This is a notice in the lift here in Kent Vale notifying residents of the management’s intent to conduct an exercise in which they will clear the bicycles that have been abandoned in the bicycle rack areas. The lineup of four nouns (bicycle, clearance, exercise, notice) verges on the cumbersome, but in principle you could … Continue reading Noun noun noun noun
The first-person singular pronouns of English are ‘I’, ‘me’, and ‘myself’. Although in daily speech people have been known to use them somewhat interchangeably, IMO it’s worth knowing which roles those different words are supposed to play in a sentence. Give yourself a quiz. Read each of the sentences below and decide whether it is … Continue reading English grammar: How to use pronouns ‘I’, ‘me’, and ‘myself’
This sign in the lift at Kent Vale says Pre-loved Items Collection Which sounds weird to me because I would have said Pre-loved Item Collection even though obviously they will be collecting more than one. It’s an example of a tendency to pluralize nouns being used as adjectives, which I’ve posted about already, twice.
I have seen this sign hundreds of times. It says: 24 Hours Hot Line That’s a perfect example of a plural noun being used to modify another noun, like “cutleries station”, except that “hours” is a legit plural and “cutleries” is not. I think the sign should say 24-Hour Hot Line or maybe 24-Hour Hotline … Continue reading Plural noun adjuncts
This advertisement depicting a couple on a cruise ship says: Where Everyone Gets What They Need As a writer of English curriculum materials for kids, I’ve become incredibly sensitive to singular/plural agreement. I think demonstrating careful matching between subject and verb (or pronoun and antecedent) is particularly important in a place where plurals are often … Continue reading The missing epicene pronouns of English
This sign at Marks & Spencer at Parkway Parade promises a “free $10 food voucher with min $150 spend on apparels and lingerie”. I have always had a vague antipathy towards the shop that offers rewards for a “minimum spend”, the colleague who apologizes in advance for a “big ask”, the restaurant that promises “good … Continue reading Why do we dislike ‘reads’ and ‘eats’ used as nouns?
In English, ‘there’ is an adverb. In Chinese, ‘there’ can be a noun. Or at any rate, can be analyzed as one. 那儿很热吗? Nàr hěn rè ma? There very hot [question particle]? Is it hot there? Same with ‘here’. 是的。 这儿很热。 Shì de. Zhèr hěn rè. Is [particle]. Here very hot. Yes. It’s hot here. … Continue reading ‘There’ is a noun.
Below is an attempt to consolidate what I know and would like to share from my experience in and around publishing and my knowledge as a reader. Here’s an outline of the post: Writing advice Literary fiction vs. commercial fiction Save the Cat by Blake Snyder SPJG posts about writing advice books SPJG posts about … Continue reading Notes on writing and fantasy fiction
You might think car racing films are all the same. The main character is a driver with a tragic backstory or an attitude problem (or both), and he needs to move on or grow up (or both). But, just like no two murder mysteries are really the same, the details make each car racing story … Continue reading F1: The Movie (2025)
