English

Language Myth #21

Mon, 08 Jan 2007 00:50:53 PST

On the other hand, no one is required to like all or any particular changes. It is, in the great Anglo-American tradition, our God-given right to have our own opinions...

Who you callin' ungrammatical?

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 11:15:58 PST

So, it should have been ''Whom are you calling working class?" Not in this universe. ''Beginning a question with whom in contemporary standard English would not just be...

Between/Among

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 01:52:58 PDT

A reader was kind enough to write to applaud our sermon on "unique" ("The One and Only," CJR, March/April 1997), but he also had a complaint. On the same page of the...

Glossary of Grammatical Terms

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 22:36:21 PDT

With many browsers, you may click on a letter on the above grid to reach the letter quickly. If the grid does not work with your browser, simply scroll down to the...

awhile/a while

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 07:19:50 PDT

alice@mediaone.net writes: Please give some information about "awhile" vs. "a while." Is it always one word, always two words, or does it all depend on how you use it?...

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T |...

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 07:17:46 PDT

Daily explanation about new words, word origins, slang expressions, etc. from Jesse Sheidlower, a senior editor in Random House's Reference Division. Send in your...

Word Definition

Mon, 27 Mar 2006 12:29:59 PST

face-cord unit of wood measurement equal to a stack four by eight feet in volume

Varieties of English Around the World

Thu, 16 Mar 2006 01:08:09 PST

It is common knowledge that the American variety of English is very conservative in comparison to the British one. The first English settlers that survived in America...

A History of an Historical Quirk

Thu, 09 Mar 2006 04:09:41 PST

One of the puzzles of the English language that has irritated us for longer than you might expect is the use of "an" before "historical" but not before "history," while...

Guide to Grammar and Style — S

Tue, 17 Jan 2006 13:04:09 PST

Apart from necessary omissions and interpolations, your quotations should always be exact, and any departures from the original should be clearly indicated with ellipses...

American and British English differences

Mon, 09 Jan 2006 03:37:15 PST

* American English is the form of English used by people in the United States and, as a lingua franca or second language, by people in many parts of the world. American...