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 [...]
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 [...]