New eggcorn spotted in the wild: "sure up" instead of "shore up"

The trouble with dangling modifiers. New blog post:
https://stancarey.wordpress.com/2025/05/06/the-trouble-with-dangling-modifiers/

On the blog, a review of the linguistics book 'New Horizons in Prescriptivism Research' https://stancarey.wordpress.com/2025/04/24/book-review-new-horizons-in-prescriptivism-research-2024/

Dangling modifier in the Irish Times Weekend Quiz. As a usage dictionary notes, "It's the funny ones that cause trouble." https://stancarey.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/a-hovering-dangling-modifier/

A brief history (and critique) of English spelling reform that I once wrote for @HistoryToday:
https://www.historytoday.com/brief-history-english-spelling-reform

Supplementary notes on the history of English spelling reform:
https://stancarey.wordpress.com/2016/02/08/the-history-of-english-spelling-reform/

A thing about language that a lot of people don't know is that you can dislike a usage intensely – a pronunciation, a piece of grammar, etc. – without presuming to reject it on behalf of all people, in all places, for all time

I like to sometimes for no other reason than just because I can and because it bothers pedants split an infinitive extravagantly

John Waters on Ivy Compton-Burnett, from his marvellous book "Role Models"

The Strunk cost fallacy:
https://stancarey.wordpress.com/2025/01/22/the-strunk-cost-fallacy/

People will be wondering how to use hyphens till the coworkers come home

Fun facts about the word "ourself":
—It's older than "ourselves"
—It can be singular or plural
—It has multiple grammatical roles
—All good dictionaries still list it
—Shakespeare used it *dozens* of times
—You can use it too, if you want
https://stancarey.wordpress.com/2022/03/25/we-ourself-can-use-this-pronoun/

When something is described as 'robust' - a favourite word of politicians and others in positions of authority, I generally interpret what has the adjective applied to it as being just about adequate.

#EnglishUsage

https://nation.cymru/news/robust-assisted-dying-bill-unveiled-as-pm-says-mps-wont-be-pressured-on-vote/

"The homes at Upper Achintore in Fort William were delivered by Glasgow-based construction firm The JR Group, on behalf of Link Group."

From which housing warehouse were they 'delivered'?

#EnglishUsage

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24716759.housebuilder-completes-landmark-highland-homes-development/

The language of Shakespeare and Chaucer has become the language of Hostile Vehicle Mitigation barriers.

#EnglishUsage

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/terrorism-advice-means-keynsham-remembrance-9670784

It's an overbridge, i.e. an arched span carrying the railway over a path, track or road, not a tunnel.

#BadJournalism #EnglishUsage

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/proposal-develop-former-railway-tunnel-9674325

Writing tip: Ignore dogmatic usage advice based on the superstitions and pet preferences of 19th-century grammarians

Sometimes I wish the past tense of "read" was spelt differently so that a subjectless report like "Read such-and-such a book" wouldn't look like a command

Can't think of a viable alternative, though, and even if I could, it wouldn't catch on

Help with English vocabulary!
I want to describe this character as having hair like an afro, but very short.
When I think of "curly hair", I imagine large curls. Frizzy hair is closer, but it's still not curly enough to become an afro. What is the word to describe a kind of hair that "could become an afro"?
#englishusage #Black #POC

Since "irregardless" is non-standard and widely disliked, consider using an alternative, such as "unrespectant" or "nonregardful".