What can you tell me about 'Poe(t)heory'? [more inside]
posted on Jun 18, 2008 - 3 answers

Is there a word or a phrase, other than the too-broad "understand," for when a listener understands what someone else is trying to convey even when the speaker doesn't express it clearly and/or correctly? [more inside]
posted on Apr 28, 2008 - 31 answers

I am looking for writings on the infinity of definition. [more inside]
posted on Mar 13, 2008 - 32 answers

I am interested in the mimetic and narrative capacities of artefacts, how cultural remnants transmit information through time and how meaning is translated once an artefact is re-appropriated or examined from a new perspective. I have several avenues of study at the moment (a list in extended explanation), but would like some more ideas. Areas of critical theory, linguistics, evolutionary psychology and poetics are all relevant. [more inside]
posted on Jan 27, 2008 - 12 answers

Does anyone have a suggestion for where to go in Montreal to improve my written French? [more inside]
posted on Nov 1, 2007 - 1 answers

Explain tenses to me? Past/present/future, continuous/simple/perfect, and so on, in English. I can use them with fluency, but I need to be able to explain them (when each is used, how to form them). I've tried Fowler's, Chicago Manual of Style, and a number of other resources, but they seem to subtly contradict one another. Is there a simple, go-to reference for this?
posted on Sep 28, 2007 - 16 answers

Help me come up with an evocative simile that conveys a profound but unemotional appreciation of a thing. My existing, imperfect prose is inside for your delectation. [more inside]
posted on Aug 4, 2007 - 22 answers

Spelling filter: Why do I ALWAYS struggle with the same few particular words? [more inside]
posted on Mar 20, 2007 - 44 answers

What does the writing on this tapestry mean? It looks like Arabic, but I'm not sure. [more inside]
posted on Dec 21, 2006 - 11 answers

Writers: When do you use profanity in writing? [more inside]
posted on Nov 10, 2006 - 29 answers

Wordfilter: looking for a word or phrase that describes social paradoxical effects, where the action results in the opposite of its intention. [more inside]
posted on Oct 23, 2006 - 6 answers

What is the term for those little quotes that sometimes open books? [more inside]
posted on Oct 20, 2006 - 11 answers

Can anyone recommend any good books on rhetorical devices? [more inside]
posted on Sep 16, 2006 - 8 answers

How can I develop writing skills in a non-native language? [more inside]
posted on May 18, 2006 - 22 answers

I'm interested in learning more about language/literature-based events. Not so much the traditional poetry reading, more like innovative ways people come together in a relaxed environment to do some sort of activity that revolves around reading stuff aloud and telling stories. [more inside]
posted on Mar 4, 2006 - 7 answers

What's the deal with expressing ownership on names that end in 's'? If I had a buddy named 'Loveless' and wanted to talk about his pet dog, I would write "Loveless' pet dog". But I would clearly pronounce the exact same sentence like "Lovelesses pet dog". Doesn't that suck?
posted on Nov 23, 2005 - 22 answers

Need help convincing my landlord to accept a shortened notice to vacate my apartment. [more inside]
posted on Nov 21, 2005 - 20 answers

On behalf of a friend, though it actually sounds like an interesting question and I think I'd like to know too: Could you put up something asking about whether there's a real-world source/derivation for the words "hron" and "hronir" used in Borges' "Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius"?
posted on Nov 5, 2005 - 3 answers

Which dictionaries would you recommend as a gift for a writer friend? [more inside]
posted on Apr 27, 2005 - 35 answers

Help me rediscover a passage from an Ancient Roman writer. [let's go]
posted on Dec 9, 2004 - 7 answers

I often use et al when making notes to list people for meetings. What would or could or should one use as a shorthand when listing a series of places? E.g. "I am traveling to Guadeloupe et ___ (other surrounding islands) or "Tyson's Corner et ____ (other surrounding suburbs).
posted on Sep 24, 2004 - 8 answers

Is it ever OK in prose to start a sentence with "and"? The general situation I'm thinking of is when you want to insert a sort of dramatic pause into the middle of a narrative sentence that has "and" (or any conjunction in it).
posted on Sep 3, 2004 - 36 answers

Do you consider email—or at least some emails—to be letters?
posted on Aug 14, 2004 - 37 answers

What does "normative" mean? Is it a useful word? I only ever see it used in obscure, academic writing, which makes me suspect it's worthless. How is it different from "normal"? My dictionary says it means, "Of, relating to, or prescribing a norm or standard: normative grammar." That sounds like "normal" to me, so why not just say "normal"? Can someone give me some clear sentences that use the word -- sentences that are not written in post-modern, complit speak? Can one use "normative" meaningfully in a sentence about real-world things, like butter, eggs or bricks?
posted on May 21, 2004 - 24 answers