Tag Archives: grammar

“Forebode”? Verboten!

Posted on April 14, 2020 by JMN

But some religious authorities, too, have acted with anti-adaptive zeal. In my own Catholicism, the diocese of Raleigh, N.C., didn’t just cancel Masses and close churches; it forebode [my bolding] its priests to attempt experiments like drive-through confessions that might … Continue reading →

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Knotty, Naughty “Not”

Posted on March 22, 2020 by JMN

Americans need leaders who rise to the occasion, not [my bolding] worry about their own pocketbooks. (The Editorial Board, “Did Richard Burr and Kelly Loeffler Profit From the Pandemic?” NYTimes, 3-20-20) I haven’t read this particular article, but my reflexive … Continue reading →

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Latinx Redux

Posted on March 19, 2020 by JMN

Dr. García Peña has been involved in… the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures’ program in Latinx studies [my bolding]. (Latinx is a gender-neutral term for people of Latin American heritage, used commonly in academia.) (Kate Taylor, “Denying a Professor … Continue reading →

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Tenseness Sought in Firm Times

Posted on March 8, 2020 by JMN

But the president can still be reasonably held responsible for the urgency with which [etc.]… the speed at which [etc.]… the pressure brought to bear [etc.]… and the use of presidential rhetoric [etc.]…. Is it still necessary to point out … Continue reading →

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Such Ado About Something

Posted on March 6, 2020 by JMN

Two bits in this opinion piece by Shmuel Rosner have an off ring, one solecistic, the other non-colloquial. But most Israeli voters would support such move. Most of them voted for parties that support such move. “Such” here is an … Continue reading →

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Queen’s English Profaned?

Posted on March 1, 2020 by JMN

“Voters of color will decide if Bernie Sanders or Joe Biden prevail.” (Headline to an article by Steve Phillips at theguardian.com, 3-1-20) There’s only the slightest chance that it should not be “prevails” instead of “prevail,” since the conjunction is … Continue reading →

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The Guardian on Relationships

Posted on July 3, 2019 by JMN

“How to tell your best friend you’re in love with them — by those who have taken the plunge” (Sirin Kale, The Guardian, 7-1-19) In days of yore this headline would not invite the interpretation that you love your best … Continue reading →

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Mistakes Were Made

Posted on June 8, 2019 by JMN

I’m haunted by that sentence in Lincoln’s second inaugural: “And the war came.” (David Brooks, “The Racial Reckoning Comes,” NYTimes, 6-6-19) David Brooks is well haunted. Lincoln could make words punch above their weight. His mastery lends killing clout to … Continue reading →

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“Rived”!

Posted on May 22, 2019 by JMN

Rived by years of infighting…. (Editorial Board, “An Electoral Brush Fire in Australia,” NYTimes, 5-20-19) Past participles in this opinion piece flutter the heart of a nerdy grammaticist. I rarely read or use the verb “(to) rive,” which I think … Continue reading →

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“Lay, Lady, Lay.”

Posted on May 19, 2019 by JMN

“Lay across my big brass bed.” The Bob Dylan song encapsulates the entrenched American muddle around “lie” and “lay.” The victory of “lay” is all but complete. It’s obvious the song invites the lady to sexual congress, not to a … Continue reading →

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