Besides those pesky homophones to keep straight (they’re, there, their; to, too, two, etc.), heteronyms add another layer of complexity. They’re spelled the same (or similarly) but pronounced differently and then have different meanings. Consider these: wound (to wind/wrap) /…
Category: Grammar, Spelling and Other Hurdles
Blogs on writing
Easy vs. Hard
“Easy writing results in hard reading” is a quote I saw attributed to Ernest Hemingway. However, upon a little investigation, it’s also attributed to several others, including Lord Byron, Samuel Johnson, Maya Angelou, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and others. QuoteInvestigator indicates it…
Worth a Chuckle
Yes, passing on something I’d seen on social media… but it’s worth a chuckle to share it.
Grammar Stickler?
I recently took the “Grammar Stickler” quiz presented by the Chicago Manual of Style and landed right between “Coiled spring, ready to respond and rebound” and “unbending as steel.” There are times when I’ll bend grammar rules in favor of…
Spelling Counts
If you think that your days of worrying about spelling ended with grade school, think again. I suspect there are a lot of adults who probably hide their ineptitude for spelling with bad handwriting. Doctors have always been accused of…
In a Word
There’s been much ado about a word lately with no shortage of headlines and reaction. First Paula Deen’s empire was set on its ear then turned upside down when she admitted during a deposition to using “the N-word” over two…
Typography Tip
If you learned to type in a formal class (pre-word processing days, so long ago), you learned to type two spaces after a period. That was standard practice in the days of the typewriter that featured monospaced fonts. That is,…
More than a flock of sheep.
Specific designations describe groups of animals. You probably know it’s a flock of sheep, a school of fish, and a pride of lions. A herd of cattle? Actually, it’s a drove of cattle. Elephants come in herds. A litter of…
Challenges of English Vocabulary
I’m often happy that English is my first language. There’s one exception after another whether it’s irregular verbs, spelling, pluralizations, and the list goes on. It’s house and houses but not mouse and mouses. It geese not gooses, but more…
Perplexed by Publishing
I’m about to head to an annual children’s literature conference again. I certainly look forward to honing skills, learning more about the industry, having work critiqued, and meeting industry players. Maybe I’ll get my foot in the door. I’m still…