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.
Did You Drop That ‘H’?
This past weekend I was preparing for a talk I’ll be giving next month in Washington, D.C. At some moment I decided to check the description of the seminar online to make sure that I would be talking about what I said I would be talking about several months ago. (I...
Kerfuffle: an Argument
When my 9-year old nephew asked his parents what a kerfuffle was, they said, “It’s like a brouhaha.” My nephew followed up, “What’s a brouhaha?” And his parents, in a move no lexicographer would endorse, responded, “It’s a kerfuffle.” Had my nephew looked...
In Polite Defense of ‘No Problem’
In last Sunday’s “Social Q’s” column in The New York Times, Jennifer from Waccabuc, N.Y., described a man correcting her son for not saying “you’re welcome” after the man had thanked him for holding a door. Her question: Is it rude not to say...
