play video old school grammar humorsome
Usage Notes

Old-School Grammar

Many of today's grammar rules can be traced to the opinions of one 18th century writer.


Many of today's grammar rules can be traced to the opinions of one 18th century writer.

Up next

play video old school grammar humorsome
Old-School Grammar

 

Many of today's grammar rules can be traced to the opinions of one 18th century writer.

play mrs malaprop
What is a malaprop?

 

We'll tell you all the perpendiculars

play video how a word gets into the dicionary
How a Word Gets into the Dictionary

 

What our editors are looking for when they enter words in Merriam-Webster.

play video lay vs lie
Lay vs. Lie

 

Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.

play video schwa
The Schwa

 

The most common vowel sound in English causes many spelling problems.

play there theyre their video
There, They're, Their

 

There, there. We'll sort it out.

play video title attorney generals
Is It 'Attorney Generals' Or 'Attorneys General'?

 

'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.