Anne Curzan
Explaining English usage, one mystery & word history at a time.
As a linguist and veteran English professor,
I love answering your questions about why English is the way it is, how well justified the grammar rules you learned in school are,
and whether it’s worth holding onto your
language peeves
Anne Curzan
Explaining English usage, one mystery or word history at a time.
As a linguist and veteran English professor, I love answering your questions about why English is the way it is, how well justified the grammar rules you learned in school are, and whether it’s worth holding onto your language peeves
INTRODUCING “SAYS WHO?”
A kinder, funner usage guide to the ever-changing English language
Never snooty, scoldy (yes, that’s a “real” word!), or boring, this book pulls back the curtain to reveal where the grammar rules we learned in school actually come from, unmasks the forces that drive dictionary editors to label certain words as slang or unacceptable, and investigates how to balance the values of precision and clarity with that of inclusion.
“Chock-full of fascinating trivia and persuasively argued, this will give grammar sticklers pause.”
“As a guide through the labyrinth of language, Curzan provides a road map that makes for an enjoyable, informative journey.”
ANNE IN THE NEWS
EXPLAINING ENGLISH USAGE, ONE MYSTERY
OR WORD HISTORY AT A TIME.
Done and Finished
The title might suggest that I am following up on Ben Yagoda’s informative post on the expression done and done, but instead I am revisiting one of my mother’s grammar bugbears. When my sisters and I were kids, at the end of dinner, we at least...
Researching ‘Research’
Some pronunciation shifts are squarely on my radar. For example, I feel like I am hearing more and more people pronounce the noun program with a schwa in the second syllable. For me, the second syllable sounds like “gram”; for these other speakers,...
Homing In
I was reminded the other day of two things about prescriptive usage rules: (a) the power that comes with feeling like you know rules of usage that other people don’t (or have forgotten); and (b) the sometimes fine line between a usage rule that promotes standard usage...
