Posted in
Writing 28 July 2010 06:17
I just saw this from a person who really should know better:
“[When XXX happens], you’ve got to reign them in.”
Unfortunately, it’s all too common a mistake. Sorry, no. You’ve go to rein them in. I suppose an argument could be made that you’ve got to rule them, and a rule is a reign, but it’s
Continue reading Reign vs Rein
Posted in
Writing 13 March 2010 09:48
Winston Churchill did not say “I have nothing to offer but vermeil, moiling, delacrimation and sudorification.”
Posted in
Reviews 21 February 2010 19:04
I just finished reading a book that was quite appallingly bad.
There are so many ways in which this book stinks that it’s difficult to know where to begin, so I’ll just jump in.
Dated research. There were so many
Continue reading Why Corporate Publishing is so Much Better Than Self-Publishing
Posted in
Writing 8 February 2010 19:11
In some uses, you can use couple without of:
They are a couple.
It is a retreat for couples.
In others, you cannot:
I will list a couple of examples here.
She has a couple of books in her house.
Here’s the key: replace couple with pair, and see if you need of:
They are a pair.
NOT: They are a pair of.
It
Continue reading Mini-Rant o’ the Day: “Couple”
Posted in
Writing 11 January 2010 09:56
As all three of my regular readers know, I have a list of what I call “the basic tools of the writer.” These are (in no particular order) spelling, punctuation, diction, syntax, and grammar. I periodically get emails about one or another of this list, typically doing one of two things: either telling me what
Continue reading The Importance of Diction
Posted in
Writing 7 January 2010 11:21
False. (Yet another reason to hate Shakespeare)
I can’t tell you how much I hate it when an illogical, inaccurate phrase becomes a common saying, or acts as a phrasal template for all sorts of things, as this one does. (And let’s not even go into that whole glisters/glistens/glitters thing, ok?)
All men (women, people, cars, bloggers,
Continue reading True or False: “All That Glitters is Not Gold”?
Posted in
Writing 20 August 2009 07:47
Reposted from an article I wrote on www.webook.com.
He’s studied the Rules extensively, not so that he’ll know what to do and what not to do, but so that he’ll know what to do openly and what to sneak around at.
–The Bumbler’s Apprentice, Other Loves
“The Rules of Drafting,” the teacher writes across the
Continue reading The First Rule of Drafting