"in so far as [Old Man Willow] begins to be a character, it ceases to be what we call a tree"

[larryhammer]

Every Facebook political argument. (via)

A long post detailing several arguments for why singular they is grammatically correct when more than one gender is referred to or implied. (via)

Quote of the day:

"[I]n an age where every cultivated person was expected to perform as a poet, it is not surprising that when originality faltered, versifying might become a private folly and a public nuisance."

—Brower & Miner, Japanese Court Poetry, p175,
on the second-rate poets of the Kokinshu era

---L.

Comments

[movingfinger.livejournal.com]

I am pleased to see from your linkage that the estimable Henry Churchyard is still making the world a better place.

[larryhammer]

Churchyard's "they" pages remain a nice supplemental resource.

---L.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Loved *both* of those inordinately. I laughed out loud at this sentence:

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage has still more examples for those who prefer their empirical data to be overwhelming.

[larryhammer]

There was some good grammarsnark in that one.

---L.