http://blog.writeathome.com A place to talk about words, writing, learning, and language, by Brian Wasko, founder of WriteAtHome.com Sat, 26 Nov 2016 08:12:59 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2016/11/back-yard-backyard-or-back-yard/ http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2016/11/back-yard-backyard-or-back-yard/#respond Fri, 25 Nov 2016 21:20:24 +0000 http://blog.writeathome.com/?p=9635 Which is correct? Backyard, back yard, or back-yard?]]> http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2016/11/back-yard-backyard-or-back-yard/feed/ 0 http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2016/11/how-to-quit-being-a-grammar-snob/ http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2016/11/how-to-quit-being-a-grammar-snob/#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2016 17:11:57 +0000 http://blog.writeathome.com/?p=9620 Life is better when you abandon grammar snobbery. Here's how you can do it without losing your passion for language.]]> http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2016/11/how-to-quit-being-a-grammar-snob/feed/ 7 http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2016/06/identity-grammar/ http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2016/06/identity-grammar/#respond Sat, 25 Jun 2016 21:39:03 +0000 http://blog.writeathome.com/?p=9559 We use the word "identify" differently from how we used to. In this post, I examine this example of the evolution of English.]]> http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2016/06/identity-grammar/feed/ 0 http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2016/06/clipped-words/ http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2016/06/clipped-words/#comments Tue, 21 Jun 2016 18:35:16 +0000 http://blog.writeathome.com/?p=9225 Maybe it’s a sign that English speakers and writers are lazy, but we have a historic tendency to shorten long words. It tends to start in informal, spoken settings, but eventually the clipped forms make their way into formal, published writing. That’s when the purists object. But nobody really minds the purists. Eventually, the clipped form becomes preferred and we ...]]> http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2016/06/clipped-words/feed/ 5 http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2016/06/introducing-wasko-lit/ http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2016/06/introducing-wasko-lit/#comments Mon, 13 Jun 2016 17:48:56 +0000 http://blog.writeathome.com/?p=9591 New Great Books literature courses from Brian and Melanie Wasko!]]> http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2016/06/introducing-wasko-lit/feed/ 7 http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2015/12/how-about-some-christmas-charity-for-ebeneezer-scrooge/ http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2015/12/how-about-some-christmas-charity-for-ebeneezer-scrooge/#comments Thu, 24 Dec 2015 18:26:12 +0000 http://blog.writeathome.com/?p=9566 Why do we have to use Ebenezer's name as a synonym for a tight-fisted miser? If you ask me, it's not at all in keeping with the Christmas spirit.]]> http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2015/12/how-about-some-christmas-charity-for-ebeneezer-scrooge/feed/ 3 http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2015/10/is-legit-legit/ http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2015/10/is-legit-legit/#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2015 18:44:56 +0000 http://blog.writeathome.com/?p=9551 Is it okay to use "legit" in formal writing? ]]> http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2015/10/is-legit-legit/feed/ 2 http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2015/10/and-i-was-like-is-this-correct-english/ http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2015/10/and-i-was-like-is-this-correct-english/#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2015 18:48:02 +0000 http://blog.writeathome.com/?p=9256 Is it acceptable English to use "was like" as a dialogue tag? When I clicked to find out, I was like, "No way!" ]]> http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2015/10/and-i-was-like-is-this-correct-english/feed/ 4 http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2015/10/12-awesome-language-resources-for-the-word-nerd/ http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2015/10/12-awesome-language-resources-for-the-word-nerd/#comments Wed, 14 Oct 2015 13:35:27 +0000 http://blog.writeathome.com/?p=9495 Here are my twelve favorite language resources. Check them out!]]> http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2015/10/12-awesome-language-resources-for-the-word-nerd/feed/ 2 http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2015/09/why-are-english-teachers-so-unteachable/ http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2015/09/why-are-english-teachers-so-unteachable/#comments Thu, 24 Sep 2015 16:11:27 +0000 http://blog.writeathome.com/?p=9519 My headline is intentionally provocative. Sorry about that. I’m sure there are plenty of humble, teachable English teachers in the world. I just seem to encounter a lot of particularly pugnacious ones. Maybe a blog like this attracts the stubborn ones in unusually high numbers. If you are an English teacher who is open to new information and willing to change both ...]]> http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2015/09/why-are-english-teachers-so-unteachable/feed/ 4