I use examples of fails from the Mail in my classes. Can you spot the clangers in these screenshots? One is a common Eggcorn and the other one is a misplaced modifier. Below is an example of generalisation – when… Read More ›
Grammar
Dangling and misplaced modifiers
In a well-written sentence, modifiers are next to the words they describe. If too much distance separates a modifier and its target, the modifier is misplaced. If the sentence fails to include a target, the modifier is dangling. So the rule is: When… Read More ›
The difference between who and whom
Who is the subject of a sentence (if you can replace it with he, then use who) Whom is the object of a sentence (if you can replace it with hiM, then use whoM)
Grrrr this one really annoys me!
Why do people say I could care less when they mean they don’t care at all? Saying I could care less LITERALLY says you care!
Tock-tick, pong-ping, dong-ding?
Ever wondered why we say tick-tock, not tock-tick, or ding-dong, not dong-ding; King Kong, not Kong King? Turns out it is one of the unwritten rules of English that native speakers know without knowing.The rule, explains a BBC article, is:… Read More ›
Eggcorn from Piers Morgan
I love to have the Daily Fail, but it provides me with great fodder for my English lessons. The correct phrase is:
