By no means is this good news. I do, however, really appreciate the use of the word “Eviscerated” in the headline.
This headline gets an A+!
Even the Graceful Grammarian knows that sometimes music can express more than words can. This Patriot Day, let’s listen to Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” written for the Greatest Generation, from whom we all learned that the true heroes in America are those who do their best each day. We see this truth in action every day; may we continue to see it! This is what dedication, loyalty, and endless potential sound like.
Every once in a while, I stumble across a piece of writing that hits many of my interests at once. I saw a link to this blog post, clicked it, read it, and only later realized that it is written by my good friend Eric Fitzsimmons!
If you’re interested in the concept of book-as-artifact and in the life that literature (or any writing) takes on when we read it in hard copy—especially a hard copy that has close ties to the author—take a few minutes to read Eric’s post titled “The Rosenbach Museum and Library.” And, while you’re at it, why not read some of his other posts on his blog Words, Words, Words?
I know that I’ll be revisiting Eric’s blog often. Now that he’s living and working in the far-off land of Philadelphia, I don’t get to see him and hear his fascinating ideas as often as I used to—but through the magic of the internet, I can read his musings on his blog any time!
Photo courtesy of Eric Fitzsimmons
When I returned home the other day after my knee surgery, I found this fire-breathing friend waiting for me on my favorite spot on the sofa. Next to him was a card that reads: “Stop dragon your crutches around. Soon you’ll be frolicking in the autumn mist.” I suspect that this came from my pun-loving, punctuationally-perfect sister, Eilish.
As I slowly try to get back up to full throttle, my new friend, Puff the Purple, is sitting next to me, cheering me on: “Knee knee hooray!” (Anyone have a better cheer to teach Puff? This one is kind of weird.)
I’m a little bit late to Weird Al’s grammar party because I’ve been working on a computer without sound all week! If “Blurred Lines” was the Summer Song of 2013, I think that we now have our Summer Song of 2014. I might tone down some of Weird Al’s insults, but I can certainly understand his passion about clear and eloquent expression of ideas.
Also, note that Weird Al recommends that those who are grammatically challenged hire an editor. This is a capital idea!
Now, without further ado, I present to the Graceful Grammarian’s new theme song: “Word Crimes.”
A few days ago, I facetiously suggested that we might settle the “fireflies vs. lightning bugs” debate. I know that we’ll never resolve it; its roots run deep in the American English linguistic experience. Sometimes, people see this as a North vs. South thing; however, with Americans’ increasing mobility and the resulting very interesting linguistic map of the US, this particular regionalism is becoming more and more diluted.
Thanks for participating in my informal poll. In case you were wondering, “lightning bugs” won. (One respondent offered a third choice: lightning bees!)
I think that you’ll enjoy this map that elucidates (no pun intended) the preference of “fireflies” or “lightning bugs” throughout the Continental US.
(If your locale is bereft of the luminescent critters or you’d like a more humane way to enjoy flecks of light in a jar this summer, check out this very simple craft idea!)
A fast bump would be more exciting.
WHERE’S THE PUNCTUATION?
The Graceful Grammarian is now on Pinterest!
What boards would YOU like to see? Comment below to let me know!
Hint: Think back to your favorite collections of poems for children…
Let us greet this first summer morn with a medieval English salute to the season!
Sumer is icumen in,
Lhude sing cuccu!
Groweþ sed and bloweþ med
And springþ þe wde nu,
Sing cuccu!
Awe bleteþ after lomb,
Lhouþ after calue cu.
Bulluc sterteþ,
bucke uerteþ,
Murie sing cuccu!
Cuccu, cuccu, wel singes þu cuccu;
Ne swik þu nauer nu.
Pes:
Sing cuccu nu. Sing cuccu.
Sing cuccu. Sing cuccu nu!
(For more information about the poem and a Modern English translation of this Middle English text, visit the British Library’s website.
Happy Bloomsday! While I haven’t published an article about Joyce’s Ulysses (yet), here is an article that I published in Hypermedia Joyce Studies. This article explores some of Stephen Dedalus’ motivations in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, pre-Ulysses.
Can I get a “yes I said yes”?
The Graceful Grammarian 