STARTING WITH “A”
You already know “all right” is two words, that “alright” is non-standard. But take a look at these “a”-words that work BOTH ways, as ...
Category: Mrs. B
MRS B: GRAMMAR UPDATE
Mrs. B thinks a word that has come up lately is worth discussing in Grammar. Corner: “imminent.” Notice it has two “ms.” “Imminent” means “soon ...
LEGAL TALK
OK, you legal eagles, legal talk is the subject of today’s Grammar Yammer. “Impeachment” is the constitutional process that accuses an elected official of ...
AVOIDING THE NON-STANDARD
You’re not likely to write any of these non-standard expressions into copy. But Mrs. B wants to be sure they don’t pop up in ...
THE MISPRONOUNCED ONES
Mrs. B has been saving up several words for this lesson. They’re words she has heard mispronounced and doesn’t want you to be one ...
DAMAGES(S) CONTROL
Mrs. B wants to be sure you’re using the nouns “damage” and “damages” correctly. A letter from an investigative reporter inspired today’s lesson: I ...
A MYRIAD OF OPTIONS
“Myriad” means a huge number, maybe even too many to count. It can be both an adjective >There are MYRIAD reasons that I’ll probably ...
PREVENTING “PREVENTATIVE”
It’s a word you hear all the time, and Mrs. B certainly doesn’t want you to lose sleep over it, but preventative is not ...
BIAS VS. PREJUDICE
You’re “biased” TOWARD or FOR or IN FAVOR OF something or someone. >She says she’s BIASED TOWARD a newscast with a mix of positive ...
“CLIMATIC” OR “CLIMACTIC?”
“Climatic” and “climactic” sound a lot a like to Mrs. B as I’m supposing they do to you, but the sound is where the ...
A FORM OF TORTURE
“Torturous” and “tortuous” both come from the Latin word “torquere,” which means “to twist.” (Mrs. B’s 8th grade Latin teacher in Tullahoma, Tennessee, would ...
A “COMMA” ERROR
Mrs. B will never forget the superintendent visiting her 7th grade English class. He told us a comma MUST come before the the in ...
DEPARTMENT OF REDUNDANCY DEPT.
Conservation is the theme of today’s lesson. Mrs. B is going to help you use fewer words than you might think you need. We’ll ...
A “COMMA” ERROR
Mrs. B will never forget the superintendent visiting her 7th grade English class. He told us a comma MUST come before the “and” in ...
BEING CENTERED
If you really want to sound as if you have a command of the language, use “center ON,” instead of “center around.” (And Mrs. ...
BONUS MRS. B: BRASS MONKEY EDITION
Today, Mrs. B digresses from grammar to discuss a familiar weather term. She wants to make sure you understand the derivation of the term ...
INJURE VS. WOUND
Today’s lesson comes by way of a tv reporter in Atlanta, where Mrs. B learned how to sing “My Country Tis of Thee” in ...
DOES THIS JIBE?
Mr. B once used a most primordial form of communication to ask Mrs. B for help in word choice: “Yo, Mrs. B,” he hollered ...
A TRIP TO THE MIDDLE EAST
Mrs. B refers to the CIA factbook for her lesson on the country of Qatar. You may have been saying something like KAY-tar or ...
AND NOW…MRS. B
Mrs. B loves her “Mares and Foals” calendar, but one year it had a punctuation error for November 11, the same error Mrs. B ...
JUST DESERTS. REALLY
Mrs. B knows when you’re reading a script about the place Bedouins live in Saudi Arabia, you’re going to SAY “desert.” But when it ...
SEASONING THE SEASONS
Mrs. B has such witty students. This question comes from a newsroom in Springfield. Is the weather seasonal or seasonable? I would like some ...
DEPARTMENT OF REDUNDANCY DEPARTMENT
Redundancy reports are rampant. And Mrs. B is squealing with delight. From Los Angeles comes “the very latest”: “That one makes me crazy (its ...
STYLISTIC INCONSISTENCIES
Oh, the inconsistency of the English language and of those whom we rely on for the right and the wrong of it! Mrs. B ...
TAKE INTO CUSTODY
Mrs. B hopes you’ve used that phrase (or variations of it) for the last time. From now on, make it ARREST or SEIZE. Take ...
NEWSPEAK
We’ve talked about “newspeak” before, but Mrs. B is being nudged to address it again: “The veteran catcher UNDERWENT hip surgery today and is ...
A CONCERNING COLUMN
Mrs. B s has a pen pal who is concerned about “is concerned”: America has an entire generation now dropping the words “is concerned” ...
WHAT’S YOUR SIGN?
Mrs. B’s sign is Libra. Today’s lesson is somewhat related. Read what arrived in her e-mailbox from the West Coast: I heard something on ...
INJURE VS. WOUND
Today’s lesson comes by way of a tv reporter in Atlanta, where Mrs. B learned how to sing “My Country Tis of Thee” in ...
WATCH THOSE WORDS
The U.S. military uses two names for the on-base jail. Mrs. B wants you to repeat after her. >The Army and the Air Force ...
REDUNDANCIES…..AGAIN
Mrs. B knows it’s easy to fall into the accidental use of a silly sounding redundancy. So here’s a reminder: Do NOT say “two ...
THE CASE FOR PUNCTUATION
Mrs. B has noticed that some anchors, even on the network level, run their sentences together. There simply are no periods in their reading. ...
MRS. B’S DRINKING GAME
“Drink, drank, drunk.” Mrs. B is going to set the record straight. “Drink” is an “irregular” verb. That means it forms its past and ...
DON’T STRESS OVER DISTRESS
If you’re in a quandary about when to use “stress” and when to use “distress,” this lesson might help. Here’s the letter from Morristown, ...
DEPARTMENT OF REDUNDANCY DEPARTMENT
Fasten your seat belt. Mrs. B is taking you on a high speed lesson in redundancies today. Ready? absolutely conclusive agricultural crops close proximity ...
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Most of the time Mrs. B prefers short words to long ones. And your viewers do, too. Instead of “approximately,” say ABOUT. Instead of ...
LOSE THE “E” AND OTHER SINGULAR TOPICS
Let’s spend a little time on a word and on a phrase we’re using lately. Our topic is courtesy of a note we once ...
LISTEN UP EVERYONE
Every time Mrs. B thinks of Mrs. Bobo, her senior English teacher in high school (and her mentor), she thinks of the “everyone” lesson. ...
GIVING GRAMMAR ITS DUE
Due to” is an adjective phrase and should not be used as a preposition meaning “because of.” >The shoot was canceled BECAUSE OF a ...
BEHIND BARS WITH MRS. B
Most viewers are confused by incarceration. Mrs. B wants you to be sure your confusion is not adding to theirs. JAIL is a local ...
NOT A FAVORITE
“Proactive” is not one of Mrs. B’s favorite words. In fact, she would like to see it eradicated. (And that’s pretty radical for the ...
THAT WHICH IS CORRECT
“That” is one of those words that can make for a bumpy read and, therefore, a bumpy listen. It’s also a word that, if ...
SOUND-ALIKES
Mrs. B would appreciate your taking a little time this morning to look at some sound-alike words that MEAN nothing alike. FLAK is gunfire, ...
THAT WHICH IS CORRECT
“That” is one of those words that can make for a bumpy read and, therefore, a bumpy listen. It’s also a word that, if ...
COVERING COURTS COHERENTLY
Mrs. B turns your attention today to some more mistakes we’re making in covering the legal system. A former reporter for nearly 20 years ...
AFGHAN VS. AFGHANI
A letter to Mrs. B from Corpus Christi inspires today’s lesson. Can you tell me what the correct “term” is for the people of ...
SPOKESMAN OR SPOKESWOMAN????
Good morning. One of your classmates poses a good question: What about “company spokesman” vs. “spokeswoman” or “spokesperson”?? While the latter two choices seem ...
NO “S”, OK?
Today’s lesson is an easy one, for a change. It’s Friday, and Mrs. B knows you work hard and need a break every now ...
A RECURRING MISTAKE
A recurring mistake begins today’s lesson, brought to Mrs. B’s attention by a Kansas City reader. The other day I heard a radio announcer ...
HOW DO YOU PLEAD?
Into the courtroom we go for today’s lesson. Mrs. B has heard plenty of pleas to run a reminder about the past tense of ...
“WHO” vs. “WHOM”
When to use “who” and “whom” is such a bother, especially if you didn’t have a grandmother like Mrs. B’s, a one room school ...
SAY WHAT YOU MEAN
Mr. B used a software program to rewrite his and Mrs. B’s will. That done, they had to find a NOTARY PUBLIC, not a ...
TOWARD BETTER GRAMMAR
Today’s lesson is an easy one, for a change. Mrs. B knows you work hard and need a break every now and then. We ...
SHE’S A GOOD SPORT, THOUGH
A sports fan Mrs. B is not. Regardless, she tackles a few teams, per the request of a “shame based grammarian,” or so he ...
MURDER, SHE EXPLAINED
It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood, but Mrs. B turns your attention to a not so neighborly subject: unnatural death and how you, ...
RELIGIOUSLY CORRECT
As Easter looms before us, Mrs. B is intrigued by this letter from a member of the journalism faculty at Emerson College in Boston. ...
DÉJÀ VU – SORT OF
Mrs. B had a sense of deja vu today when she heard a tune from the early 60s, her last years of high school. ...
A RECURRING MISTAKE
A recurring mistake begins today’s lesson, courtesy of a reader of this column. The other day I heard a radio announcer say a word ...
WE EAGERLY AWAIT YOUR REACTION
Let’s spend just a little time on “anxious” and “eager. “Anxious” means full of worry or anxiety; “eager” means excited or enthusiastic. So… >Rosemary ...
LOSE THESE EXPRESSIONS
“Make up to 30-thousand dollars or more.” Now wait just a pea pickin’ minute. (Mrs. B is allowed to use such a colloquialism. She ...
NAVIGATING THE TRICKY ONES
Mrs. B is sad to tell you there will be no first annual reader reunion. That’s because there’s no such thing as “first annual.” ...
LOSE THESE EXPRESSIONS
“Make up to 30-thousand dollars or more.” Now wait just a pea pickin’ minute. (Mrs. B is allowed to use such a colloquialism. She ...
A SINGULAR FOCUS ON PLURAL
A faithful correspondent brings up a good grammar point and one worth exploring today. She writes: “The legislature made *their* voices heard.” or The city ...
A NAUSEOUS GRAMMAR LESSON
Mrs. B wants you to remember that you cannot feel “nauseous.” What you feel is “nauseated” when you see or smell something “nauseous” or ...
THE EFFECT OF AFFECT
If you have mastered “affect/effect,” Mrs. B salutes you. If you haven’t, this lesson is for you. The verb “affect” means to change, to ...
A SINGULAR COLUMN
If you have a singular subject, you need a singular verb. If you have a plural subject (more than one), you need a plural ...
LATIN TRANSLATIONS
Some of Mrs. B’s readers have asked about a Latin term you’ll see every now and then: What does [sic] mean? The Latin adverb ...
BREAK IT DOWN
A Chattanooga anchor writes: “Were having a discussion in our newsroom about causes of death. Which of the following is correct?” (1) He died from two gunshot ...
IN BEHALF OF GOOD GRAMMAR
In behalf of you journalists who aren’t sure when to use “in behalf of” or “on behalf of,” Mrs. B presents today’s lesson. IN ...
A SINGULAR COLUMN
If you have a singular subject, you need a singular verb. If you have a plural subject (more than one), you need a plural ...
WHO VS WHOM
The rule about “who” and “whom” is really pretty simple. Decide whether its a subject or an object. Use “who” is it’s a subject. Use ...
WHOM DO YOU TRUST IN GRAMMAR USAGE?
The rule about “who” and “whom” is really pretty simple. Decide whether its a subject or an object. Use “who” is it’s a subject. Use ...
MRS. B LAYS DOWN THE GRAMMAR LAW
It’s time to review “lie, lay, have lain” and “lay, laid, have laid.” “Lie” means “to recline.” People LIE down. The 5,300-year-old Bronze Age hunter ...
WHEN ARE NOUNS VERBS?
Mrs. B likes to give you the definitive word on subjects of grammar, style, and usage, but sometimes the best she can do is ...
MAN, WE’RE SUNK!
Mrs. B has heard too many “sunks” lately that should have been “sanks.” The past tense of “sink” is “sank.” The ferry SANK, and ...
A DISSERTATION ON “NONE”
None of the two dozen or so reference books Mrs. B uses agree (some would have me say “agrees”) on “none.” Patricia T. O’Conner, ...
MRS B: GRADUATION DAY
It happens every year around graduation time – and fall graduation time is upon us..You hear the Latin words for graduate(s) mangled. Mrs. B ...
TIME TO SUFFER. REALLY
Are you up for a lesson on “suffering” today? Mrs. B promises it won’t hurt. It’s a hot topic with some Grammar Yammer readers: ...
HEALTHY GRAMMAR
Mrs. B knows you want to use the correct word, not only in meaning but in appropriateness for broadcast news. So today’s lesson is ...
IN BEHALF OF GOOD GRAMMAR
In behalf of you journalists who aren’t sure when to use “in behalf of” or “on behalf of,” Mrs. B presents today’s lesson. IN ...
A CRIME-FILLED GRAMMAR LESSON
Mrs. B is a bit breathless about today’s lesson. It’s terribly exciting. It begins with burglary, turns into robbery, and ends with… well, you’ll ...
A RECURRING MISTAKE
A recurring mistake begins today’s lesson, courtesy of a reader of this column. The other day I heard a radio announcer say a word ...
SAY IT LOUD…AND CORRECTLY
Get those lips all limbered up and that tongue ready to press against the roof of your mouth, Mrs. B is doing a pronunciation ...
MRS B: DEPARTMENT OF REDUNDANCY DEPT. (CONTD.)
Conservation is the theme of today’s lesson. Mrs. B is going to help you use fewer words than you might think you need. We’ll ...
DEPARTMENT OF REDUNDANCY DEPARTMENT (CONTD.)
To die or not to die pretty well summarizes Mrs. B’s lesson today. A Grammar Yammer reader writes: Can someone “die drowning”? Can you ...
LITERALLY, SOME CONCRETE DIFFERENCES
I have a lot of trouble when I hear the following, most often from sports announcers: “LeBron James has literally taken the entire team ...
TAMING THE APOSTROPHE
Mrs. B waxes poetic today. (Remember, “the” before a vowel sound is pronounced “thee.”) Apostrophes do NOT belong on signs like these in produce ...
THE DEPARTMENT OF REDUNDANCY DEPARTMENT
Redundancies and superfluous words kill me! How about these? >We both had an understanding. >He was constantly calling the Assistant Attorney General all the ...
MRS. B HEADLINE ADVICE
Mrs. B has been seeing and hearing some headlines that need a little adjustment. They look and sound something like this: MEDIA SWARMS TOWARD ...
MRS B
Let’s spend a little time on the “will” contractions in response to a suggestion from a Grammar Yammer reader in Lansing: First, let Mrs. ...
ARE YOU LIABLE TO MISUSE HOI POLLOI?
Mrs. B is on another of her redundancy rampages today. A letter from a Baltimore reader got her started. “My learned dad always told ...
WATCH THOSE PRONUNCIATIONS!
This morning Mrs. B heard a word mispronounced on NPR, of all places, that made the left side of her face twitch: “FUSS-trated.” Don’t ...
PATIENCE, PLEASE
A short lesson today. Mrs. B knows you have places to go and people to see…and so does she. Take a look at two ...
MRS. B: A BONA FIDE QUESTION
We recently heard an anchor on a Canadian radio show refer to bon-uh-fee-dees. This is a word that we’ve also heard frequently as bone-uh-fides. ...
CONTINUAL COVERAGE OF A CONTINUOUS PROBEM
When Mrs. B hears “We’ll have continuous coverage of this story,” she has to stifle a giggle. “Continuous” means uninterrupted. You hear it on ...
BEING POSSESSIVE
Now that you’ve mastered the possessive case with its apostrophe, here’s an exception. Possessive pronouns have no apostrophe: hers, its, theirs, yours, whose, oneself. ...
WE EAGERLY AWAIT YOUR REACTION
Let’s spend just a little time on “anxious” and “eager. “Anxious” means full of worry or anxiety; “eager” means excited or enthusiastic. So… >Rosemary ...
GIVE “ME” SOME RESPECT
“Myself” is one of those words that pops up a lot in daily conversation. 99 percent of the time we use it wrong. The ...
