Monthly Archives: November 2012

Writing Wednesday: Is it time to give up the “Can vs May” debate?

During my undergraduate years, I had a fabulous linguistics professor who told us that people often had the same response when they learned what he did for a living: “Oh, you’re an English professor? I guess I better watch my … Continue reading

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Monday Book Review: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

Years ago, Trenton Lee Stewart came to speak at the school where I was teaching. He read a portion of his first Mysterious Benedict Society book, and I thought, “Wow, not only do I want to read that book, but … Continue reading

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Writing Wednesday: Perfect Verb Tenses

Did you know some verb tenses are “perfect”? Everyone knows about the three “simple” tenses: present, past, and future. However, we also have three “perfect tenses” in English: present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect. So what makes a tense … Continue reading

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Monday Book Review: The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer

This book used to be part of the reading curriculum at two of my previous schools. I enjoyed it for a couple reasons. First, it’s science fiction that takes place on Earth. No aliens, no spaceships. Just holophones and mile-high … Continue reading

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Writing Wednesday: That Vs Which

Most people probably don’t even think about the difference between that and which. However, they are used for different purposes, and they affect comma usage. That The word that is used to introduce something called a restrictive clause. This is … Continue reading

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Monday Book Review: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

I had heard a lot about this book before I read it. Everyone seemed to love it. My reaction to the first few chapters was “Well, this is good, but is it really as great as everyone says?” Then I … Continue reading

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Writing Wednesday: What is Progressive Form?

We all know about the three main verb tenses: present, past, and future. Some of us even know about the three “perfect tenses”: present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect. However, I’ve seen a lot of talk online about progressive … Continue reading

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Monday Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

If you keep up with young adult literature at all, you’ve surely heard of Veronica Roth’s dystopian novel Divergent and its sequel Insurgent. Today I’ll give my usual book review, but then I’d like to discuss something that’s been rattling … Continue reading

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