Tag Archives: English usage

Gove on grammar, again

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Carmen Ebner

The former Education Secretary Michael Gove, who has been appointed Lord Chancellor and Secretary of Justice, has been criticised for ‘patronising’ civil servants with his take on grammar. As an English graduate from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University, Gove is known not … Continue reading →

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No hard language feelings?

Posted on August 14, 2014 by Carmen Ebner

The use of English, or rather its misuse, has often caused the one or the other to throw up his or her (or their?) hands in horror. Last month I attended the English Grammar Day at the British Library in … Continue reading →

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Jeremy Clarkson on car journalists and “generic he”

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Inge Otto

Jeremy Clarkson, whom many of us might know from the British television show TopGear, in his column of October 2013 worries about things other than cars. Right. What could that be? you might think. Well, from the outside, most of … Continue reading →

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Poetry and Usage Advice

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Cynthia Lange

More word-related news on April: it’s also National Poetry Month. Here’s a link to frequently asked questions about National Poetry Month. I’ll provide a quick summary as well. It was founded in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, and … Continue reading →

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April is Bibliotastic

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Cynthia Lange

Spring and libraries: what do these things have in common? Besides being beautiful and making life more enjoyable, spring and libraries also share April. This month is National School Library Month in the U.S. Today also kicks off National Library … Continue reading →

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English Language Usage on Facebook – Survey

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Viktorija Kostadinova

In the beginning of the last century, some notable linguists and scholars, George Philip Krapp, Sterling Leonard, and Fred Walcott, to name a few, expressed their cogent views on the relativity of linguistic correctness. Correct language is not something absolute, … Continue reading →

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Fun with Codification

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Cynthia Lange

During the last months, I’ve been assisting in compiling the Bridging the Unbridgeable project’s database of usage guides and usage problems – which will be launched at a lunch lecture this Friday. This has been a wonderful and interesting experience … Continue reading →

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Attitudes Survey: response so far

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Ingrid Tieken

Many forms are being returned for my attitudes survey, so thanks to everyone filling them in, and helping with my research. Particularly the members of the University of the Third Age in the UK, who have been responding in great … Continue reading →

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Attitudes to English usage: a poll

Posted on September 23, 2011 by BtU Admin

A survey of attitudes to English usage was carried out in the late 1960s, and published in 1970 as Attitudes to English Usage, by W.H. Mittins, Mary Salu, Mary Edmonson, and Sheila Coyne (OUP). The survey covered 55 sentences that … Continue reading →

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