I often see a single word used when it’s more correct to use two words. Here are some examples. Alot and a lot “Alot” is not a word, which is why Word’s spell checker flags this common error. “A lot” means many. “He made a lot of money.” Anyone and any one Use one word […]
2020 Words of the Year
Each year publishers of English dictionaries name their Words of the Year, the words or expressions that have generated the most interest over the last 12 months. This year’s award winners are not surprising since they reflect the dominant story of the year, the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are the choices, which are very different from […]
The Killer News Release
Over the years, many people have proclaimed that the news release is dead. To paraphrase Mark Twain, the rumors of its death have been greatly exaggerated. The news release is still an effective tool because it encourages journalists to report on the news, and because the release can “live” indefinitely online, making it visible to […]
Words of the Year 2018
Each year publishers of English dictionaries name their Words of the Year, the words or expressions that have generated the most interest over the last 12 months. Here are the awards for 2018. Single use: The editors at the Collins English Dictionary say the use of the adjective “single-use” increased four-fold since 2013. (I guess […]
It was a Dark and Stormy Contest: the 2018 Winners of the Annual Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Writing Contest
Most writing contests encourage participants to write well. Not so the tongue-in-cheek Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest which has been challenging “man, woman, and (precocious) child to write an atrocious opening sentence to a hypothetical bad novel” since 1982. The English Department at San Jose State University organizes the contest in honor of Bulwer-Lytton. This minor […]
One Word or Two? How to Avoid These Common Mistakes
I often see a single word used when it should be two words. Here are some of the more common examples. Get a PDF version of this post here. Awhile and A While A while is a noun phrase and means “a period of time.” It often follows a preposition. “He will be gone for […]
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