A reader pointed out that in an earlier post “You could look it up,” I had made a mistake in… Read more »
Monthly Archives: May 2005
Song of “myself”
I heard Rosemary Clooney sing “By Myself” the other day. It’s a lovely song, and the lyricist, Howard Dietz, used… Read more »
That’s you all, y’all
I love “y’all.” We don’t have a different form for plural “you” (like “we” or “they”) in standard English, but… Read more »
Two grammar and style sites
Academic Web sites are wonderful resources for grammar help. I was reminded of that today when one of my colleagues… Read more »
Premiere is first
We often see the words “premier” and “premiere” confused. A “premiere” is a noun that means a first performance. “Premier”… Read more »
Win the “comprise” prize
The phrase “is comprised of” is always wrong. No matter how many times you see it in print, you should… Read more »
It’s a problem
I often puzzle over the misuse of its and it’s. How can one little word (or rather one little word… Read more »
Test yourself
One of my colleagues sent me a link to a fun grammar quiz: Does your English cut the mustard? It… Read more »
Bring me the bring-take problem
A fellow copy editor explained the difference between the use of “bring” and “take” to me some years ago. I… Read more »
Apostrophe abuse, part 2
Here is a sign that uses an apostrophe to make a plural. It’s on a restaurant in Clayton. I’ll be… Read more »
Stop apostrophe misuse
Most of us have grammar and usage pet peeves. Mine is the rampant, inexplicable misuse of the apostrophe to make… Read more »
And that’s that
A message from a reader prompts this post about “that” and “which.” I was already earning a living as a… Read more »
You could look it up
We copy editors at The N&O turn to the dictionary quite often, probably several times every day. We use them,… Read more »