How cold weather makes all tasks Herculean
Just getting out of bed in below freezing temperatures feels like a Herculean task – so much easier and more pleasant to snuggle under the duvet, turn up the electric…
‘Sailing close to the wind’ may leave me out of pocket: idiom usage
A little hard-up for productive work, this week, I found myself sailing close to the wind. While I promote the idea of taking a risk, it's different when said risk…
Frustrated writer/techy
Pic by StockCake
Non-English! How did we get here?
“Former YouTube chief and Silicon Valley pioneer Susan Wojcicki died Friday at 56, after a two-year battle with non-small cell lung cancer.” I’ve just read this in a non-frivolous newsletter put together…
Apprise or appraise: use the right word
Working through a government document recently, I noticed the use of the word ‘appraise’. It was used incorrectly, and the writer intended the meaning of the word apprise. Unfortunately I…
Johannesburg, South Africa
The quality of English writing is going down hill: proofreading for excellence
I referred to a report by the Road Traffic Management Corporation for an article I was writing for a client. It referred to information settlements along the freeway. It must…
So, what’s a lexophile?
Two problems here: 1. This statement is not original; 2. It simply does not make sense and would work better if they ‘got too small for their pants’, having them fall right off. If they are “too big for their pants their bellies (boeps) can be covered by a long shirt so no exposure necessary.
Allude vs elude
The people of Tibet who bestow this honour upon him have witnessed his ability to elude (evade or escape from a danger, enemy, or pursuer, typically in a skillful or cunning way) censure for his prior misogynistic statements which he has escaped with a mere slap on the wrists.
Shine. It’s your right
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
Avoid traffic lights but use breaks to prevent a crash
Grammar: Prevent or avoid
For instance, I can say, to avoid the morning rush hour traffic, I usually leave my house an hour early. In this context, prevent is a misfit. However, if I say “to prevent heat stroke on hot summer days, drink plenty of water and stay out of the sun”.
Both shelves are lined with books
Why I find both bothersome
Both is often unnecessary in a sentence. When it is used to stress the joining of two nouns it really is a waste of a word. Grammar. Please.
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