Category: Mrs. B
“Implicit” and “explicit” occasionally pop up in conversation as well as in copy. Mrs. B encourages you to take a minute to go over ...
A recent letter begins class today: “In the Midwest, certain areas like to talk without using verbs. For example, The car needs washed. The ...
No one will ever know you don’t the difference in “there,” “they’re,” and “their,” until the slip up appears on a graphic. And then, ...
It’s so easy to leave out the little guys, the prepositions. Don’t forget “of” after “couple” and “type.” >We need a couple OF editors. ...
Mrs. B wants to clear up some confusion about “percent” and “percentage.” “Percent” is always used with a specific number. >The mayor won 80 ...
It’s so easy to leave out the little guys, the prepositions. Don’t forget “of” after “couple” and “type.” >We need a couple OF editors. ...
Mrs. B is excited about today’s “but” lesson. An anchor in Lansing gets us started: “Many of our writers are crazy about buts. I ...
“Kudos are in order for CNN for producing the recent coverage of the Presidential debate.” Wrong. Mrs. B wants to be sure you use ...
Just after 9/11, Mrs. B issued the following statement that is, sadly, once again, germane to our times.: “In this time of national emergency, ...
Mrs. B has noticed in her travels that anchors and reporters are having some trouble with how they talk about people from various states. ...
Mrs. B has heard some “wish clause” mistakes this week. Here’s the easy part. If you begin a sentence with “I wish” or anyone ...
Some correct word combinations you just have to memorize. Mrs. B has no rule to help you out. Here’s todays list: conform to (not ...
Verbs can really hang you up unless you master a few rules… and their exceptions. When the verb in the main clause is in ...
Some correct word combinations you just have to memorize. Mrs. B has no rule to help you out. Here’s todays list: conform to (not ...
Some correct word combinations you just have to memorize. Mrs. B has no rule to help you out. Here’s todays list: conform to (not ...
Verbs can really hang you up unless you master a few rules… and their exceptions. When the verb in the main clause is in ...
Mrs. B was at her nit-picky best on her recent travels. Here are some notes she made while watching local news. “He pled guilty ...
During her recent travels, Mrs. B noted a few mispronunciations by local and network newscasters she’d like to correct. “Researchers at Johns Hopkin say ...
Ridding your copy of redundancies is a lot like picking the seeds out of grapes. You want your viewers to enjoy what you feed ...
Mrs. B was at her nit-picky best on her recent travels. Here are some notes she made while watching local news. “He pled guilty ...
Idioms are bound to pop out of your mouth on a regular basis, but let’s be sure that what pops out is standard. Here’s ...
In a clause that begins with “if,” don’t use “would have” in place of “had.” >If you HAD gotten here for the afternoon meeting, ...
While on vacation, Mrs. B noted a few mispronunciations by local and network newscasters she’d like to correct. “Researchers at Johns Hopkin say they’ve ...
In a clause that begins with “if,” don’t use “would have” in place of “had.” >If you HAD gotten here for the afternoon meeting, ...
While on vacation, Mrs. B noted a few mispronunciations by local and network newscasters she’d like to correct. “Researchers at Johns Hopkin say they’ve ...
Ridding your copy of redundancies is a lot like picking the seeds out of grapes. You want your viewers to enjoy what you feed ...
Here are some notes Mrs. B made while on an out-of-state trip and watching local news. “He pled guilty to assault charges.” The anchor ...
Mrs. B has heard some “wish clause” mistakes this week. Here’s the easy part. If you begin a sentence with “I wish” or anyone ...
Mrs. B doesn’t allow vulgarity in her class. But let’s look at the differences among the three major no-nos of polite language: >A VULGARITY ...
Mrs. B has heard some “wish clause” mistakes this week. Here’s the easy part. If you begin a sentence with “I wish” or anyone ...
This is kind of tricky, but if you learn it, it will serve you well. When a phrase is the subject of your sentence, ...
Form the comparative of ONE-syllable adjectives and adverbs by adding “er.” Form the superlative by adding “est.” late/later/latest soon/sooner/soonest Here are some exceptions: good/better/best ...
We continue today with our lesson on malapropisms: words we often confuse because they sound alike. “evoke” and “provoke” “Evoke means to bring to mind. ...
If you’ve ever used the wrong word, one that sounded like another, you’ve probably used a malapropism. Mrs. B invites you to join the ...
When the wrong word tumbles out of your mouth, one that sounds like the one you MEANT to use, you’ve probably used a malapropism. ...
Malapropisms are words that sound kind of like the correct ones but are just wrong enough to sound ludicrous. Here are some common ones. ...
Usually the American Journalism Review is a touchstone of grammatical writing, but Mrs. B caught this slip-up and builds today’s lesson around it: “He ...
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 ...
Occasionally Mrs. B dons her grammar police badge and goes after the rule-breakers. An Orlando anchor recently talked about a teacher being extradited “back” ...
Usually the American Journalism Review is a touchstone of grammatical writing, but Mrs. B caught this slip-up and builds today’s lesson around it: “He ...
Mrs. B noted a few gaffes on local news she’d like to share with you in today’s lesson. The word “residents” doesn’t work nearly ...
An important letter of correction to share with you today on the issue of “fewer” and “less”: “I must take exception… to your example ...
Mrs. B thinks it’s time for a review of the words “cache” and “cachet,” pronunciations as well as definitions. A letter from Glendale, Calif., ...
“Irony” and “ironic” are a couple of words we occasionally use in copy. But are we using them correctly? Mrs. B takes the cue ...
Mrs. B hears “accept” mispronounced so often, she’s thinking maybe it’s time for a lesson on the difference between “accept” and “except.” “Accept” is ...
A former producer, now a lawyer in Maryland, wrote to Mrs. B about “apropos/appropriate.” It might be helpful to you. One of her firm’s ...
Mrs. B has noticed in her travels that anchors and reporters are having some trouble with how they talk about people from various states. ...
‘Are you “amiable” today? If so, that means you’re friendly and good-natured. >Ellen’s cheerful personality makes her an AMIABLE manager. “Amicable,” though it, too, ...
The difference between “explicit” and “implicit.” That’s the subject of todays lesson. “Explicit” means expressed directly or clearly stated. >The news director’s EXPLICIT memo ...
Idioms are bound to pop out of your mouth on a regular basis, but let’s be sure that what pops out is standard. Here’s ...
Idioms are bound to pop out of your mouth on a regular basis, but let’s be sure that what pops out is standard. Here’s ...
Mrs. B invites you to go over some commonly confused words today. “Accept” is a verb that means “to receive.” >The producer said she ...
It’s time for a refresher on a couple of lessons, namely the difference between “continually” and “continuously” and “its” and “it’s.” “Continually” means something ...
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 ...
By itself, there’s nothing wrong with “got.” But put it with “have,” and Mrs. B’s finger starts wagging. She knows you hear it all ...
William Branigin was one of the first Washington Post reporters in Afghanistan to begin covering the war against Taliban and al Qaeda forces. He ...
Mrs. B’s conversation with a Muslim from the Washington area inspired today’s lesson. A 43-year-old from Saudi Arabia compared the late, unlamented Osama Bin ...
They look alike, sound alike, and even have similar meanings, but “forbidding” and “foreboding” are NOT interchangeable. “Forbidding” is an adjective. “Foreboding” is a ...
They look alike, sound alike, and even have similar meanings, but “forbidding” and “foreboding” are NOT interchangeable. “Forbidding” is an adjective. “Foreboding” is a ...
A plaintive plea from a Grammar Yammer reader influenced Mrs. B to offer this admonition today: please don’t “un” the “in” words. Take the ...
Mrs. B confesses she has misused “masterful” many times and is vowing not to again. She has confused it with “masterly” and wants you ...
Mrs. B thinks a word that has come up lately is worth discussing in Grammar. Coroner: “imminent.” Notice it has two “m’s.” “Imminent” means ...
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 ...
“No one knows” and “everyone thinks” are not only clichés, they’re usually inaccurate. How many times have you heard, “No one knows where the ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
“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 ...
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 ...
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” and “climactic” sound a lot a like to Mrs. B as I’m supposing they do to you, but the sound is where the ...
“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 ...
Mrs. B will never forget the superintendent visiting her 7th grade English class. He told us a comma MUST come before the the in ...
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 ...
Mrs. B will never forget the superintendent visiting her 7th grade English class. He told us a comma MUST come before the “and” in ...
If you really want to sound as if you have a command of the language, use “center ON,” instead of “center around.” (And Mrs. ...
Today, Mrs. B digresses from grammar to discuss a familiar weather term. She wants to make sure you understand the derivation of the term ...
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 ...
Mr. B once used a most primordial form of communication to ask Mrs. B for help in word choice: “Yo, Mrs. B,” he hollered ...
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 ...
Mrs. B loves her “Mares and Foals” calendar, but one year it had a punctuation error for November 11, the same error Mrs. B ...
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 ...
Mrs. B has such witty students. This question comes from a newsroom in Springfield. Is the weather seasonal or seasonable? I would like some ...
Redundancy reports are rampant. And Mrs. B is squealing with delight. From Los Angeles comes “the very latest”: “That one makes me crazy (its ...
Oh, the inconsistency of the English language and of those whom we rely on for the right and the wrong of it! Mrs. B ...
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 ...
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 ...
Mrs. B s has a pen pal who is concerned about “is concerned”: America has an entire generation now dropping the words “is concerned” ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Mrs. B has noticed that some anchors, even on the network level, run their sentences together. There simply are no periods in their reading. ...
“Drink, drank, drunk.” Mrs. B is going to set the record straight. “Drink” is an “irregular” verb. That means it forms its past and ...
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, ...
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