A reader asks this interesting question:
Two items in the news yesterday made me wonder, and I hope you have an answer to my question. The first Item referred to a man in a kayak as a "kayaker," the second item referred to a man in a canoe as a "canoeist." Both are paddling a watercraft, so why is one an "er" and the other an "ist"?
I have used the word awesome a few times lately to describe something that I found terrific or impressive. This surprised me because my husband and I have a running eyeroll over the word that we consider today's most overused and least understood. Many of our young friends and colleagues of the Millennial generation use the word the way we baby boomers are prone to using cool. It is the default word for something that is impressive or pleasing.
I've written the 50th Grammar Guide quiz. This one is based on words we often see used incorrectly in fashion and home decor stories. They are common words that are easily mistyped and overlooked. As usual, I have written an explanation for each answer so you will get feedback as you check your answers. The explanations are the same whether you answered correctly or not.
Click here or on the question mark icon to begin. Have fun and post a comment below if you wish.
Commentators are having a field day with Sarah Palin's use of "refudiate" in television appearance and in a Twitter post that has been deleted.
An online reader comment on a headline prompts this post in defense of a word.
The New Oxford American Dictionary's publishers have chosen the 2009 word of the year.
A reader has an interesting point to make about a phrase that is all over the news these days:
"It is sad that Kilpatrick has given up writing his columns on usage. If he were still writing, I am certain that he would by now have issued one of his 'injunctions' against the currently sickeningly popular cliche 'town hall meeting.' If it ain't held in a bonafide town hall, call it a community meeting or a high school gym meeting or whatever it is."
The editors of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary have added about 100 words for the 2009 edition and to the dictionary online.
The latest installment in The N&O's Old North State series, Warrenton fights to regain lost glory, allows us a chance to use the lovely sounding word, antebellum.
Those who report the news often apply labels to terrible or urgent events: tragedy, disaster, crisis, emergency. Sometimes, those labels don't quite fit. We risk overstating the trouble.
