Read “Lederer on Language” every other Saturday in the San Diego Union Tribune and on this site
It’s rhyme time — so let’s play the game of Inky Pinky
What do you get when you dip your little finger into a bottle of writing fluid? An inky pinky. Looking for an entertaining way
It’s okay to boldly go and purposely split an infinitive
DEAR RICHARD: Now retired from 50 years of college teaching and having no more student papers to grade and critique, I address your recent U-T
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