English speakers are comfortable with many plural nouns that take a singular verb, as long as the noun falls into a class that has some familiar companions of the same kind.  Continue reading...

The language of road signs is intended to be helpful but it sometimes misses the mark.  Continue reading...

Has language taken a subordinate role in the explosion of new media, now that we have so many more metalinguistic ways to message directly than we used to?  Continue reading...

Sounds tend to survive the migration between languages more dependably than letters do. Let phonics show you the way!  Continue reading...

Have you seen these movies? Explore how movie-inspired memes become firmly embedded in the English language.  Continue reading...

Explore the differences between enhanced and the newer (by about 100 years) more general adjective improved. Is every imperfect thing subject to both improvement and enhancement?  Continue reading...

Many phrasal verb particles, after long use, begin to take on a life of their own that departs significantly from what common sense suggests they should mean.  Continue reading...