Have Got or Have Gotten?
Which is correct: “have got” or “have gotten”? As usual, the answer isn’t so simple.
Read MoreGirl Talks Backwards (Sdrawkcab Sklat Lrig)
This young lady has a gift — useless, yes, but astonishing nonetheless. How does she do it? Does …
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Department of Redundancy Department, Part 3: When Repetition Is OK
In our previous two discussions of redundancy, we covered tautology, which is using different words to say the same …
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Shakespeare’s Most Amazing Word
The Oxford English Dictionary attributes somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 words to William Shakespeare. He was certainly among the greatest word-coiners of all time, but his most fascinating word was not actually a coinage.
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Does Formula Writing Have a Bad Rap?
Do you know the definition of “formula writing?” No? Neither did I. I’d heard of the term and held a vaguely uneasy prejudice against it. Still, it surprised me when an Essay I student’s mother accused me of teaching it.
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