Category Archives: usage features

The language of The Catcher in the Rye

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Ingrid Tieken

We are moving house this summer, and while packing up the books in my study I came across an article I wrote nearly thirty years ago but that I had completely forgotten about. It is about usage problems and their function in … Continue reading →

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You Guys or Y’all?

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Emily Maas

Okay, you guys, I’ve got a little more written… are you ready? —Joey Tribbiani (Friends) To me it seems as if plural you is a little bit lost these days. Sitcoms and television series such as Friends, The Big Bang Theory, South … Continue reading →

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Begging the question?!

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Ingrid Tieken

During the past few weeks, two readers of this blog commented on Jasper Spierenburg’s use of the expression “begging the question“. As far as I know, there is nothing wrong with it, so why the comments? To check my (non-native … Continue reading →

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Can ‘Cheers!’ be inappropriate? The story of email sign-offs

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Morana Lukač

In one of our previous posts Ingrid Tieken wrote about her analysis of commonly used email sign-offs she found while going through her inbox. (To find out more about the differences she found between American, British and non-native email authors, … Continue reading →

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A parody within a parody?

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Viktorija Kostadinova

The latest prescriptive lesson on correct grammar doesn’t come from a usage guide or a grammar blog. It comes from “Weird Al” Yankovic’s latest album called “Mandatory Fun” in the form of a parody of Robin Thicke’s popular song “Blurred Lines”. … Continue reading →

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Want to write like a spy?

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Ingrid Tieken

It appears that even the CIA has a style guide. A secret one no less, one that got leaked moreover, according to The Guardian Online yesterday. The Guardian article tells us that the style guide includes well-known “old chestnuts”  like uninterested/disinterested, … Continue reading →

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What’s happening to punctuation?

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Ingrid Tieken

Going up to London for the day yesterday, we took the train to London King’s Cross. Not surprisingly (we all know what’s been happening to the apostrophe) the announcement on the train didn’t show the apostrophe. But if punctuation marks are … Continue reading →

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Next generation of prescriptivists?

Posted on June 21, 2014 by Carmen Ebner

“I am a pedant. There is no question about it. Everyone I know would agree, and I accept and embrace it. I have no problem with being called a nerd, or a geek, or any synonyms of these words.” These … Continue reading →

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Hey, you guys!

Posted on June 17, 2014 by Ingrid Tieken

Below follows Cristina Cumpanasoiu’s second blogpost: Having originated in the U.S., the earliest instance of the noun guy in the sense of “man, fellow” according to the Oxford English Dictionary dates back to 1847 when Lord Chief Baron in Swell’s Night Guide said “I … Continue reading →

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Beware, the World Cup is coming

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Ingrid Tieken

Yes, there is futebol even on this blog! Read Jan van den Berg‘s second post, and let us have your comments, for all languages! Today, 12 June 2014 – the start of the World Cup. An exciting time for many. … Continue reading →

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