Tag Archives: foreign language

You and I vs. you and me

Posted on March 26, 2013 by

It seems many of us are still reeling from elementary school teachers who overcorrected use of the pronoun I. How many times did you hear a knitted-sweatered, thin-lipped woman of authority say, “It’s ‘May Johnny and I go to the … Continue reading →

Posted in copy editing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What does “prn” mean?

Posted on November 9, 2012 by

At my recent doctor’s appointment, she said, “You’ll just take this prn.” (She pronounced each letter: P-R-N.) “What does that mean?” I asked. “It means you’re supposed to take it as needed.” Suspecting it was a Latin abbreviation, since we … Continue reading →

Posted in foreign language | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Squeezing blackheads out of kitty’s face

Posted on November 5, 2012 by

Postcard reads: “Are you in the jam, dearie?” “No! Mother, I’m just squeezing blackheads out of kitty’s face.” I found this antique postcard (I think it’s from the 1930s) at an estate sale a couple months ago. I had to … Continue reading →

Posted in etymology, story time | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

How English sounds to everyone else

Posted on November 1, 2012 by

I got the idea for today’s post from the podcast A Way With Words. I’m super in love with this show, and I recommend it for everyone who is interested in English word origins and other language topics. Native English … Continue reading →

Posted in foreign language | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

When to italicize foreign words and phrases

Posted on February 23, 2012 by

Every once in a while, it feels good to add a snooty foreign word or phrase to your writing. I mean, what would the writing world be without a little je ne sais quoi? However, there are rules about how … Continue reading →

Posted in copy editing, style issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments