Category Archives: literature

The King James Bible gave English some awesome phrases

Posted on December 2, 2011 by

Regardless of your faith, or lack thereof, it is simply astonishing to learn the number of common English phrases that come from the King James Bible. “A drop in the bucket,” “the root of the matter,” “fight the good fight,” … Continue reading →

Posted in etymology, literature | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Word Nerd Wednesday

Posted on September 7, 2011 by

Welcome back to this week’s Word Nerd Wednesday.  Here are some of the best language-related stories I found on the interwebs: What do alligators, cannibals, and potatoes have in common? They are all Spanish words the English language adopted. A … Continue reading →

Posted in foreign language, in the news, literature, style issues | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Word Nerd Wednesday

Posted on August 31, 2011 by

Here’s a roundup of my favorite language-related stories, brought to you by the pipes of the Internet. Ben Zimmer meditates on The Beatles’ use of pronouns in The New York Times. Really? Bubble Wrap is a trademark? Here are twenty-four … Continue reading →

Posted in copy editing, grammar, in the news, literature | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Word Nerd Wednesday

Posted on August 24, 2011 by

Happy hump day. Here’s part two of Grammar Party’s Word Nerd Wednesday series, where I lovingly compile and share some of the most interesting language-related tidbits floating around the interwebs. Tattoos inspired by books at tattoolit: http://tattoolit.com/ Does using pronouns … Continue reading →

Posted in copy editing, grammar, in the news, literature, punctuation, story time | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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