Latest articles by James Harbeck
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9 famous quotes that are (technically) grammatically incorrect
The Explainer From a Yogi Berra-ism to the Second Amendment, America's best-known sayings aren't exactly paragons of linguistic perfection
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In defense of the semicolon
The Explainer Kurt Vonnegut called the semicolon a "transvestite hermaphrodite representing absolutely nothing." He was wrong.
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Peculiar figure skating terms: Explained
The Explainer Let's be honest: You have no idea what the difference between a Lutz and an Axel is
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What's the point of baby talk?
The Explainer The science is divided over the efficacy of motherese
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You're using that dash wrong
The Explainer A comprehensive guide to our language's horizontal lines — from the humble hyphen to the three-em dash
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Kill the apostrophe!
The Explainer We would all be better off without it
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6 quests to fix English's messed-up spelling
The Explainer Some succeeded. Some failed. Some made things worse.
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4 very old words for very new things
The Explainer Camera? Internet? Those words are 6,000 years old.
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English spelling is terrible. Other languages are worse.
The Explainer Many languages use an alphabet borrowed from a different language. It's like building a dining room set using an IKEA kit for a dresser.
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Prepositions: The super-handy and horribly confusing widgets of language
The Explainer To, from, of, by: The little linguistic bits that we use to fit in gaps and hold things together or keep them apart. But it's all rather arbitrary.
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A linguistic dissection of 7 annoying teenage sounds
The Explainer Voiced alveolar stop and breathy-voiced low back unrounded vowel — better known as duhhh
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How and when to use 'whom' instead of 'who'
The Explainer 'Whom' is just like 'who' with a bowtie on it
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Don't buy into nonsensical etymologies of the F-word
The Explainer Or any other imagineered claims that common words were derived from winking acronyms
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Everything you wanted to know about danglers but were too afraid to ask
The Explainer Is it ever ok to dangle your participle in public?
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How did 'expletive,' 'explicit,' and 'exploit' become such sleazy words?
The Explainer The original, often innocent meanings of words that begin with expl are being overshadowed by naughtier ones
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The fascinating linguistic legacy of the Crimean War
The Explainer You can thank a 160-year-old battle for a famous poem, distinctive headwear, and cozy sweaters
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How to read your shampoo bottle
The Explainer Don't be stumped by the ingredients in your beauty products
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Why is the 'mor' in 'Voldemort' so evil-sounding?
The Explainer Voldemort, Mordor, Moriarty — exploring literature's most sinister syllable
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What language is your baby speaking?
The Explainer Your linguistic guide to baby babbling
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A linguistic tour of a 'night out' around the world
The Explainer And how to tell if it's a Canadian or an Australian asking you out
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A brief history of royal baby names
The Explainer Will and Kate's wee one will be the seventh British king to be called George
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A phonological description of beatbox noises
feature Your guide to impressing (and alarming) your beatbox-admiring friends
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14 exotic city names that sound boring when translated
The Explainer Kuala Lumpur just doesn't sound as magical when you translate it to Muddy Confluence
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Linguistic invasion! The foreign influence of English's political and military words
The Explainer It might seem like our language is under attack. But in reality, we're the ones taking linguistic prisoners
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