English words ending in the spelling -mb occasionally give English learners difficulty. The error arises in trying to pronounce the final b. Some of these words derive from originals that included the b sound and spelling. Some, however, had the unnecessary, (sometimes called the “parasitic”), -b added after the words were in common use. Here … Read more
Since it’s the title of a movie, “religulous” must be said to be a word, but it’s not a very good one. I object to it as I do to any movie title that spreads and reinforces incorrect forms of English spelling or idiom. Critics to the contrary, English spelling has rules and the portmanteau … Read more
One of our readers wrote to ask if we could clarify the difference between program and programme. The Noun: Program or Programme? The basic difference is between different languages: American English always uses program British English uses programme unless referring to computers Australian English recommends program for official usage, but programme is still in common … Read more
One common spelling error is omitting the K at the beginning of words where it is silent (example: nick-nack instead of knick-knack). The origins of silent K are difficult to pin down. What we do know is that the k wasn’t always silent, especially in words of Germanic origin. Just as it is in German, … Read more
Anyone who has ever taught knows The Look. It is the eye-rolling look students throw at one another when the behind-the-times teacher uses what she thinks is a perfectly ordinary word, unaware that the word has taken on a new meaning. I can remember the first time I got The Look. I’d read a poem … Read more
Today I found a plastic bag on my front door. A yellow sticker identified it as a bag for the Scouting Food Drive. Being a writer and a grammar nazi, I never just glance at things like this. It is my curse to read labels in their entirety. In small print I was instructed to … Read more
I am pretty sure that you already considered if you should be writing the abbreviation of electronic mail as email or e-mail (or as something else yet). The same confusion applies to the abbreviations of electronic commerce, electronic book and so on. In reality there is no universal rule. If you read the Wikipedia entry … Read more
What is the “correct” pronunciation of the word Celtic? Boston Celtic fans prefer the soft c sound, but Irish dancers tend to go with the hard c sound. I prefer the /k/ sound. I like the way the word feels as I say /kel tik/. A less frivolous reason is that I learned to pronounce … Read more
The other day I listened to a radio interview in which the subject continually pronounced the word tentative without one of its ts. Tentative has three ts: ten-ta-tive (not ten-a-tive). Another “t word” that often has its medial t messed with is tenterhook. It’s an old word derived from cloth-making, but it remains current in … Read more
English is blessed with many homophones: one of two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning or derivation or spelling (as all and awl; to, too, and two; rite, write, right, and wright) — called also homonym (Merriam Webster Unabridged Dictionary) The sound of long o is especially rich in alternate spellings. Such … Read more
Two common suffixes in English are ‘-able’ and ‘-ible’. It is sometimes difficult to know which one to use. -able descends from the Latin ‘abilis’ and has resulted in the formation of words such as capable, amiable and favorable, as well as many other English formations. The suffix is also in wide use because of … Read more
The first thing I do when trying out a new WordPress theme is get rid of the code that puts “th” and other such terminals after the number in a date. Ex. January 1st, November 12th Dates, like certain other written expressions, assume certain information on the part of the reader: One writes January 1, … Read more