-
About at about
One thing I enjoy when thinking about the English language is the unwillingness of pedants simply to say “I enjoy and apply arbitrary rules” and to insist on…
4 min read
-
The bang and the clatter
The bang and the clatter. The rattle and the wheeze. Bang, clatter. Rattle, wheeze. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. He is a man. He is a man who is…
4 min read
-
Shot
Someone shot a bullet at my head this morning. I wasn’t as frightened by it as I would have thought I would be before it happened. I wasn’t…
4 min read
-
Fu Manchu and the Golden Phoenix
Some years ago, long before he became Fu Manchu, Fu learned the secret of extending life. He stole it – although he claimed it was fair exchange –…
4 min read
-
A short note on too
Perhaps you were taught in school that you should comma off the adverb “too”? So for you a sentence such as this is correct: I, too, will go…
4 min read
-
Semicolonic irrigation
A question often posed by writers is “When should I use semicolons?” The short answer is, Never. Semicolons are most commonly used, wrongly, to introduce lists, definitions and…
4 min read
