Category Archives: English

Still here! (And a bit about “Old English”)

Posted on October 18, 2007 by Josh

Hey everyone. I wanted to drop a quick post here to let those of you who are still subscribed to the feed (a surprising number of you!) that I’ve not abandoned this blog. I’ve been extremely busy with classes, and … Continue reading →

Posted in English, Language Geek Site Updates, Old English | 3 Comments

Putting the “straw” in strawberry

Posted on July 13, 2007 by Josh

Yesterday while eating a bowl of fruit salad, I commented that I wondered where the “straw” in “strawberry” came from. My mom and wife both chimed in, saying that it referred to the straw that farmers put on the strawberry … Continue reading →

Posted in English, Etymology, Old English | 1 Comment

Take the con.

Posted on July 5, 2007 by Josh

I’m in the middle of reading The Mote in God’s Eye, a science fiction novel by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. A lot of the action takes place abord the ship MacArthur. I’m around page 100 at this point, and … Continue reading →

Posted in English, Vocabulary | 2 Comments

What in the tarnation are you doing?

Posted on July 3, 2007 by Josh

I’m from southern Ohio. Throughout my growing up here, I’ve heard the word tarnation slung around, as well as used it quite a lot myself. For example (or e.g., now that I know how to use the abbreviation correctly): Just … Continue reading →

Posted in English, Vocabulary | Leave a comment

i.e. vs. e.g. – id est and exempli gratia

Posted on July 1, 2007 by Josh

One of the blogs I read, Copyblogger, posted an article on common mistakes made when writing. One of the things they wrote about was the use (or misuse!) of the Latin abbreviations i.e. (id est) and e.g. (exempli gratia). Here’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Abbreviations, English, Latin | Leave a comment

No, that sentence should not end with a question mark.

Posted on June 28, 2007 by Josh

I was at the post office today mailing a few items, when I saw a little placard that made me cringe. It showed a postal worker, holding her hand to her ear, as if she was listening. Below her picture … Continue reading →

Posted in English, Language Gripes | 2 Comments