English Archives - Words by a Pro https://old.wordsbyapro.com/tag/english/ Wed, 13 Dec 2017 21:26:33 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 https://old.wordsbyapro.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/cropped-WBP-FAVICON_7-32x32.jpg English Archives - Words by a Pro https://old.wordsbyapro.com/tag/english/ 32 32 The Flavours of English https://old.wordsbyapro.com/the-flavours-of-english/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-flavours-of-english Wed, 13 Dec 2017 21:25:28 +0000 https://old.wordsbyapro.com/?p=2545 In the 1964 movie My Fair Lady, excruciatingly British phonetics professor Henry Higgins worries about the fate of the English language. “In America,” he observes, “they haven’t used it for years.” If you write or edit English prose for hire, you may be called upon to ensure a piece follows the spelling, grammar, and punctuation […]

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]]> Questions for a Language Ninja: Is a Lamb a Who, a That, or a Chop? https://old.wordsbyapro.com/questions-language-ninja-lamb-chop/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=questions-language-ninja-lamb-chop Tue, 21 Jun 2016 22:43:25 +0000 https://old.wordsbyapro.com/?p=1712 Welcome to the first Language Ninja article of what is sure to be a blazing hot summer! Ninja’s beat the heat tip: Switch out your heat-absorbing black shinobi shōzoku for a light-reflecting bodysuit made of mirrors. She’s pretty sure you can find one on Etsy. Now that the practical advice is out of the way, […]

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]]> The Evolution of the Singular Pronoun “They” https://old.wordsbyapro.com/the-evolution-of-the-singular-pronoun-they/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-evolution-of-the-singular-pronoun-they Wed, 16 Mar 2016 00:30:02 +0000 https://old.wordsbyapro.com/?p=1624 In a case of grammatical form following function, the American Dialect Society voted “they”, used as a gender-neutral singular pronoun, as 2015’s word of the year. The selection may have some traditionalists clutching their pearls, but the recognition validates the singular pronoun’s utility and reflects our shifting social landscape. Truth in Language Language is a […]

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]]> Comma Conundrums: How Grammar Can Keep You Out of Jail https://old.wordsbyapro.com/comma-conundrums-how-grammar-can-keep-you-out-of-jail/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=comma-conundrums-how-grammar-can-keep-you-out-of-jail https://old.wordsbyapro.com/comma-conundrums-how-grammar-can-keep-you-out-of-jail/#comments Wed, 13 Jan 2016 19:57:31 +0000 https://old.wordsbyapro.com/?p=1559 Quick, before the Feds kick down my door—let me tell you a story. This is a case of alleged corruption, unproven fraud, and suspected malfeasance…all made possible by a small grammatical ambiguity. What if I told you that a missing comma nearly let me slip away with half a million dollars of ill-gotten taxpayer money? […]

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]]> https://old.wordsbyapro.com/comma-conundrums-how-grammar-can-keep-you-out-of-jail/feed/ 21 Ignorant? Stupid? Both? Questions for a Language Ninja https://old.wordsbyapro.com/ignorant-stupid-both-questions-for-a-language-ninja/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ignorant-stupid-both-questions-for-a-language-ninja Wed, 16 Dec 2015 00:14:23 +0000 https://old.wordsbyapro.com/?p=1536 Q: Can you describe the difference between “ignorance” and “stupidity”? I often wonder about the distinction when reading your posts. A: The Language Ninja is literally and figuratively sputtering with rage at your insult disguised as a query. She concedes, however, that it is elegantly framed. Well met! The Ninja will use parabolic shorthand here: […]

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]]> What the Heck is Antecedent-Pronoun Agreement? https://old.wordsbyapro.com/what-the-heck-is-antecedent-pronoun-agreement/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-the-heck-is-antecedent-pronoun-agreement Wed, 18 Nov 2015 02:22:54 +0000 https://old.wordsbyapro.com/?p=1478 From The Rocky Mountain English Professor (aka Susan Metzger) “Somebody forgot to pay their bill.” Aaaaa! Antecedent-pronoun agreement. Can you hear me screaming all the way from Colorado? What’s wrong with this sentence? For those who have an ever-so-faint memory of the term antecedent-pronoun agreement from middle school, this sentence may sound wrong. That’s because […]

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