Read “Lederer on Language” every other Saturday in the San Diego Union Tribune and on this site
Back to grammar school; yes, there will be a test!
I am a member of the Grammar Police force, and our motto is “To Serve and Correct!” How strong is your grasp of English
Readers call on the homophone with puns and punctuation
DEAR RICHARD: Contemplating the spread of laboratory-grown, humane meat, I began to imagine a menu for such delectables: Faux-let Mignon, Fakin’, Top Sir-lyin’, Paté
The dazzling success of ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’
Having opened on July 21, “Barbie” has become the highest grossing film of this year and the first billion-dollar film directed by a woman
Here’s my invitation to make beautiful music together
William Shakespeare began his comedy Twelfth Night with the line “If music be the food of love, play on!” About a century later, the
The English language is ‘the treasure of our tongue’
I’m button-burstingly proud to announce that you’re reading my 500th column in the Union Tribune. Inspired by this milestone (never a millstone), I celebrate our
Here’s a game to attract you to our SD Festival of Books
The Union-Tribune’s 7th Festival of Books will return to USD’s gorgeous campus on Saturday, August 19, 10 am-5 pm. The Festival is our city’s
Can you spot the patterns in each of these strange sentences?
Savor this unusual column, which contains this paragraph you now look upon. How quickly can you find out what is so uncommon about it?
Answering the telephone can turn out to be a slippery slope
DEAR RICHARD: When I answer the phone and the caller says they would like to speak to Selena, what is my proper response? —
A compact dictionary of stuff-and-nonsense words
DEAR RICHARD LEDERER: I was gobsmacked (a fun word too) to hear for the first time the word bafflegab, which means exactly what it