Search results for “ag”

The following are less-than-exemplary snippets from recent newspapers and magazines … • “The suspect was linked to at least nine different bank robberies.” Why not just “nine bank robberies”? It would be interesting to know what compelled the writer to add “different.” However, this sentence is not a total loss; it could be shown to …

Because English is so unpredictable, it’s often impossible to infer a word’s pronunciation from its spelling. Dictionaries help, to a point. But dictionaries often seem all too willing to penalize time-honored pronunciations after a word gets mispronounced by a sufficient number of people. So here is another in our series of pronunciation columns. The words …

It has been a while since our last pronunciation column, so here’s another group of familiar words whose traditional pronunciations may surprise you. (Note: capital letters denote a stressed syllable.) Antarctica  Like the elusive first r in February, the first c in this word is often carelessly dropped: it’s ant-ARC-tica, not ant-AR-tica. Err  Since to …

Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words by best-selling writer-editor Bill Bryson offers serious scholarship with a smooth, light touch. It’s a hard book to stop reading once you’ve opened it. We have a lot of other reference books in our offices, but the most recent of those came out in 1983. That was way back in …

This column is mostly concerned about the written word, but even so, pronunciation will inevitably enter the picture from time to time. The expressions chomping at the bit and stomping ground are both corruptions of the original champing and stamping. People find this incredible. But, for instance, consult the 1961 cult-favorite western film One-Eyed Jacks, …

Do you use a singular or plural verb to match a collective noun such as team or staff? The answer is, It depends. If these nouns are acting as a unit, use a singular verb. Example: The team is heading for practice this afternoon. If the sentence indicates more individuality, use a plural verb. Example: …

Artificial intelligence (AI): It's here, it will expand in our lives, and its influence will only keep growing. As with any world-changing technology, AI's possibilities are both exciting and concerning. It is revolutionizing task performance as well as our access to solutions and knowledge. At the same time, we're unsure of what the guardrails will …

Many of us may recall the gravity given to spelling when we were in grade school. We may also have participated in spelling bees testing our skill to arrange words' proper letters correctly. In past years, correct spelling might often suggest one's education. Today, while spelling still matters, digital communication has relaxed some of the …

Science, music, medicine, technology, athletic performance, resistance to disease: The continuing evolution of people reveals itself in many ways. Our evolution also appears in our language, which remains fluid with ensuing generations. Born and influenced distinctly during the digital age, Gen Alpha (2011–2025) sees and will see the world through AI, chatbots, social media, memes, …

Imagine an English language in which we strictly used structures such as the following for expressing an action: I left. Pete swims on Tuesdays. I choose a double major in college. You assist me? It happens. Candace finishes that. We understand these sentences at a basic level. But to what extent do they inform us? …