Scott, in Cincinnati, Ohio, notes in his work as a technical writer for a software company, that his colleagues use the word as instead of what he believes is the correct word, because. For example, in the sentenceYou must enter the customer’s...
When is it appropriate to use the word late to describe someone who has died? Late, in this sense, is short for lately deceased. There’s no hard and fast time frame, although it’s been suggested that anywhere from five to 30 years is about right...
A listener in Billings, Montana, says his brother is an English teacher who corrects his pronunciation of forte, meaning “strong point.” Pedants will insist that it should be pronounced like “fort,” not “FOUR-tay,” but that reflects an assumption...
For this year’s holiday book recommendations, Grant goes with his son’s current favorite, Valley Cats by Gretchen Preston, while Martha enthusiastically recommends Quack This Way, a transcribed conversation about writing and language...
Chris in Allen, Texas, has debated a friend for 37 years about whether humongous or gargantuan refers to something larger. Usage expert Bryan Garner, who was asked the same question on Twitter, sides with gargantuan. The older word looks back to the...
When it comes to proper grammar, “Where you at?” ain’t where it’s at. A mother is concerned that her child will pick up such malapropisms as “Where you at?” and “My mother and me went to the store.”...