Monthly Archives: July 2011

Yo mama’s so fat a hyperbole couldn’t even exaggerate her weight.

Posted on July 29, 2011 by

Lesson: Spotting hyperbole in literature, pop culture, and politics. hyperbole: an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.” –dictionary.com Hyperbole is a tool used in literature and rhetoric when you … Continue reading →

Posted in literature, story time | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Ye Old Mispronunciation: The long forgotten letter “thorn”

Posted on July 26, 2011 by

We’ve all seen those kitschy, old-timey business signs like “Ye Old Curiosity Shop,” or “Ye Old Hat Shop,” or “Ye Old Beer Stand.” Shockingly, this whole time we have been mispronouncing these names. In these cases, ye is not pronounced … Continue reading →

Posted in etymology | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Confusing Plurals: Data, Criteria, and Media

Posted on July 21, 2011 by

There is a veritable hotbed of controversy (among people who care about these sorts of things) (ahem, dorks) regarding whether the words data, criteria, and media should be treated as plural nouns or as mass nouns. (Mass nouns are nouns … Continue reading →

Posted in grammar | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Than vs. Then

Posted on July 19, 2011 by

Lesson: When to use “than” and “then” in a sentence. With than (which rhymes with can) and then (which rhymes with men ) sounding so much alike, it is easy to understand why using these words incorrectly is one of … Continue reading →

Posted in grammar, semantics | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

One little endian, two little endians: Formatting dates across the globe

Posted on July 17, 2011 by

The proper way to format dates in America is to write month, day, comma, year. Like this: May 27, 1950 However, as you are no doubt aware, this is the proper way to format a date in America. Different countries … Continue reading →

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Aussie Slang from Beyond the Trail

Posted on July 13, 2011 by

In April two of my dearest friends, Rob and Debra, quit their jobs, sold their house, and left everything behind for a  year of adventures traveling the globe. To stave off my jealousy (I mean, isn’t that everyone’s dream?), I … Continue reading →

Posted in etymology, semantics, story time | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Portmanteaus: They’re a bash!

Posted on July 7, 2011 by

[A little note: I apologize for the lapse in posting. The last few weeks I have been on vacation, and then I started a new job. It’s been fun and hectic, but now I’m back bringing you grammar and language … Continue reading →

Posted in etymology, foreign language, grammar | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments