Read “Lederer on Language” every other Saturday in the San Diego Union Tribune and on this site
Kids will say the darnedest things about Christmas
Child film star Shirley Temple wrote, “I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a
Serving up a Frosty treat for the coming of winter
Frosty the Snowman and his wife live in an icicle built for two in the Snow Belt on the snow banks of Lake Snowbegone.
Like air pollution, grammar violations affect our health
For a goodly number of my readers, defective spelling, punctuation, and pronunciation screech like chalk on a blackboard. It is not my gray hair
A thanks-giving for our miraculous human adventure
Thanksgiving Day is mainly a celebration of the harvest, giving thanks for bountiful crops. Traditionally, a particular meal in 1621 is thought to be
A monster mash of Halloween rhyme, jokes, and riddles
Here’s little poem I’ve conjured up about Halloween monsters: Don’t ever play ping pong with King Kong. Don’t ever take blood tests with Dracula. Don’t
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