Category Archives: English language

Silly moi!

Posted on July 8, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I have a talent for making born-and-bred Canadians laugh at me, especially when it comes to my accent and pronunciation. I mean, it’s obviously just ridiculous to assume that French-looking names would be pronounced according to French pronunciation norms in … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, English language, family, sport | 14 Comments

Employ Yoda, Microsoft must

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

More fun with Word: Amused I am, yes.

Posted in English language, silliness, technology | 6 Comments

Wren and Stumped-y

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Damnit, Microsoft! Why? Just… why? I mistype “were” all the freaking time.  The title of this blog post is the first time I’ve deliberately typed “wren” in… years? decades? ever? So why is it the first option on the suggestions … Continue reading →

Posted in English language, rants, technology | 7 Comments

Britain’s Got Talent Confusing Place Names

Posted on September 21, 2009 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Do you ever find yourself cycling/walking/driving along, thinking of this and that or maybe just on autopilot, and then suddenly, for no apparent reason, chuckling over an incident or anecdote from years ago? I did just that this morning. I … Continue reading →

Posted in English language, silliness, UK | 24 Comments

Data Ducks?

Posted on September 17, 2009 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Here’s a gem from the Microsoft Word Thesaurus: No, I didn’t accidentally insert a space there; I actually clicked a link from the entry for “data”. And this was all that popped up. I’m sure there’s a joke in there … Continue reading →

Posted in English language, silliness, technology | 3 Comments

Tuesday pet peeve: tired of weary

Posted on August 25, 2009 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Yes, it’s another pedantic pet peeve! I hear more and more people saying they’re “weary” of something when what they mean is that they’re cautious, suspicious, or distrustful of it. You’re looking for “wary”, or maybe “leery”. “Weary” means tired. … Continue reading →

Posted in English language, plagues, rants | 15 Comments

Tuesday pet peeve

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I don’t know why everyone’s so negative about Mondays. I like Mondays. I come in all fresh and well rested, chat to various colleagues about their weekends, and settle into work full of enthusiasm and motivation. I spend my lunch … Continue reading →

Posted in career, English language, plagues, rants | 14 Comments

Read this headline

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Cath@VWXYNot?

(This one) and see if you agree that using a different word would have avoided a rather unfortunate word juxtaposition. Yeah… at first glance, I was thinking more “OMG, carnage in the neonate unit” than “nice good-news story”. ————–Update, Feb … Continue reading →

Posted in communication, English language, nature, Vancouver | 12 Comments

e-Ps and Qs

Posted on February 13, 2009 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I’m a very polite person. As a Brit in Canada, I frequently apologise to people who stand on my foot on the bus; it’s a habit I just can’t seem to break. As everyone knows though, email etiquette is a … Continue reading →

Posted in career, communication, English language | 24 Comments

Style over substance?

Posted on November 11, 2008 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I am in the market for a laptop and find myself leaning towards a Mac. I’ve never really used one before, and for some reason I feel the need to justify the switch to myself using something more than “because … Continue reading →

Posted in English language, personal, technology | 18 Comments