Category Archives: grammar

For want of a comma

Posted on 29/10/2022 by campaignerkate

I trust that Thérèse Coffey will not demand the purge of the Oxford comma from Defra officials’ language. Continue reading →

Posted in Defra, grammar | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Ministry for Bad Grammar

Posted on 18/09/2022 by campaignerkate

Thérèse Coffey presumably rejects the Oxford comma because Oxford rejected her. Continue reading →

Posted in grammar, parliament | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Who guards The Guardian?*

Posted on 05/03/2020 by campaignerkate

Whoever wrote the advertisement for The Guardian’s course on writing good sentences needs to enrol on the course. Continue reading →

Posted in grammar | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Mangled memory

Posted on 10/11/2018 by campaignerkate

Laurence Binyon’s words ‘They shall grow not old’ have been mangled in a recent film title, as Chris Hall points out in a letter in the Guardian. Continue reading →

Posted in grammar | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

What is a trainer? A matter for the courts

Posted on 02/02/2018 by campaignerkate

I was George Laurence’s guest for lunch at the Middle Temple and the question was whether my footwear was suitable. Continue reading →

Posted in grammar, Language | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Bucks Free Press’s boo-boo

Posted on 07/01/2018 by campaignerkate

The Bucks Free Press needs to pay more attention to apostrophes. Continue reading →

Posted in Bucks, grammar, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Poppy-day solecism

Posted on 22/11/2017 by campaignerkate

Too often the words of Laurence Binyon’s poem To the Fallen are wrongly transposed. Continue reading →

Posted in grammar, Poetry | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Jellyfish have teeth?

Posted on 22/03/2016 by campaignerkate

Since when have jellyfish had teeth? Continue reading →

Posted in grammar, Language | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

So no more

Posted on 22/01/2016 by campaignerkate

I was pleased that Private Eye has poked fund at that annoying habit of starting a sentence with ‘So’. Continue reading →

Posted in grammar, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Parallel and tandem are different

Posted on 30/11/2015 by campaignerkate

Last week I wrote to The Observer‘s Readers’ Editor: ‘I was concerned to see that in The Observer leader ‘Questions the PM must answer before we act’ (22 November, page 44) you have twice used ‘in tandem’ when you mean … Continue reading →

Posted in grammar | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments