Grammar is a set of rules about the structure of language. Most people are indifferent to the invisible gears that make language work. Some people love grammar (me). Some really hate it. There are lots of things about the English language that trip up even native speakers. Letter combinations such as ie and ei, or gh, or qu often lend themselves to misspelled words. What about who or whom? The University of Kansas is particularly helpful in understanding the ins and outs of w

Wordie for the Circle: Oct. 17 I thought since we go to the polls on Monday that it might be fun to take a look at words that are used in election campaigns. First, a public service announcement: Municipal elections arguably are the ones that have the most impact on our daily life. Our municipalities provide us with programs and services. Everything from water treatment, to utilities, to the community centres, trails, parks and everything in between – if your city or township

Wordie for The Circle “The purpose of a plain-language approach in written communication is to convey information easily and unambiguously. It should not be confused with an oversimplified, condescending style. Rather, by choosing straightforward vocabulary and sentence structures and by organizing and presenting your material clearly and logically, you can save the reader time and effort and ensure that your message will be clearly understood.” Did that sound like plain lang

Wordie for The Circle Have you encountered situations where a document’s language caused more trouble than it solved? Perhaps you had to read it several times to understand the content, or you had to make a phone call to the document’s owner to answer questions about it. Contracts and legal documents are known to be difficult to understand. The language is formal, with run-on sentences and words that are no longer in common usage – heretofore, whereas, aforementioned, etc. Bu

Wordie for The Circle: Sept. 6, 2018 Are you irrationally afraid of something? To the point that your body physically responds? Oxford English Dictionary defines phobia as “an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something.” I have at least one. Claustrophobia is the fear of enclosed spaces, and I trace mine to about age five, when my younger sister locked me in our dryer. I didn’t have the strength to push the door open, and I was terrified. I couldn’t breathe. My he