Editor Mark's Blog

The “ou” spelling (loud, gout, rough) is more common than “uo,” especially when the combination forms just one syllable. Where this combination does appear, we sometimes struggle with the spelling. If you tend to consult your toothpaste tube every time you have to spell “fluoride,” it might help to know that most words that start [...]

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The word “fulsome” presents a problem that usage and etymology fail to sort out. It either means “abundant,” “offensive” or, perhaps as a compromise, “offensively abundant.” Dictionaries usually give at least the first two meanings while most usage guides insist on the third. The Associated Press Stylebook says “it means disgustingly excessive” and should not [...]

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If you missed the exciting celebrations of National Grammar Day on Friday, I urge you to   postpone any morning meetings and spend some time reviewing all that was written to mark the day in celebration of the underlying structure of the English language.

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Below are 176 entries into the National Grammar Day Tweeted Haiku Contest. Look through them and you will see how difficult it was to pick a few winners. If you think the judges erred, please use the comments section to call out your favorites.

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Along with the Grammarian Court of our five winning National Grammar Day haiku, there are many entries that deserve mention. Here, then, for your enjoyment, in alphabetical order by author, our honorable mentions:

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After hours of discussion about the finer points of haiku, grammar and gamma radiation, the six judges and the sponsor of the National Grammar Day Tweeted Haiku Contest emerged from their secret grammar chamber to announce a winner.

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Keep your browser open to http://twitter.com/search/grammarday so you can keep up with the wonderful haiku from the National Grammar Day Tweeted Haiku Contest. Friday is National Grammar Day (check out the website), and the haiku contest deadline is 10 EST Thursday night.

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Dozens of 17-syllable poems have already been submitted for The National Grammar Day Tweeted Haiku Contest. Follow the Twitter hashtag #grammarday, the official hashtag of National Grammar Day. Check them out here: http://twitter.com//search/GrammarDay. I’m hosting the haiku contest to help celebrate the binding principles of the English language. The top prize is a copy of [...]

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Grammar, usage and style are what we use to hold language together so it appears with a sense of order and fulfills its basic function. The English language is alive and constantly changing. The rules either allow for flexibility or, after some struggle, change to fit the needs of the language. This change comes not [...]

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Winston Churchill said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the other forms. Languages are produced democratically, and perhaps none remains more democratic than English. In other words, English is messy. It has conflicting rules about certain things and no rules where there really ought to be one. If we had a [...]

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