This post is especially for my good friend, mentor and fellow pedant, Ann Hawkins, who claimed on Twitter recently that she would fire anyone who dares to use reflexive pronouns incorrectly. Reflexive pronouns are those words with ‘self’ in them. Myself. Yourself. Himself. Herself. Themselves. Think of reflex angles: they’re the ones that go back [...]
I read recently on Facebook that one of my friends had encountered ‘hoards’ of Japanese tourists during her visit to Cambridge. Unless the city has started hoarding its tourists in cupboards and refusing to allow them to leave, I would imagine my friend was referring to ‘hordes’. It’s not a surprising error. Indeed, it’s not [...]
Dear Nicky, It has been news for some time now that this year has seen a fall in the number of teacher training applications, and I read this morning that you blame the media for its negative portrayal of teachers and teaching. I agree that the media has made a bad situation much worse, but [...]
Education in Britain is a right – something to which we all are entitled – but school league tables and performance-related pay for teachers are undermining this fundamental right. Since the introduction of school league tables, we have a situation whereby school is set against school. Schools should be able to work together to do [...]
The Oxford Dictionary Online has published its latest new words and the inevitable public outrage has followed. Cries of, ‘What’s our language coming to?’ and ‘We’re going to hell in a handcart!’ abound from the usual quarters. What many don’t realise, however, and something I didn’t know until recently, is that the Oxford Dictionary Online [...]
I consider myself to be more of a ‘descriptivist’ language lover than a downright pedant, but still I remember my horror when, as a trainee teacher many years ago, I was informed that I could not tell children that incorrect English use was ‘wrong’. I had to use the term ‘non-standard’. There is a not-so-subtle [...]
Imagine a school that puts its pupils first. The teachers in this school take account of the talents and needs of each pupil they teach, helping them to overcome educational barriers whilst also nurturing each pupil’s personal skills and interests. In this school, those children who struggle with maths, writing or reading will receive appropriate [...]
Today, 4th March, is National Grammar Day in the US. I would like to see this adopted in Britain, where standards of English writing are declining. But what is grammar? Many believe that grammar covers everything regarding language, including punctuation; however, grammar is distinct from this. It is the study of sentence structure and word [...]
The Good Grammar Company has been in the news quite a lot recently, and all because of the humble apostrophe. It’s three weeks since I was first asked for my view on Cambridge City Council’s decision to omit apostrophes from future road signs and, as I’m widely quoted as saying, I don’t think, educationally or [...]
Last week I was approached by a reporter from the Cambridge News who wanted my views on Cambridge City Council’s decision to drop apostrophes from new road signs. It was the first I’d heard of this, although I had read about this ruling for other counties. I was unpleasantly surprised to learn that Cambridge was [...]
I’m sometimes asked this question at networking events, and a very interesting question it is. It makes sense for a business to employ a copy-writer to ensure its promotional material is professional and its website beyond reproach, and I would be the first to encourage this practice. However, the problem here is that most businesses [...]
I’m having a moan. I know, I know – most unlike me. Anyway, contrary to what many of my followers think, I don’t spend my days trawling websites and social media platforms looking for written English errors (honest!) but I have noticed a growing number, particularly from businesses. As I often say, I’m not being [...]
This is another common error that affects the quality of writing and can have a negative effect on your company’s credibility. As a general rule, affect is the verb (what has happened or is happening) and effect is the noun (the result of what happens). The economic downturn has had a negative effect on [...]
It is if you want to write properly. Which of the following is incorrect? I need to practise my spellings. I need to practice my spellings. Spell check won’t help you as it recognises both words: one as a noun and the other as a verb. If you don’t know the difference between a noun [...]
A selection of some of the most blood-curdling grammar crimes ever committed, creatively arranged for your enjoyment. A Halloween treat for all you English language pedants: poo your pants! His got the hole world in he’s hand’s. The monkies pulled each other’s tales alot. Truely, your such a lyer! Grammer is important, irregardless of [...]
This question comes up a lot, which/that isn’t surprising because it’s a confusing one. (But I bet you knew that ‘which’ was needed in that last sentence!) Just ask yourself: is the information preceded by ‘that’ or ‘which’ essential, or is it extra information that doesn’t have to be there? If it’s essential for the meaning, use [...]
I ask two questions because, sadly, each has a different answer. I’d like to focus on the positive, so will discuss the second question. Education should be something to which we are all entitled, whatever our background and upbringing. It provides opportunities for those of us who want to pursue an academic route and who [...]
I’d like to take this opportunity to bore … I mean regale you with a recent experience I had with a media content company. This company had shared a link on Twitter exposing the ten most common mistakes made in writing; however, the article itself was riddled with errors and contained information that was simply [...]
As part of my job entails helping businesses with their grammar, punctuation, spelling and vocabulary, it might seem strange that I am asking this question. My answer should be ‘Of course grammar is important! Grammar is everything!’ Grammar counts for a lot and, as I’ve discovered from recent discussions on LinkedIn, even the most mild-mannered [...]
This post’s existence is due to confusion owing to the confusion between due to and owing to… Well, let’s get one thing straight before we go any further. The argument as to whether ‘due to’ or ‘owing to’ should be used is, in my humble opinion, one that should no longer exist. Even my very [...]