July 11, 2005

The section titled My Essays and Articles contains pieces that I have written.  It has several subsections.  Starting with the main page of the section, you may go to any subsection, each of which has a contents page that lists the entries in that subsection.  Most of the pieces were written exclusively for this website, but the Essay Archives subsection contains essays that I wrote before the site existed, many of them edited to be more suitable for a new audience.

All articles in the the Essays and Articles section may be considered in the public domain.  That is to say, site visitors are free to quote from them, entirely or in part, without asking my permission.  Of course, it is expected that you will acknowledge The Grammar Curmudgeon as the source.

Comments on the writings are welcome and encouraged.  The ideal place to comment is on the Message Boards.  Posting here not only makes your comment public but also enables discussion – comments on your comments, so to speak.  To post on the message boards (there are three of them), you will need to register as a participant, but registration requires only a user name, a password (known only to you), and a valid e-mail address.  Instructions for registration are on each message board, and registration on any board entitles you to post on all three.

If you want to respond to or comment on any of the writings privately, you may send e-mail to zeemudge@hotmail.com.  This is my "public" mailbox; if I decide that a private dialogue is worthwhile, I may respond from a more private address.

Essays and articles cover a variety of subjects.  Most are serious, but lighter works are presented in the Just for Fun subsection.  Two other subsections – Pet Peeves and Grumbles – contain short rants about things that tick me off.  Pet Peeves is devoted exclusively to gripes about abuses of the English language,  whereas Grumbles is an outlet for other matters that get under my skin – and probably under yours as well.  In the Memorabilia subsection, I indulge in one of the idiosyncracies of old age, a propensity to reminisce about the past.  Although these are naturally personal reminiscences, I try to strike a universal note because I feel that, despite our many individual differences, we human beings share, at some level, a certain commonality of experience.

One function of these essays and articles is, I hope, to provide examples and inspiration to other writers, especially to students.  (Of course, if you're a student, please don't pass one of these off as your own work; that's cheating, and you will get caught because my style is utterly unlike yours.)  Readers may decide that it is worthwhile to do some writing of their own and may thus discover, or rediscover, the joys of language and writing.  That is, ultimately, what this website is all about.