A Taste of Garden Etymology

Today, I’d like to pay a little homage to my vegetable garden. With all the rain and heat we’ve had this year, things are thriving. The tomatoes are attempting a coup and the cucumbers have made a break for the world outside the fence. Needless to say, I’ll be pickling and canning like crazy for the next few weeks.

But before I’m swept up in the harvest, I thought it would be fun to share a little garden etymology with you. So let’s dig right in!

Getting to the Heart of Plain Language

Can you believe it’s nearly the end of July? I hope you are all having a lovely summer (or winter for those of you in the southern hemisphere). You probably don’t know this, but I’m a member of Plain Language Association International. Plain language is all about clear communication. It’s a way of writing and presenting information that makes it easy for readers to understand.

The (Etymological) Origins of the Wicked Stepmother

Some of you may know that, in addition to many other things, I am also a stepmother. A recent conversation with my stepdaughter got me thinking about the origins of stepmother. You see, in French, a stepmother is called a belle-mère, which essentially means beautiful-mother. I wanted to know why the English version was so, um, boring.

It turns out that it’s not boring at all. In fact, it’s quite fascinating. Let me tell you why.

Editing Goes Global 2015: Conference Highlights

Okay, so things have been a bit crazy for yours truly lately. I had hoped to have this post up last week, but I couldn’t find a way to add any more hours to my days. Nor could I get my body to grow six more arms on command. Anyway, I’m here now, excited to tell you all about Editing Goes Global.

How to Tell a Gerund from a Present Participle

Some time ago, I talked about gerunds and reviewed the basics of how to identify one. Today, I’d like to go into a bit more detail, including how to tell the difference between a gerund and a present participle, which can be tricky, even on a good day.

Repetitive and Redundant: Pleonasms in Your Writing

Did you know that when you use more words than necessary to express something (like blowing wind or frozen ice), you are committing a pleonasm, which is the fancy Greek way of saying you’re being redundant?