July 12, 2005

The Grammar, Words, and Usage section contains a number of subsections that offer information about usage and grammar.  Most of these subsections have an index of what they cover.   Some, such as the Writers' Guide, provide detailed guidelines on specific issues (correct use of apostrophes or concise writing, for example).  Others consist of short entries, such as the Word and Usage FAQs subsection, which explains differences between commonly confused words.   Still others are devoted to trivia of interest primarily to people who are fascinated by language.

Although new entries are added regularly, this section is not intended to be a complete handbook on grammar and usage, nor will it ever be.  I endeavor to cover only those matters that arise most often and to explain them in ways that have proven successful in the classroom and in workshops for writers.  Students and writers who search diligently can find more comprehensive coverage on other websites.  To make that search more productive, the Links for Writers section lists and provides links to Internet sources that I have found to be especially useful.

Sometimes, despite a plethora of resources, it may be difficult to find a specific answer to a specific question.  Here our own Grammar Discussion Board may be the answer.  One of three such boards (the others are a General Message Board and an ESL Board), the Grammar Discussion Board is a place to post questions and to give answers about matters pertaining to the English language.  Answers and opinions are offered by me and by other participants on the board, some of whom are teachers, writers, or editors.

It should go without saying that not all information on the Internet is correct.  Anyone with a computer may post, as gospel truth, something that is utterly wrong.  However, the Grammar Discussion Board here hosts a sufficient number of knowledgeable grammarians to ensure that the information is correct – or that misinformation is readily identified as such.  Besides, unlike many Q&A sites, where the webmaster is an absentee landlord, The Grammar Curmudgeon is monitored literally daily by me.  Where I am remiss, you may count on someone else to set the record straight.  I know – when I make a mistake myself (whether it is an innocent typo or something more serious), somebody calls me on it.