by Michelle Waitzman Most people take dictionaries for granted. They are available to us, at home or at school, from the time we first learn to read. Those of us who work with words rely on them regularly. But few of us spend much time thinking about how a dictionary is put together and kept … Continue reading Book Review: Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries by Kory Stamper
Category: language
Book Review: Nabokov’s Favorite Word Is Mauve by Ben Blatt
by Michelle Waitzman Can you tell whether a book was written by a man or a woman, based only on the words the author used? Is the road to hell (or at least to bad writing) paved with adverbs, as Stephen King once claimed? Do American authors write “louder” than British authors? If you’re intrigued … Continue reading Book Review: Nabokov’s Favorite Word Is Mauve by Ben Blatt
Editing the work of English language learners in higher education
by Summer Cowley As classes in universities and colleges move forward, we ought to consider the process of editing the writing of post-secondary students. For me, this has largely meant checking the work of English language learners (ELLs). In my work as a writing centre tutor and as an English as a second language (ESL) … Continue reading Editing the work of English language learners in higher education
Indigenous editing principles, featuring Gregory Younging and his new style guide, Elements of Indigenous Style
When: NEW TIME: Tuesday, October 23, 2018, 6:30–8 PM Where: NEW LOCATION: Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) Spadina, 192 Spadina Ave., Third Floor, Room F (CSI Spadina moved across the street, to 192 Spadina Ave., as of late September.) For the second program meeting of 2018–19, we are excited to feature Dr. Gregory Younging, author of … Continue reading Indigenous editing principles, featuring Gregory Younging and his new style guide, Elements of Indigenous Style
Book Review: Making Sense: The Glamorous Story of English Grammar by David Crystal
Crystal against crystallization by James Harbeck (Oxford University Press, 2017) How can we have crystal-clear language spoken by people with a crystal-clear understanding of how it works? For one thing, don’t try to crystallize it—just Crystal-ize. Making Sense: The Glamorous Story of English Grammar, by David Crystal, is for anyone who wants to get Crystal … Continue reading Book Review: Making Sense: The Glamorous Story of English Grammar by David Crystal
Book Review: The Story of Be: A Verb’s-Eye View of the English Language by David Crystal
(Oxford University Press, 2017) By Christine Albert Some words are so familiar that it feels as though we instinctively know what they mean. And when we don’t, we use a dictionary to read its definition and determine how it can be placed alongside other words to form cohesive narratives. But how often do we think … Continue reading Book Review: The Story of Be: A Verb’s-Eye View of the English Language by David Crystal
The Nitpicker’s Nook: November edition
The Nitpicker’s Nook is a monthly collection of language-related articles, interviews, blog posts, and podcasts. If you read or hear something that would make a good addition, email your suggestion to [email protected]. By Carol Harrison Need a five-minute break from hacking and chopping and cursing the English language? Open Culture features a short lesson by … Continue reading The Nitpicker’s Nook: November edition
The Nitpicker’s Nook: early October edition
The Nitpicker’s Nook is a monthly collection of language-related articles, interviews, and blog posts. If you read something that would make a good addition, email your suggestion to [email protected]. By Carol Harrison Thanks to Sara Scharf for her contributions and to Deven Knill for the lovely new banner image! Blimey! The Guardian’s Mona Chalabi … Continue reading The Nitpicker’s Nook: early October edition
