phrase gone missing. His e-mail called it an “ear-abrading” and “vulgar” usage. “Sends me right round the bend, mate!” he said. I did a little digging and found that he’s far from alone. “Gone missing,” according to a word nerd at the Boston Globe, is “the least […]

The post The Media Made Me Do It first appeared on The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation.

Year-End Quiz 2018

GrammarBook.com — Wed, 09 Jan 2019 05:00:11 +0000

Another year of grammatical exploration has concluded with linguistic miles behind us. What we’ve learned and discussed with you along the way has been illuminating, and we are grateful for the thought and insight it has inspired. We hope you gathered even more sharpened tools for communicating in concise and eloquent English. A year-end review […]

The post Year-End Quiz 2018 first appeared on The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation.

Word Nerds: Verbal Custodians Trapped in a Time Warp

GrammarBook.com — Wed, 10 Oct 2018 05:00:48 +0000

A big drawback to a column like this is being perceived as having insufferable attitude: “So, Mr. Expert, I guess you think you’re so superior.” It’s not like that. Word nerds do custodial work. A lot of brilliant people can’t write. Ernest Hemingway was a terrible speller. Word nerds don’t think they’re “better”—do janitors think […]

The post Word Nerds: Verbal Custodians Trapped in a Time Warp first appeared on The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation.