Archive by Author
The 3 Best “Best Picture” Winners Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 24, 2017
It’s that time of year again, when Hollywood honors itself with the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences awards for excellence, otherwise known as the Oscars. Most years, the awards show is more memorable for the gowns and the teary speeches than for who won and who lost. But, not always. Sometimes, the award…
What is a Collocation? Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 17, 2017
Back in the 1950s and ‘60s there was a group of performers who seemed to always be together. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford – They called themselves The Rat Pack. They performed together, made movies together, partied together, and each made the other better. In many ways, they were the physical…
Does Time Have a Point? Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 10, 2017
One of the most common phrases you’ll hear in English is, “At this point in time.” What does it actually mean? Is it grammatically correct, or is there a better way of saying it? I’m not here to discuss the physics of time, or theories (real and fanciful) related to spacetime continuums and all that…
Possessing the Apostrophe Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 2, 2017
The misuse of an apostrophe drives me crazy. Seriously, I have been known to scream out loud when I see signs like the one pictured. Let’s explain the apostrophe and, hopefully, take steps to make this world a saner place. An apostrophe is a punctuation mark used to denote either possession, or the omission of…
The Man Behind 1984 Posted by Gary Locke on Jan 27, 2017
People are reading George Orwell again. Not that they ever stopped reading him, but now his works are hitting the bestseller lists, thanks largely to the kind of language we are hearing from members of the new Trump administration. And language, particularly English language as used by politicians, was Orwell’s preoccupation. Orwell’s real name was…
What’s the Difference? Inauguration Posted by Gary Locke on Jan 19, 2017
With a new administration taking office, it seems a good time to remind ourselves that the words of our leaders can have real significance. The misuse of a word, even selecting one simile when another would have been more appropriate, could lead to misunderstandings. And misunderstandings may have consequences. It may not lead to…
The Parts of a Speech Posted by Gary Locke on Jan 13, 2017
Many of us, at some time in our lives, have to speak in front of a large gathering. It may be a quick toast to a friend celebrating a birthday or an anniversary. It may be some form of testimony that you have been asked to make based on your experience and knowledge of a…