testing . . . testing . . . any word nerds still with me? It’s been months since we’ve had a good word discussion here. How I’ve missed our Which Word Wednesdays! Let’s get back in the swing of things with a word pair that is easily confused: shudder and…
It has been said that the pen is mightier than the sword. That’s because the pen writes words that convey thoughts and meaning. Words have power to build up and to tear down—and to send language lovers like me into fits of laughter (or anger). That’s why it helps to…
The worst part about my interest in language is that I know just enough to make myself crazy when I talk. I know what I want to say, but I need to choose between two words that confuse me, and then I get stuck in the recesses of my brain,…
Summer is almost here! And you know what that means: ice cream, frozen yogurt, frozen custard, that oh-so-mysterious soft serve stuff, gelato, sorbet, Italian ice, sherbet. The treats are plentiful, which is one of the best parts of summer. But that last item on the list is a tricky fellow;…
The trio for this week’s Which Word Wednesday is something I’ve seen a few times recently, although I’ve failed to keep track of the examples. And examples make this so much more interesting! Oh well—onward. It’s another round of homophones with cite, site, and sight. Let’s look
Word glitches happen. Given the right set of circumstances, anyone can insert the wrong word for the context. That’s what happened at Christ and Pop Culture for an article title that needed either complement or compliment. The one with I was chosen and posted for the world to see—and that…
My work as a writer and editor means that I regularly interact with talented graphic designers. It’s so nice to be able to phone-a-designer-friend for advice on important matters, such as which font to use and which fonts play nice together. If it weren’t for my designer friends, I wouldn’t…
Today’s Which Word Wednesday word quandary is an evenly matched duel brought to you by my Wednesday running buddy (and fellow editor), Becky. She has seen our contestants, moot and mute, get misused and confused a time or two. So let’s see how these two words can be kept in…
OK, I’ll admit it—I’ve been avoiding this Which Word Wednesday match up. Affect vs. effect? It’s not that I don’t know how to use them, because I do. But it’s more of a gut feel rather than a mental assent to the rules. But someone on FB requested coverage, so…
Not all homonyms are created equal. Sometimes one of them is more popular than the other, so we forget how to use the words properly. This week’s Which Word Wednesday considers the use of pore and pour. And I think pore’s homonym status causes pour to be used improperly, as…
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