Today’s quiz involves choosing the correct form of the pronoun in five sentences. The key is the antecedent (the word… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Grammar
Monday is quiz day!
Today’s five-question, multiple-choice quiz is about word choice. I hope I don’t sound like a broken record, but we copy… Read more »
Wait for me
A reader wrote recently to say that he enjoys reading our newspaper, but he added that he hoped the editors… Read more »
Can you feel it?
A reader wrote with a good question from one of her students. She had admonished the students not to use… Read more »
Quiz yourself
Today’s quiz features five multiple-choice sentences about “who,” “whom,” “whoever” and “whomever.” Click here to begin or click on the… Read more »
Too big a deal
A reader asked which of these constructions is correct: “It is too nice a day to stay inside the house.”… Read more »
Ready for another quiz?
Today’s five-question quiz is about homonyms. Click here to begin. This article was originally posted by the Raleigh News &… Read more »
And now for another rendition …
The word “rendition” on today’s front page in a story about pilots linked to a CIA operation sent me to… Read more »
The first Triangle Grammar Guide Quiz
A reader suggested quite a while ago that it would be interesting and maybe even fun if I posted some… Read more »
No prizes — just for fun
I don’t have any prizes to offer, but I would love to hear from you. Find the error in this… Read more »
Stereotypes
What stereotypes in the news media annoy or enrage you? I attended a seminar sponsored by the Southeast chapter of… Read more »
Brethren and sistren
Writer G.D. Gearino employed a little-used word in his Sunday Journal story about three guys who go water-skiing every month,… Read more »
Today’s tip: Neither … nor
When singular subjects are joined with neither … nor, use a singular verb. In this sentence from today’s paper: Neither… Read more »
Are we done yet?
“Man’s work lasts till set of sun, Woman’s work is never done.”Readers objected to a headline on Monday’s front page:… Read more »
Diagramming sentences
A new book traces the history and practice of diagramming sentences. I heard about Sister Bernadette’s Barking Dog by Kitty… Read more »
Fetch me a thesaurus
A reader called today (somehow she ended up with me) to object to our writers’ use of the word fetch…. Read more »
Fast or steep
A reader, Barbara McDonald, wrote a few days ago about the confusion of “precipitous” and “precipitate.” Here is what she… Read more »
Something to remember
In this grammar-challenged, typo-filled world, those of us who try to hold the line can become discouraged. We wonder if… Read more »
Tricky issues of agreement
Subject-verb agreement has some tricky rules. Here is one: The indefinite pronouns each, every, either, neither, one, another and much… Read more »
Riding off on a tangent
Stumbling over one word in today’s paper sent me off on a strange short trip on the Internet. The word… Read more »
Heads up
Headlines need to be accurate, attract attention and give readers a preview of the story. Good headlines also draw on… Read more »
Doing our homework
Today’s story about teachers reassessing the value of homework made me think again of my school days. I have thought… Read more »
The whole comprises the parts
Some usage guides use this way of steering writers away from “is comprised of”: “Comprise is best used in the… Read more »
Hopefully, I can explain this
An editor told me that he noticed “hopefully” in a G.D. Gearino column, which I happened to have copy-edited. Here… Read more »
I love this word
A word I didn’t remember seeing before in print shows up in today’s story about the opening of school Public… Read more »