My books—Wired Style, Sin and Syntax, and Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch—spring from a curiosity about English and a desire to understand how writing makes us laugh, well up with tears, or just say “ahhhh.” This Web site shares tips and resources, insights and inspiration—all in the interest of encouraging wicked good prose. And this blog brings you boneheaded errors and brilliant passages, random thoughts and deep ruminations. Let’s plunge into the peculiarities of prose….
It being National Grammar Day (What? You didn’t know there was a National Grammar Day?), I thought I would have a little fun with one of my grammar pet peeves.
This pet peeve comes up every time I take my favorite yoga class, because my teacher ends the class by saying, “Now lay on your backs for shavasana.” It’s enough to make this corpse turn in the grave. He should say now lie on your backs.
The distinction between lay and lie is not that hard, and I spend some ink on it both in Sin and Syntax and in Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch. You just need to understand that there are transitive verbs (which take direct objects) and intransitive verbs (which don’t.)
Keep reading >Writing about writing is tough. On the one hand you want to be helpful and accessible. On the other hand, you want to be smart and sophisticated—you want to inspire readers. I love it when writing about writing makes the reader feel smart, and appeals to the genuine word lover. My thoughts on that, as well as a word on a great writers retreat…
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