The grouchy grammarian [electronic resource] : a how-not-to guide to the 47 most common mistakes in English made by journalists, broadcasters, and others who should know better

Do you commit apostrophe atrocities? Are you tormented by the lie/lay conundrum? Do you find yourself stuck between floaters and danglers? Do your subjects and your verbs refuse to agree? If so, you're not alone. Some of the most prominent professionals in TV broadcasting and at major newspapers and magazines–people who really should know better–are guilty of making all-too-common grammatical errors. In this delightfully amusing, clever guide, Thomas Parrish points out real-life grammar gaffes from top-notch publications such as the New York Times and the New Yorker to illustrate just how widespread these errors are. With red pen in hand, Parrish's fictional friend the Grouchy Grammarian leads the charge, examining the forty-seven most common mistakes in English and imparting the basics of good grammar with a charming mixture of fussiness and common sense. All of which makes The Grouchy Grammarian the most entertaining, accessible how-not-to guide you'll ever read. Contents......Page 6 i......Page 8 ii......Page 10 THE TOPICS......Page 16 1 Think!......Page 18 THE GROUCH'S REMINDERS......Page 27 2 Agreement; or, Where Did the Subject Go?......Page 28 THE GROUCH'S REMINDERS......Page 37 3 Special Kinds of Subjects......Page 38 THE GROUCH'S REMINDERS......Page 40 4 A Bit More about Each......Page 41 THE GROUCH'S REMINDER......Page 42 5 There-the Introducer......Page 43 THE GROUCH'S REMINDER......Page 45 6 Former Greats......Page 46 THE GROUCH'S REMINDER......Page 48 7 Just Because They Sound Alike . . .......Page 49 THE GROUCH'S REMINDER......Page 53 8 The Reason Isn't Because . . .......Page 54 9 May and Might: Did They or Didn't They?......Page 56 THE GROUCH'S REMINDERS......Page 59 10 As of Yet......Page 60 11 Floaters and Danglers......Page 61 THE GROUCH'S REMINDERS......Page 64 12 A.M./Morning, P.M./Afternoon, Evening......Page 65 THE GROUCH'S REMINDER......Page 67 13 Would Have vs. Had......Page 68 THE GROUCH'S REMINDER......Page 69 14 Apostrophe Atrocities......Page 70 THE GROUCH'S REMINDERS......Page 76 15 It's a Contraction-Really......Page 77 THE GROUCH'S REMINDERS......Page 79 16 Whom Cares?......Page 80 17 Whiches, Who's and Thats......Page 82 THE GROUCH'S REMINDERS......Page 85 18 Where's the Irony?......Page 86 19 The Intrusive Of......Page 87 20 Preposition Propositions......Page 89 THE GROUCH'S REMINDERS......Page 93 21 But Won't You Miss Me?......Page 94 22 Well, Better, Best, Most......Page 96 THE GROUCH'S REMINDER......Page 97 23 Between Who and What? Prepositions with More Than One Object......Page 98 24 Other . . . or Else......Page 100 25 Lie, Lay......Page 102 THE GROUCH'S REMINDER......Page 104 26 A Case of Lead Poisoning......Page 105 27 Silly Tautologies......Page 107 THE GROUCH'S REMINDER......Page 111 28 False Series......Page 112 29 French Misses......Page 114 THE GROUCH'S REMINDER......Page 116 30 None Is, None Are?......Page 117 31 Drug Is a Drag. It Must Have Snuck In......Page 119 THE GROUCH'S REMINDER......Page 121 32 And/Or......Page 122 33 Overworked and Undereffective......Page 124 THE GROUCH'S REMINDER......Page 125 34 Quantities, Numbers......Page 126 35 Watering What You're Writing: The Alleged Criminal and the Alleged Crime......Page 128 THE GROUCH'S REMINDER......Page 129 36 Only But Not Lonely......Page 130 37 Pairs-Some Trickier Than Others......Page 133 THE GROUCH'S REMINDER......Page 139 38 Between vs. Among......Page 140 39 Those Good Old Sayings......Page 141 THE GROUCH'S REMINDER......Page 143 40 Fuzz......Page 144 THE GROUCH'S REMINDER......Page 145 41 As . . . Than......Page 146 42 Not Appropriate......Page 148 THE GROUCH'S REMINDER......Page 152 43 Sorry, You've Already Used That One......Page 153 THE GROUCH'S REMINDER......Page 154 44 From Classical Tongues......Page 155 THE GROUCH'S REMINDER......Page 160 45 Like, Like......Page 161 THE GROUCH'S REMINDER......Page 164 46 Just the Facts, Ma'am......Page 165 THE GROUCH'S REMINDER......Page 169 47 Lost Causes?......Page 170 The Grouch Reflects......Page 172 Afterword......Page 176 Using This Book......Page 178 Thanks......Page 180 From the Grouch's Shelves A Bibliography......Page 182 Index......Page 188

Do you commit apostrophe atrocities? Are you tormented by the lie/lay conundrum? Do you find yourself stuck between floaters and danglers? Do your subjects and your verbs refuse to agree? If so, you're not alone. Some of the most prominent professionals in TV broadcasting and at major newspapers and magazines-people who really should know better-are guilty of making all-too-common grammatical errors. In this delightfully amusing, clever guide, Thomas Parrish points out real-life grammar gaffes from top-notch publications such as the New York Times and the New Yorker to illustrate just how widespread these errors are. With red pen in hand, Parrish's fictional friend the Grouchy Grammarian leads the charge, examining the forty-seven most common mistakes in English and imparting the basics of good grammar with a charming mixture of fussiness and common sense. All of which makes The Grouchy Grammarian the most entertaining, accessible how-not-to guide you'll ever read.

This is an entertaining guide to the most common grammatical mistakes in English, from apostrophe atrocities to the lie/lay conundrum. Using examples of errors found in major newspapers, magazines, and TV broadcasting, Thomas Parrish's fictional friend "the Grouchy Grammarian" explains basic elements of grammar and good writing. Looks at common grammatical mistakes that are found in newspapers, magazines, and on television, and provides information on the basic elements of grammar, usage, and good writing