Q: You often quote examples of writing from Anglo-Saxon times to illustrate the history of a usage. What is the earliest example of English writing that you know of? A: You’ve asked what seems to be a simple question, but the answer is complicated. It depends on what you consider writing and how you determine […]
The post The earliest English writing first appeared on Grammarphobia.Q: I’m curious when the phrase “left for dead” became common usage. Why is the phrase not “left to die”? I saw the “for dead” version recently in an article and I began wondering. A: The expression “leave for dead” first appeared in Anglo-Saxon times and has been used regularly since then to mean abandon […]
The post Left for dead first appeared on Grammarphobia.Q: Can you suss the pronunciation of “wash”? I’m from central Illinois and I forced myself as an adult to pronounce it “wawsh” instead of the colloquial “warsh.” A: In American English, the word “wash” is usually pronounced “wawsh” or “wahsh” (wɔʃ or wɑʃ in the International Phonetic Alphabet), according to the Oxford English Dictionary. […]
The post Did you warsh behind your ears? first appeared on Grammarphobia.