GRAMMAR

You might be familiar with a few of these.

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

Lots of languages have distinct plural forms for ‘you.’ Wouldn’t it be useful if English had one too? Spoiler alert: It does. Several, in fact.

Some of these mistakes were pretty costly.

11 of the Most Expensive Typos in History

From the NASA mistake that made an interplanetary rocket explode to the bible with a very naughty misprint, these typos are an ode to proofreaders.

This stickler doesn’t like how people are using the word ‘phenomenal.’

9 Linguistic ‘Ignorantisms’ Even Sticklers Got Used To

Not even the strictest sticklers seem to care about how we use words like ‘abhorrent’ and ‘sodden’ anymore.

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.

Throw the grammar rulebook out the window.

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.

Is your bread presliced, your oven preheated, and your car pre-owned?

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.

These things are pretty weird when you think about them.

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.

Take your crossword puzzle skills to the next level with these tips.

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.

Just a few punctuation marks that don’t get nearly enough usage.

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.

Break out the dictionary and start counting.

How Many Words Are There in the English Language?

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

Spoilers for this article without context.

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.

Even a pair of siblings might not really know the difference.

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.

English doesn’t always abide by its own rules.

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

11 Nouns That Only Have a Plural Form

Some nouns only have a plural form, regardless of how we think of them. They are known as ‘pluralia tantum,’ Latin for “plural only.”

7 Sentences That Sound Bizarre But Are Still Grammatical

These sentences are sure to make you scratch your head.

If you frequently misspell these words, you’re not alone.

100 of the Most Commonly Misspelled Words in the English Language

Don’t get embarrassed if you can’t spell ‘embarrass.’ It’s apparently—not ‘apparantly’—a pretty common error.

Fewer vs. Less: When to Use Each

‘Less’ versus ‘fewer’ is pretty straightforward. ‘Less than’ vs. ‘fewer than’ is slightly less so. Here’s how to get it right every time.

Here's how to figure it out once and for all.

A Simple Trick for Remembering When To Use ‘Who’ vs. ‘Whom’

All you need for this easy grammar check is a couple of pronouns you already know how to use correctly.