This word usage quiz has a twist.

Sometimes English grammar conventions are confusing for those who learn English as a second language. I found a funny video that explains the order of adjectives.

What is the distinction between "emigrate" and "immigrate"?

A contributor provides some images of bad signage.

Merriam-Webster has announced its 2008 update. One new entry is related to those funny misheard song lyrics.

The new Triangle Grammar Guide quiz offers a variation on the usual multiple choice format.

The phrase "in tandem" has literal and figurative meanings.

The Associated Press Stylebook gives us a window on changing concerns and word usage.

Recent letters to the editor refer to "bread and circuses," a phrase that refers to choosing short-term diversions over more important matters. It comes from the Latin phrase panem et circenses, and the English version is a literal translation.

Such loan translations are called "claques," which derived from a French word for "to trace," as in making a copy. English is full of calques. A "marriage of convenience" is a translation from French mariage de convenance. "Worldview" is a translation from German Weltanschauung. "Brainwashing" is a loan translation of a Chinese term.

Today's quiz has five sentences. You will choose the better of two choices given in the sentences. Have fun and leave a comment.

By the way, not everything on the Triangle Grammar Guide quiz or on the blog is about grammar. "Grammar" is my shorthand for all the language problems that come up.

Click here or on the question mark icon to begin. Have fun.