Tag Archives: spelling
Their vs. There vs. They’re
Lexical Vexations Lee requested this classic lexical vexation, one that trips up the best of us from time to time. Thanks, Lee! their adj. the possessive form of the pronoun they. there 1. adv. a word used to designate a … Continue reading
Lightening vs. Lightning
Lexical Vexations lightening v. inflected form of the verb to lighten, as of weight, illumination, or colour. lightning n. the discharge of electricity in the atmosphere. Words in the Wild: The horizon had been lightening by degrees for the past half … Continue reading
Hyphenated Compound Adjectives
Sometimes you just need a hyphen. You really do. Here’s proof: He was a big-city worker, a cold-case officer with slicked-back hair. is very different from He was a big city worker, a cold case officer with slicked back hair. … Continue reading
The Internet and Your Spelling: A Guide
Guest Post Today’s guest post is brought to you by Stephanie. You can find her over at theoldyoungadult.blogspot.com. This is her first flowchart. Be nice. Have you ever been frustrated by the lack of proper spelling and grammar on the Internet? … Continue reading
Txtng: The gr8 db8
Recommended Read Crystal, David. Txtng: The gr8 db8. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2008. [ISBN-13: 978-0-19-957133-8] One of the most notable things about texting is the impressive furor that has accompanied its meteoric rise in popularity over the past ten years … Continue reading
It’s All Fun & Games until Somebody Loses an "I"
Welcome to the new year, fellow logophiles. I hope that your 2009 was chockful of new vocabulary, fantastic friends, great reads, fascinating conversations, wholesome fun, and above all, words! And, of course, I wish you a 2010 full of more … Continue reading
3 Highlights from the 2009 EAC Conference
I spent last weekend mingling with 200 or so other editors at the Editors’ Association of Canada’s 2009 conference. It’s very rare that you’d find so many of us in one place since editors on the whole tend toward being … Continue reading