Grammar

Stop Misusing This Everyday Word!

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I wrote about this issue nearly a year ago. And still, it persists. To review: Everyday means ordinary or commonly occurring while every day means each and every single day. Sly Stone assures us that in spite of his fame and lifestyle, he is simply “everyday people.” Elvis Costello, unfortunately, gets it wrong when he … Read more

10 Everyday Words You’re Misusing (Including ‘Everyday’)

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Grammar and usage

Certain word pairs that look or sound alike cause a lot of confusion. I’m not talking about the ones you hear about all the time, like there and their, it’s and its and to and too. Or even the more recently problematic (and inexplicable to me) lose and loose. That’s all remedial stuff. Here’s an advanced … Read more

Correct Use of ‘Obviously’ Not So Obvious

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Practically everyone makes this mistake. I used to make it myself, which may be why it’s like nails on a chalkboard to me. We’re talking about where to put the word “obviously” in a sentence when you’re expressing disappointment. As press secretary for the Ohio Attorney General, I had many, many occasions to use this … Read more

A fiendishly simple tactic for getting your point across

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In the old days of Facebook — a couple of weeks ago — people would dutifully cut and paste political messages, quotes, aphorisms, etc., into their status updates. Recently I’ve noticed a growing phenomenon that is both ridiculously simple AND effective. People are simply putting text in the form of pictures. Like this one: That’s … Read more