Category Archives: Language

When I started this blog in June 2008, I called it “WalkThoughts,” with the tagline “Idle thoughts while walking.” The idea was that I would write about the things I thought about while walking. Some people do their best thinking … Continue reading →

There are certain words in the English language that seem to be born troublemakers. One of these is bear. It should be noted that I am not referring to the noun; Smokey has enough problems of his own. No, I’m … Continue reading →

About six months ago, I was invited to join a Facebook group called “Language Snobs ‘Я’ Us.” The group includes some other copy editors but is mostly made up of people who are serious about correct grammar (in the broadest … Continue reading →

This is the fourth in a series of occasional articles on grammar and language. The life of a copy editor is difficult because it is not possible to read anything without mentally (and often physically) correcting it. The past week … Continue reading →

This is the third in a series of occasional articles on grammar and language. A few facts to begin with: I own a Kindle. I am a cheapskate. Because I don’t like to spend money on books (I’m a faithful … Continue reading →

This is the second in a series of occasional posts on grammar and copy editing. A couple of weeks ago, the following headline appeared in a daily email newsletter from the Washington Post: If I were copy editing this, I … Continue reading →

This is the first of a series of occasional posts on grammar and copy editing. When I first started my business, I was mostly typing student papers, and it was clear that my competitive edge was that I automatically edited … Continue reading →

In the July issue of The Rotarian, the official magazine of Rotary International, circulated to over 500,000 English-speaking Rotarians worldwide, frequent contributor David Sarasohn, in an article titled “Wishful Thanking,” ranted about the use of “No problem” instead of “You’re … Continue reading →

Last month I wrote about the mystery of “honon steak.” Someone suggested to me that, since this seemed to be an Iowa specialty, I should contact a local historical society for assistance. Accordingly, on May 5, I located a contact form … Continue reading →