You thought I’d abandoned these, right? Nope. Not a prayer. Just got very busy the last couple of weeks. But I’m baaaaaaack! Using the correct words, to me, is the hallmark of good writing — knowing the difference between you’re…
Tuesday Tricksters, Mil–Minks
It was a lazy, hazy, snowy morning here at the Grammar Goddess abode; the dogs were sleeping, and I was lazily gazing out through the snow-covered windows to the snow-covered trees, when suddenly I realized it’s TUESDAY! Yikes. I hadn’t…
Tuesday Tricksters, Mews–Might
It’s (its) another Tuesday, and time (thyme) to (too, two) (re)learn five more (moore) pairs (pears) of tricky words that can make even the best writers look not so smart. They’re (their, there) known as homophones, words that sound the…
Tuesday Tricksters, Medal — Mewl
So here it is: the last day of February. How did this come on so quickly? It’s also a Tuesday, which means I have another chance to remind writers about an important fact: Spellcheck, for all its wonderfulness, does only…
Tuesday Tricksters, Me — Meatier
So today is the day of love — around the world. It’s St. Valentine’s Day, at least here in the U.S. Love is in the air. Cupid is shooting his arrows, sometimes hitting the wrong people. Those who are not…
A for Effort!
Do you give yourself an A for effort for what you do right? Frequent readers of my blogs know that each Tuesday I publish a “Tuesday Tricksters” list of miserable words – known as homophones (words that sound the same,…
Tuesday Tricksters, Marten — Maw
Who hasn’t written the wrong word, thinking one (won) that sounded like it was the right (rite) one? Learning English, with its (it’s) homophones (words that sound alike or nearly so) can be (bee) really tough. This Tuesday Tricksters series…
Lesser — Liken
More homophones: lesser and liken. Homophones: tough words (aka homophones) in English that sound the same (or nearly so, anyway), but mean something different and are spelled differently. And it doesn’t matter how much English we know; these words bedevil…
Leave — Lesson
It’s (Its) time (thyme) again for Tuesday Tricksters! It’s a quick peek (peak/pique) at some (sum) words that sound the same but (butt/butte) are not (knot/naught) the same! They have different meanings and different spellings. Smart writers remember that spellcheck…
More “Cross” Words
Longtime readers of my posts know that I love words, and I love crossword puzzles. But I have to say, sometimes I wonder how or why a certain word got used in one of the puzzles. Sometimes I’ve never seen…
The Last Cross Words for 2015
As I’ve finally been getting my Boston Sunday Globe newspaper regularly (you’d think I live on Pluto for the troubles the Globe deliverers had in finding me once I moved to Buzzards Bay!), I’ve been enjoying the Sunday crossword puzzles…