Today’s quiz has five sentences that illustrate two of the most common problems in grammar and usage: subject-verb agreement and… Read more »
Posts By: Pam Nelson
What is a battle royal?
The reference from page 1A last week might have puzzled some readers. Is it “battle royale” or “battle royal”? A… Read more »
Calling all diagramming experts
A reader asks: I have a sentence that I am trying to figure out how to diagram. Yes, we still… Read more »
Hold the homophone
Today started with considerable embarrassment on our desk. Readers pointed out that in the Life, etc., display story today we… Read more »
Why it’s apiece, not a piece
A reader calls us to task for using “a piece” as two words. The word is apiece, an adverb that… Read more »
Sneaked or snuck
This is a line from the State of the Union address on Monday night: The people’s trust in their government… Read more »
More grammar-usage peeves from readers
I posted some comments Monday. Here are a few more: Why, oh why, do people use the word “first” to… Read more »
Grammar-usage-pronunciation problems that bug you
Here are a few peeves from readers: My personal language pet peeve is the expression “I could care less.” If… Read more »
Try a Triangle Grammar Guide quiz
This quiz has 10 sentences, instead of the usual five. I hit the jackpot this week with several examples coming… Read more »
A copy editing scandal?!?
I have watched the first couple of episodes of HBO’s “The Wire” this season because the plot involves a newspaper,… Read more »