For four years, Nathan Bierma wrote the "On Language" column in the Chicago Tribune, covering English-language issues from etymology to usage in a highly engaging style. He has also taught courses in writing and speech as an adjunct professor at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In this essay, reprinted from his new collection of columns, The Eclectic Encyclopedia of English, Nathan reflects on the lessons he learned teaching English 101.  Continue reading...

Just in time for the holidays, Visual Thesaurus contributor Mark Peters has rounded up a selection of gift-related words and phrases for his latest "Wordtastic" column in Good Magazine — covering everything from Seinfeldian "regifting" to "shopper's block." Read it here.

Is there any drink more seasonal than eggnog, that Yuletide mixture of sweetened milk, beaten eggs, and (at least traditionally) liquor? As we head into the peak time for eggnog consumption, let's put aside our mugs and stop to consider where the word eggnog actually comes from.  Continue reading...

Jan Freeman, language columnist for the Boston Globe, has published a fascinating new book: an expanded edition of Write It Right, Ambrose Bierce's 1909 volume on English usage, "deciphered, appraised, and annotated for 21st-century readers." We caught up with Jan to ask how Bierce's century-old language peeves have held up, and what his work tells us about current usage struggles.  Continue reading...

Wendalyn Nichols, editor of the Copyediting newsletter, offers useful tips to copy editors and anyone else who prizes clear and orderly writing. Here she looks at why a seemingly simple rule of English, whether to use a or an as an indefinite article, can cause confusion.  Continue reading...

The early nominations have been posted for the American Dialect Society's Word of the Year selection. ADS members who specialize in following language trends, including Visual Thesaurus executive producer Ben Zimmer, have submitted their lists of nominees. Read all about it here.

We caught up with Timothy Gangwer, a pioneer in the field of visual learning and the author of Visual Impact, Visual Teaching, and asked him some hard questions about how teachers can expand their teaching methods to keep pace with the current generation of visual learners.  Continue reading...