Mignon Fogarty's Blog: Mignon Fogarty's Blog
November 28, 2023
GRAMMAR DAILY book giveaway
Great news! If you're in the U.S., my publisher is doing a Goodreads giveaway for THE GRAMMAR DAILY.
Enter now for a chance to win a copy!
Enter now for a chance to win a copy!
October 19, 2023
'Shined' or 'Shone'?
I'm shining light on "shine" versus "shone" today!
This is just one of a year's worth of delights from THE GRAMMAR DAILY, coming out November 14.
(Remember: Every time you preorder a book, an angel gets a taco.)
The Grammar Daily: 365 Quick Tips for Successful Writing from Grammar Girl
This is just one of a year's worth of delights from THE GRAMMAR DAILY, coming out November 14.
(Remember: Every time you preorder a book, an angel gets a taco.)
The Grammar Daily: 365 Quick Tips for Successful Writing from Grammar Girl
May 8, 2014
Voilà! A Printable Grammar Girl Editing Checklist
At the end of a recent writing webcast, we distributed a Grammar Girl editing checklist that turned out to be so popular we decided to make it widely available. Print out the checklist and keep it on your desk as a handy reference to use when you're editing.
March 6, 2014
Have Pet Peeves? Like Card Games?
In case you haven’t heard, I’m crowd funding a card game called Peeve Wars. It’s fully funded, and you have only a few more days left to reserve a deck before we shut down ordering and start printing cards. Get your deck now while you’re thinking about it. You’re going to want to play this game!
Here are more details:
In Peeve Wars, you amass an army of peeve cards to annoy your opponent(s) to death. Start with 3 cool points, and each time an opponent successfully annoys you, you lose a cool. When you completely lose your cool, you lose the game. Peeves have powers or rules related to their name. For example, only one “Very Unique” can be in play at a time, “Could Care Less” lets you ignore an attempt to annoy, and “Gone Missing” lets you steal a card. Hero cards, such as the “Librarian” and “Teacher,” give you patience to help you resist the power of the peeves—but each hero has a nemesis.
Peeve wars is fully funded and you only have a few days left to get a deck or send in a photo to be an inspiration for a peeve. (See the Immortal Peeve reward.) We’ve already started making the final art, so see the “Updates” tab for more card examples.
Get Peeve Wars on Fund Anything today!
November 5, 2013
June 20, 2013
Do you want literacy or mountain biking?
VoteLiteracy.com
I don't remember ever asking you to vote for someone else in a competition--heck, I often don't even ask people to vote for me in competitions--but today, I'm asking you to make a quick, easy vote to help a company called Loogla win $100,000 to develop literacy. Why?
What Kind of World Do You Want?
Loogla's competition strikes a chord with me because it reminds me of what my husband went through raising money for his biotech company in the late 1990s.
Dotcoms or Cancer Drugs?
In my husband's case, people were deciding whether they wanted to give money to frivolous dotcoms and a company that let tourists swim with dolphins, or to his company that had a promising preclinical cancer drug.
It turns out, dotcoms and dolphins look like a better investment than biotech. You can get financial returns in a year or two instead of a decade.
Mountain Biking Apps or Literacy?
In Loogla's case, people are deciding whether to give money for literacy or a mountain biking app (the current leader in the competition).
The difference is that, in Loogla's case, all you need to give is a vote--not money. You're not weighing your return on your investment. All you have to say, with one click, is that literacy is a more worthy cause than a mountain biking app.
VoteLiteracy.com
I'm sure the mountain biking people are fun and nice. Maybe their product is great. But I want to live in a world where worthiness and social good play some role in who gets funding.
Brandon Sanderson once asked me if I ever feel compelled to use my platform for good, and my answer was that usually I'm too timid. I know people come to me for grammar, and I don't want to annoy them. But this time, it's too obvious that this is a worthy cause where I can help.
VoteLiteracy.com (No registration or e-mail required)
I don't remember ever asking you to vote for someone else in a competition--heck, I often don't even ask people to vote for me in competitions--but today, I'm asking you to make a quick, easy vote to help a company called Loogla win $100,000 to develop literacy. Why?
What Kind of World Do You Want?
Loogla's competition strikes a chord with me because it reminds me of what my husband went through raising money for his biotech company in the late 1990s.
Dotcoms or Cancer Drugs?
In my husband's case, people were deciding whether they wanted to give money to frivolous dotcoms and a company that let tourists swim with dolphins, or to his company that had a promising preclinical cancer drug.
It turns out, dotcoms and dolphins look like a better investment than biotech. You can get financial returns in a year or two instead of a decade.
Mountain Biking Apps or Literacy?
In Loogla's case, people are deciding whether to give money for literacy or a mountain biking app (the current leader in the competition).
The difference is that, in Loogla's case, all you need to give is a vote--not money. You're not weighing your return on your investment. All you have to say, with one click, is that literacy is a more worthy cause than a mountain biking app.
VoteLiteracy.com
I'm sure the mountain biking people are fun and nice. Maybe their product is great. But I want to live in a world where worthiness and social good play some role in who gets funding.
Brandon Sanderson once asked me if I ever feel compelled to use my platform for good, and my answer was that usually I'm too timid. I know people come to me for grammar, and I don't want to annoy them. But this time, it's too obvious that this is a worthy cause where I can help.
VoteLiteracy.com (No registration or e-mail required)
April 30, 2013
Fun with Idioms: Can't Live Without It
This headline in a tweet made me laugh today:
If they're little-known apps, that means most entrepreneuers don't have them; but if entrepreneurs can't live without the apps, does that mean most entrepreneurs are dying?
Fortunately, English isn't that literal.
"Can't live without it" is an idiom; it doesn't mean exactly what it says. If you can't live without something, it usually means you love it or find it extremely useful.
People aren't dying, but somehow that headline still struck my funny bone.
Little-Known Apps That Entrepreneurs Can’t Live Without zite.to/12UBJNu
— C.C. Chapman (@cc_chapman) April 30, 2013
If they're little-known apps, that means most entrepreneuers don't have them; but if entrepreneurs can't live without the apps, does that mean most entrepreneurs are dying?
Fortunately, English isn't that literal.
"Can't live without it" is an idiom; it doesn't mean exactly what it says. If you can't live without something, it usually means you love it or find it extremely useful.
People aren't dying, but somehow that headline still struck my funny bone.
February 26, 2013
A Better Name for the Sequester
A few days ago the radio show Marketplace interviewed me about the word "sequester." Because Marketplace is a serious program, they did not include my suggestions for jazzing up the stories. Alas, I'll just have to share them with you here.
Is "Spendocalypse" Better?
The Atlantic Wire tried to make the sequester more interesting by calling it the "spendocalypse" in a headline. I looked at that and thought they were on to something, but they could have done better.
Portmanteaus Are Catchy
Portmanteaus are a popular way to capture the public's imagination (e.g., carmageddon, Brangelina, staycation).
However, the sequester is about cuts, not spending, so a blend meant to focus the public's attention on cuts should have had the word "cut" in it. Plus, I found "spendocalypse" hard to say. I had to slowly sound it out before I got it. Therefore, I propose the following portmanteaus for journalists who want to add a little flashy marketing to their sequester stories:
Cuttageddon
Cuttaclysm
Cuttastrophy (my favorite)
Maybe some enterprising linguist can comment on why I feel compelled to double the "t" in all these blends.
As I told Marketplace, I'm not opposed to using cheap marketing techniques if it will help people pay more attention to a serious topic such as the sequester.
Go learn about it: The Sequester: Absolutely everything you could possibly need to know, in one FAQ
Is "Spendocalypse" Better?
The Atlantic Wire tried to make the sequester more interesting by calling it the "spendocalypse" in a headline. I looked at that and thought they were on to something, but they could have done better.
Portmanteaus Are Catchy
Portmanteaus are a popular way to capture the public's imagination (e.g., carmageddon, Brangelina, staycation).
However, the sequester is about cuts, not spending, so a blend meant to focus the public's attention on cuts should have had the word "cut" in it. Plus, I found "spendocalypse" hard to say. I had to slowly sound it out before I got it. Therefore, I propose the following portmanteaus for journalists who want to add a little flashy marketing to their sequester stories:
Cuttageddon
Cuttaclysm
Cuttastrophy (my favorite)
Maybe some enterprising linguist can comment on why I feel compelled to double the "t" in all these blends.
As I told Marketplace, I'm not opposed to using cheap marketing techniques if it will help people pay more attention to a serious topic such as the sequester.
Go learn about it: The Sequester: Absolutely everything you could possibly need to know, in one FAQ
October 29, 2012
Hunkering
I haven't been tweeting much the last couple of days because my tweets seem insignificant with Sandy bearing down on my East Coast friends.
However, I answer questions when I can, and Stuart asked, "@GrammarGirl considering rash of natural disasters (earthquakes, tsunamis and hurricanes), Could you explain the correct use of 'hunkered'?"
Hunkering Down
You're most likely to hear "hunker" followed by the word "down," especially when someone is talking about preparing for a natural disaster.
When you're hunkering down, you're preparing to spend a long time somewhere.
Etymology entries say "hunker" probably comes from an Old Norse verb that meant "squat."
For the full definitions and and other uses, see the entries at American Heritage, Dictionary.com, or Merriam-Webster.
However, I answer questions when I can, and Stuart asked, "@GrammarGirl considering rash of natural disasters (earthquakes, tsunamis and hurricanes), Could you explain the correct use of 'hunkered'?"
Hunkering Down
You're most likely to hear "hunker" followed by the word "down," especially when someone is talking about preparing for a natural disaster.
We're hunkered down in the panic room.
Bob hunkered down in the bar.
When you're hunkering down, you're preparing to spend a long time somewhere.
Etymology entries say "hunker" probably comes from an Old Norse verb that meant "squat."
For the full definitions and and other uses, see the entries at American Heritage, Dictionary.com, or Merriam-Webster.
July 18, 2012
Grammar Girl: The Musical
BroadwayGirlNYC on Twitter started fantasizing about "Grammar Girl: The Musical," and people have been joining in with song suggestions.
"Wonderful Noun" (@BroadwayGirlNYC)
"Into the Words (@SuzieD_NYC)
"Don't Say 'Lie' When You Mean 'Lay'" (@Bobster427)
"If I Had a Grammar" (@J_Keith)
"She's Hysterical. She's Hilarious" (me)
What songs can you imagine? If you post it on Twitter, use the hashtag #GrammarGirlMusicalSongs.
UPDATE, July 24: Additional songs people have suggested:
"Marian the Grammarian" (@pianoeditor)
"Maxwell's Silver Grammar" (@pianoeditor)
"Talk Like a Linguician" (@pianoeditor)
"Conjugate! Conjugate! Dance to the Music" (@larry_kunz)
"Larry Kunz @larry_kunz)
"(You're My) Soul and Punctuation" (@larry_kunz)
"When you're an editor, you're an editor all the way. From your first red pencil to your last dyin' day." (@larry_kunz)
"I was Plussed" (@quickbrownfox42)
"An Excellent Nomer" (@quickbrownfox42)
"Morphologically Misunderestimated" (@quickbrownfox42)
"Grammar Thing Going" (@meliciaaarghh)
"Noun Song Glory" (@meliciaaarghh)
"The Last Night of the Word" (@meliciaaarghh)
"Nounsies" (@StageElf)
"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Dictionary" (@StageElf)
"Part of Your Word" (@SuzieD_NYC)
"Magical Mr. Apostrophes" (@melissa_hank)
"They're In Their Car Over There" (@devospice)
"If I Were a Rich Girl" (@atrudel)
"Killing Me Softly with You're Song" (@atrudel)
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Mignon Fogarty is better known online as Grammar Girl and is the author of the new Grammar Girl's 101 Troublesome Words You'll Master in No Time.
"Wonderful Noun" (@BroadwayGirlNYC)
"Into the Words (@SuzieD_NYC)
"Don't Say 'Lie' When You Mean 'Lay'" (@Bobster427)
"If I Had a Grammar" (@J_Keith)
"She's Hysterical. She's Hilarious" (me)
What songs can you imagine? If you post it on Twitter, use the hashtag #GrammarGirlMusicalSongs.
UPDATE, July 24: Additional songs people have suggested:
"Marian the Grammarian" (@pianoeditor)
"Maxwell's Silver Grammar" (@pianoeditor)
"Talk Like a Linguician" (@pianoeditor)
"Conjugate! Conjugate! Dance to the Music" (@larry_kunz)
"Larry Kunz @larry_kunz)
"(You're My) Soul and Punctuation" (@larry_kunz)
"When you're an editor, you're an editor all the way. From your first red pencil to your last dyin' day." (@larry_kunz)
"I was Plussed" (@quickbrownfox42)
"An Excellent Nomer" (@quickbrownfox42)
"Morphologically Misunderestimated" (@quickbrownfox42)
"Grammar Thing Going" (@meliciaaarghh)
"Noun Song Glory" (@meliciaaarghh)
"The Last Night of the Word" (@meliciaaarghh)
"Nounsies" (@StageElf)
"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Dictionary" (@StageElf)
"Part of Your Word" (@SuzieD_NYC)
"Magical Mr. Apostrophes" (@melissa_hank)
"They're In Their Car Over There" (@devospice)
"If I Were a Rich Girl" (@atrudel)
"Killing Me Softly with You're Song" (@atrudel)
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Mignon Fogarty is better known online as Grammar Girl and is the author of the new Grammar Girl's 101 Troublesome Words You'll Master in No Time.
