What is a lingua franca?
A lingua franca is any set of language words and constructs that are agreed upon by a set of people. For example, for academics it is lingua franca to say…
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January 31, 2012
Antennae vs. Antennas
A while ago my brother, an environmental planner, had to give a presentation about proposed radio antenna towers. He told me that the plural is antennas for radio towers, though…
January 30, 2012
“If I was drunk” vs. “If I were drunk”
When is a plural verb not a plural verb? When it's the subjunctive form. Compare these sentences. "If I was drunk at the time I made the offer, then it…
January 25, 2012
When is a consonant not a consonant?
When is a consonant not a consonant? Answer: When it's a word. The word for the letter "N" for example is "en." Thus, you get a National Institutes of Health…
January 12, 2012
I can do more than spell check better than a computer.
The other day I helped an author be clear about what findings she could and could not report in the first of two articles she hopes to publish about one…
January 9, 2012
Spell check fail of the day (or why you need a human editor)
One typo I consistently type results in two words that are spelled correctly: "doe snot." Does it convey what I intended? does not
January 4, 2012