On Language: Description versus Prescription
Not feeling well, you go to your doctor who will first describe your condition and then prescribe what can be done about it.
Stay updated with breaking news from Robert Lowth. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
Not feeling well, you go to your doctor who will first describe your condition and then prescribe what can be done about it.
“[T]he comma…this capricious bit of punctuation…” United States v. Ron Pair Enterprises, Inc., 489 US 235, 249 (1989) (O’Connor, J, dissenting). For want of a comma, we have this...
Why linguists encourage what grammarians won’t.
That's What They Say for February 7, 2021 Think about a parent dealing with a child who has a sheet of stickers. The parent asks, “What did you put the sticker on?” In this example, “on” is the preposition, and “what” is the object of the preposition. Since “what” got brought up to the beginning of the question, should “on” have followed? The question is, should the “on” have followed the “what”? If we followed the rule, we would end up with “On what did you put the sticker?” While this is considered grammatically correct, it doesn’t sound very conversation...