That's different than

My email grammarian checked me today. I wrote "different than." It's OK, but not the best.

"The phrases "different from" and "different than" are often used interchangeably, but there are some distinctions:

"Different from" is the more widely accepted usage, especially in British English, and is preferred in formal writing.

 
"Different than" is commonly used in American English, particularly when introducing clauses, though it is less formal.

 
In general, "different from" is considered the standard form, while "different than" may sound awkward to some.

 
In summary, while both phrases can be used, "different from" is the safer choice in most contexts."

My bad.

Christmas is coming--advice from Joan

Christmas is coming, so again: if your last name ends in s (or a letter that makes a sibilant sound - x, z, ch, sh) then, to identify your family, add “es” and collectively you are “the Coxes” or “the Adamses” or “the Lopezes”. If your name ends with any other letter (even a “y” or an “e”) then just add an “s”. You are “the Smiths” or “the Prices” or “the Macys”. No apostrophe is used to make plurals of any name. Just a friendly reminder! Class dismissed.

Joan Shaw Turrentine, retired English teacher and pastor's wife, blogging friend since 2003

Advice on plurals, Ohio Farmer 8(3):23, January 15, 1859

Remember, though box

in the plural makes boxes

The plural of ox

Should be oxen, not oxes.

And remember, though fleece

In the plural is fleeces,

The the plural of goose

Aren’t gooses nor geeces.

And remember, though house

In the plural is houses

The plural of mouse

Should be mice, not mouses.

All of which goes to prove

That grammar a farce is

For where is the plural

of rum and molasses?

There are many versions of this poem on the internet, and most start with ox and oxen, and some include papoose, man, vine, etc. But this just shows people were having fun with it 160 years ago. I copied it on the back of scrap card when I was writing an article about women writers for this journal for Serials Librarian. It's possible there are more cards, and they are in the dark recesses of my desk.  I had opened a drawer wondering if I needed to make a New Year’s Resolution about cleaning my desk!

There are also many explanations in Quora on how all these plurals happened, and they don’t seem to agree with each other.

https://www.quora.com/Why-is-the-word-oxen-used-for-the-plural-of-ox-and-not-oxes

Just a little word--at

A very common phrase among Christians is, "God will meet you where you're at," and it just hurts my ears. I heard it three times in worship this morning. What is the purpose of "at?" What does it link? Why not, "God will meet you where you are."

So I looked at a grammar page and found, "We meet you where you’re at and bring you where you want to go with a free placement test."  Even the English teachers say it.

Prepositions are difficult for English learners, and we make them more difficult by dropping them where they have no function.

Whomever/whoever

https://www.grammarbook.com/grammar/whoever.asp

 

Rule 1. The presence of whoever or whomever indicates a dependent clause. Use whoever or whomever to agree with the verb in that dependent clause, regardless of the rest of the sentence.

Rule 2. When the entire whoever/whomever clause is the subject of the verb that follows the clause, look inside the clause to determine whether to use whoever or whomever.

While looking for my password, I found this

Remember, though box
In the plural makes boxes
The plural of ox
Should be oxen, not oxes.
And remember, though fleece
In the plural is fleeces
That the plural of goose
Aren't gooses nor geeces.
And remember, though house
In the plural is houses
The plural of mouse
Should be mice, not mouses.
All of which goes to prove
That grammar a farce is
For where is the plural
Of rum and molasses.
Ohio Farmer, 8(3):23 Jan. 15, 1859

A very good list

 

I use too many adverbs--especially this one.

The Ghost of Christmas Future Imperfect Conditional

 
The Ghost of Christmas Future Imperfect Conditional

http://www.englishpage.com/conditional/continuousconditional.htm

http://www.ef.com/english-resources/english-grammar/conditional/

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/Grammar/conditional2.htm

Commas matter

I like cooking my family and my pets.  Use commas.  Don't be a psycho.