Nouns are by far the largest category of words in English. They signify all kinds of physical things both living and inanimate. They also signify imagined things like ‘a ghost’; and ideas or concepts, ...

Most of the people who read this column do so because they enjoy learning about grammar, usage and style. Like me, they actually find the stuff interesting and useful. But now that I think about it: ...

You’ve heard before how tough it is for non-English speakers to learn the language. There are strange spellings, surprising pronunciations, and random exceptions to nearly every rule. (Why do tough, ...