Category Archives: usage features

Effect an effect

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Ingrid Tieken

Here is Kate Taylor’s first blogpost (Kate is another of my MA course Testing Prescriptivism students). In my experience there are three levels of knowledge regarding the uses of the words effect and affect: imagine these three levels as the tiers … Continue reading →

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Don’t wanna, don’t havta, ain’t gonna!

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Ingrid Tieken

This is Cristina Cumpanasoiu’s first blog post, which she wrote as a student of my MA course Testing Prescriptivism: Slurring words together is common in literally every language. It’s kinda inevitable even for highly educated people. From poorly trained teenagers … Continue reading →

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The indefinite pronoun in the news

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Ingrid Tieken

Joan Beal sent me a link from The Guardian Online on the indefinite pronoun. The topic seems to be getting a lot of interest these days: good. Read  what Rebecca Gowers has to say on the subject: We need to talk … Continue reading →

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“Could care less” or “couldn’t care less”

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Morana Lukač

“Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn,” are Rhett Butler’s famous last words to Scarlett O’Hara. Could you imagine a modern remake of Gone with the Wind in which Rhett would rather say “Frankly my dear, I could care … Continue reading →

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These are literally my favourite expressions

Posted on March 8, 2014 by Robin Straaijer

I think we all have our opinions about the use of the word literally as an intensifier in expressions where it doesn’t literally mean literally. Personally, it doesn’t usually bother me, so for me there is hardly an ‘incorrect’ use … Continue reading →

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Cross-cultural Prescriptivism

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Ingrid Tieken

For his paper at the Cambridge Usage (Guides) Symposium on 26 and 27 June, Robert Ilson would welcome input from the readers of this blog. Elsewhere, he published  what he called a “plaidoyer” for a cross-cultural study of prescriptivism, and in … Continue reading →

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Is it Prestigious to use Prestigeful?

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Ingrid Tieken

During the next few months, the students from my MA course Testing Prescriptivism will be writing posts for this blog. This first one is from Annemarie Walop. It might be very telling that as I am writing this, Microsoft Word puts a … Continue reading →

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Was she American after all?

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Ingrid Tieken

Last week, my book In Search of Jane Austen: The Language of the Letters (OUP, 2014) came out. I’ve already commented on this blog on the very interesting editorial process, which resulted in some changes that I wasn’t too happy about. … Continue reading →

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The Alphabet of Errors: L, M & N

Posted on February 20, 2014 by Inge Otto

Have you told people a 1000 times not to use lie for lay? Are those people, after all your well-meant though prescriptive advice, still lost as to when to use the one and when the other? Do they forget your … Continue reading →

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Appropriate Usage – You decide!

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Carmen Ebner

The moment of truth has come. It is time to find out what YOU think about the English language and its usage? Is it fit as a fiddle? Or is it going down the drain? What do you consider acceptable and appropriate … Continue reading →

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