That's What They Say

If you prove something to be true, then it’s proven. Or is it proved?

If you have one staff, as in a stick, and then you add another staff, you now run into the question of whether you have two staffs or two staves.At least,…

The words "previous" and "prior" are synonyms and don’t get much attention from language commentators.That is, they don’t get much attention unless “to”…

We do things more often "to no avail" than "of no avail."These constructions have been on our minds since a listener asked about the relationship between…

If you shine your shoes today, tomorrow you’ll be able to say you shined your shoes.That’s pretty straightforward, but things get tricky when you…

Even for speakers who feel solid about the distinction between "lie" and "lay," they may lose that distinction when "low" is added to the mix.Recently,…

The 1967 song "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" was one of Frankie Valli's biggest hits.It's been covered by dozens of artists, including rapper Lauryn Hill.…

When we wet our whistle at a bar, we have a "wh" in whistle but not in "wet." That fact spurred an argument in the comments section of an article we found…

An eminent person can also be a prominent person. That same person can also be preeminent in their field. A self-described “confused” listener recently…

This week, we have got to address a question a listener recently sent us about whether there's anything wrong with saying "have got to" instead of just…