These are some classic ad bloopers, from Richard’s Lederer’s classic treasury of bloopers, “Anguished English: an Anthology of Accidental Insults upon our Language.” Enjoy. Newbury Street Coiffure: Affordable: an alternative to looking good Four-poster bed, 101 years old. Perfect for antique lover. Now is your chance to have your ears pierced and get an extra […]
To Try or Not to Try, That is the Question
“I’ll try.” How many times do we hear those words? Too often. And statements like “I’ll try to do this or that” remind me of a workshop years ago where we were fined anytime we used the word “try.” Why? It’s a weak word. It implies lack of commitment. It does not inspire confidence. As […]
Words of the Year
It’s that time again, when we learn what publishers of English dictionaries think are the most important words of the year. Several of this year’s winners reflect the continuing dominance of the Covid pandemic in the world’s mindset. However, there are some surprises, as you’ll see. Vaccine: Merriam-Webster said that lookups for […]
Fun Bulwer-Lytton Writing Contest Announces Winners
Can you write “an atrocious opening sentence to a hypothetical bad novel”? That is the challenge of the tongue-in-cheek Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. Unlike most writing contests (which encourage participants to write well), the Bulwer-Lytton content celebrates terrible writing. The English Department at San Jose State University has been running this contest since 1982. It’s named […]
Grammar School Wisdom
Supposedly, a grammar-school teacher gave each child in her class the first half of a well-known proverb and asked them to come up with the rest of the proverb. Some of these answers are truly inspired (if not quite traditional). Enjoy. Better to be safe than…punch a 5th grader. Strike while the…bug is close. It’s […]
The Rule of Three
What can we learn from Thomas Jefferson, the French Revolution and Julius Caesar? The Rule of Three. This Rule says that ideas presented in threes “stick” in our minds better than ideas in larger groups. Consider: “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” “Liberty, equality and fraternity” “I came. I saw. I conquered.” I was […]
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