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the drama that is the em dash
emily dickinson: poet, em dash lover when you understand something, it becomes less frightening: less esoteric. grammar illustrates this point perfectly. my first active encounter with grammar was...
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shift+7
Something about and—probably its utter indispensability—has made it prone to being expressed by other means than just the standard three letters. The plus sign is a favorite of instant messengers, note...
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where you @?
The glamour preposition of the last two decades, without question, is not a word but a symbol—specifically, the @ sign. It is the one common component of every e-mail address on earth. . .Of course, @...
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the em dash—continued
my guest, stephanie, works in publicity and as someone who spends a lot of time communicating through writing, i thought she might have a favorite punctuation mark. it turns out that stephanie is yet...
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vocab :: a is for . . .
appellation (n.) :: an identifying name or title acicular (adj.) :: shaped like a needle aplomb (n.) :: complete and confident composure or self-assurance apotheosis (n.) :: elevation to divine...
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vocab :: p is for . . .
patois (n.): a dialect other than the standard or literary dialect. perspicacious (adj.): of acute mental vision or discernment. predigitation (n.): slight of hand. precipitous (adj.): a very steep,...
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vocab :: m is for . . .
macabre (adj.): having death as a subject; dwelling on the gruesome manacle (n.): a shackle for the hand or the wrist; something used as a restraint manifold (v.): to mulitply; to make copies of...
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vocab: e is for . . .
ebullition (n.): a boiling or overflow of liquid; an outburst of feeling, passion elide (v.): to suppress or alter by elision; to omit elision (n.): the omission of an unstressed vowel or syllable in...
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vocab:: f is for . . .
fastidious (adj.): hard to please fatuity (n.): something foolish or stupid feckless (adj.): feeble; ineffective fettle (n.): state of health or spirits filigree (n.): ornamental work especially of...
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Books for Writers :: Fashionable Grammar
To write is to communicate with the outside world. It’s how we explain ourselves and understand each other. In whatever form it takes, whether it be print, email, text, or tweet, writing is a...
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