Grammar

The Latest

The Odd Grammar Rule Most English Speakers Know But Are Rarely Taught

You know this rule, even if you don’t know you know it.

From Y’all To Youse: 8 English Ways to Make ‘You’ Plural

11 of the Most Expensive Typos in History

9 Linguistic ‘Ignorantisms’ Even Sticklers Got Used To

10 Language Mistakes Kids Make That Are Actually Pretty Smart

These mistakes show that little kids know a lot more about the rules than we think.

6 Grammar Rules You Can Break

We’re taking Strunk and White and grammarians everywhere to task in the latest episode of The List Show.

To Pre or Not to Pre: The Reason We Add ‘Pre’ Before So Many Words

The prefix ‘pre-’ often seems redundant—but it’s actually working hard to serve its purpose.

The Great Passive Voice Panic: Why Everyone (Even Grammar Experts) Gets It Wrong

Plus, a simple trick that will help you identify most true cases of the passive voice. (Hint: It involves zombies.)

6 Weird Ways the English Language Is Redundant

From phrasal verbs to loanwords, here's how English speakers repeat themselves without realizing it.

Positively Negative: 5 Surprising Ways We Say “No” Without Really Meaning It

From polite offers to emphatic exclamations, English speakers have cleverly twisted negative expressions to mean something rather different.

8 Helpful Tips for Solving Crossword Puzzles

If you want to raise your crossword game to the next level, grab a pencil (not a pen!) and follow these tips for success.

13 Little-Known Punctuation Marks We Should Be Using

Because sometimes, periods, commas, colons, semi-colons, dashes, hyphens, apostrophes, question marks, exclamation points, quotation marks, brackets, parentheses, braces, and ellipses won't do.

How Many Words Are There in the English Language?

It’s complicated—and there are more questions than answers.

15 Fascinating Linguistics Terms You Didn’t Learn in School

This list of linguistics terms will teach you how to tell your spoonerisms from your mondegreens.

Crash Blossoms: 17 Funny News Headlines That Make No Sense

From “Milk Drinkers Turn to Powder” to “Indian Ocean Talks,” these funny news headlines will make you say, “Wait, what?”

Presidents Day vs. President’s Day vs. Presidents’ Day: Which One Is It?

The apostrophe in Presidents Day—or President's Day or Presidents's Day—is all over the place ... or nowhere to be found at all.

6 Strange “Alien” Languages Created by Linguists

Exolangs are constructed languages that imagine how the languages of extraterrestrial beings might look and sound—and linguists have come up with some pretty mind-bending options.

Eldest vs. Oldest: What’s the Difference?

We often use ‘eldest’ and ‘oldest’ interchangeably, but the words shouldn’t be swapped out so easily. Here's how to use each.

What ‘Sic’ Means—And How To Use It Correctly

The literal meaning of ‘sic’ is ‘so’ or ‘thus.’ But the way writers use it is a little more nuanced.

5 Ways the English Language Breaks Its Own Rules

English, the language of Shakespeare and the internet, is often touted for its flexibility and adaptability. But with great flexibility comes great inconsistenc