Grammar
I admit it: I’m in danger of being a language bore.
I’m that guy who, when you say you’re ‘honing in’ on something, asks derisively if you’ve ever heard of a honing pigeon or a honing missile.
If you call me a ‘font of information’, I’m liable to take offence on the grounds that a font is a shallow bowl used for church christenings, and I’d rather be a fount, thank you.
Continue reading "Some key learnings about the debasement of language" »
[*Ed’s note to Gen Y: that isn’t a typo in the headline. It’s a cool joke, and Lucy explains it further down.]
I think I realised I was different when I corrected the grammar of my extremely attractive barista.
It was a Monday morning; he was frothing milk as we chatted idly about the drunken antics of our respective weekends. All the usual stuff - the people we knew in common, the places we had almost run into each other, the quality of the cocktail jugs at various Sydney locations. He might have been carefully watching the temperature gauge rise on that little jug of milk, but we both knew where the real heat was. Just as I was about to casually invite him to a rock gig he dropped a clanger.
‘Yeah I like World Bar. Dave and me were there last Thursday.’
Continue reading "Mind your language if you’re making a parse* at me" »
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Rebecca says:
This article’s great! I loved the ‘purse’ and ‘preposition’ remarks. I’m also a Grammar Nazi, and people hate me for it; but it’s fine because I hate them for deciding various words require a plural (Heys!, Sorrys!) and thinking that saying ‘would of’ rather than ‘would’ve’ makes sense. I have… Read more »
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Whitewall says:
‘job *insecurity*’ Other than that, congratulations for flying the flag. Standards should be upheld! Read more »
It’s tiny but powerful.
Its incorrect insertion could mean the difference between life and death.
And it’s fighting for its very existence.
I’m referring to the apostrophe; specifically, the possessive apostrophe.
Even its proper name – saxon genitive – sounds more like a sexually transmitted disease than the pinnacle of punctuation.
Continue reading "Its time. Sorry, it’s time to save the apostrophe" »
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DK says:
Sorry ‘Jeff from Meroo’ (30 June 2009) but, as I’ve discovered, punctuation (and those of us who love its correct use) can be a dangerous thing. For example, your reference to ‘a internet’ should read ‘an internet’ (am I wrong about this?). I also don’t think you needed to use… Read more »
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bee says:
Re: Bernie’s “Bayonet or screw” remark posted earlier above: How odd - they’re the same options I was given my good lady wife when I switched on the bedroom telly last night to watch Lleyton at Wimbledon . . . Read more »
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