The word lair comes from a Germanic word for bed. The sleeping place of a wild animal is called a lair: The Ridgeback, singly or in a pack, will silently track the lion to its lair… Gollum led Sam and Frodo to the lair of a giant spider called Shelob. Because criminals–especially murderers–are frequently regarded … Read more
The grammatical term “transitive verb” occurs in numerous posts on this site, usually with a reminder of what it means, but perhaps a dedicated post will be useful to readers who remain shaky on the concept. Note: To keep this post focused on the concept of transitive verbs and their direct objects, I am not … Read more
When we launched the DailyWritingTips Pro subscription six months ago, our main goal was to create a resource our readers could use to improve their English and writing skills. The feedback we received far exceeded our expectations, so it seems we are on the right track. The main part of the Pro subscription are the … Read more
A reader noticed the following statement about the unauthorized use of pre-installed software programs on computers sold by hardware suppliers: …in most of the cases, these computers are loaded with unlicensed softwares. The reader asks, isn’t software neither singular nor plural but a class? The most common use of the word software is as a … Read more
I’ve always enjoyed this cheeky translation of Martial’s 32nd epigram: I do not like thee, Dr. Fell, The reason why, I cannot tell; But this I know, and know full well: I do not like thee, Dr. Fell It reminds me of the continuing outcry against the acceptance of disrespect as a verb in standard … Read more
In an interview with Palestinian film-maker Hany Abu-Assad about his film Omar, NPR’s Rachel Martin made the following statement: He [Omar] goes there [to the other side of a wall that separates him from his sweetheart] under the auspices of planning some kind of attack with Nadia’s brother…” The context implies that planning the attack … Read more
Most countries have an “official” language. Several have more than one. Government business and schools are conducted in the official language. Official documents are printed in the official language. Knowledge of the country’s official language is usually one of the stated requirements for citizenship. For example, here are some language requirements I found in naturalization … Read more
One of the changes that takes place in the pronunciation of words is the linguistic phenomenon called metathesis: metathesis: The transposition of sounds or letters in a word, or (occasionally) of whole words or syllables; the result of such a transposition. The most commonly cited example of metathesis in an English word is the pronunciation … Read more