A book may, and usually does have a title, but it should not have an entitlement. What I mean is that my first published novel, for example, is titled “Father John VS the Zombies,” but it is not entitled “Father John VS the Zombies.” It is not even entitled to its title, since I […]
Confused Expressions
15 posts
The expression “knowledge is power” isn’t confused in and of itself; I agree that knowledge can be powerful. The confusion arises because, in most instances, the speaker seems to think that’s the end of the story, as if the single-minded acquisition of knowledge or power is all that matters, as […]
I’d be hard-pressed to find an expression more commonly misused by otherwise careful writers and speakers than the expressions I’m sometimes faced with when an agnostic or atheist friend discovers that I’m Christian. “But how can you believe in Christianity when there isn’t any proof for it?” they’ll say or […]
Some people seem satisfied to justify any action by the claim that “it’s natural.” Whether it’s giving in to every sexual urge or ingesting various products and plants, somehow the claim that “it’s natural” (which, I guess, means “it occurs in the natural world”) seems to be enough reason to […]
You’ve likely heard the rule that in English, the infinitive should never be “split”; in this view, the infinitive form of a verb (“to” + verb, such as “to blog”) is a union as sacred as Holy Matrimony and introducing a third word in between the particle and the verb […]
There’s nothing inherently confused about the expression “money is the root of all evil.” I don’t happen to agree with it, but that’s a philosophical point that can be debated. The confusion comes in since most people who use the expression think they’re quoting the Bible (and often are trying […]