Anne Curzan
Michigan Radio
United States
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Past articles by Anne:
TWTS: Staving off questions about "staffs" and "staves"
If you have one staff, as in a stick, and then you add another staff, you now run into the question of whether you have two staffs or two staves. At least, → Read More
TWTS: All available uses of "avail"
We do things more often "to no avail" than "of no avail." These constructions have been on our minds since a listener asked about the relationship between → Read More
TWTS: When it comes to "lie" and "lay," even English professors get confused
Even for speakers who feel solid about the distinction between "lie" and "lay," they may lose that distinction when "low" is added to the mix. Recently, → Read More
TWTS: Can't take our eyes off "off of"
The 1967 song "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" was one of Frankie Valli's biggest hits. It's been covered by dozens of artists, including rapper Lauryn Hill. → Read More
TWTS: The not-so prominent differences between "eminent" and "preeminent"
An eminent person can also be a prominent person. That same person can also preeminent in their field. A self-described “confused” listener recently asked → Read More
TWTS: Sometimes you've just got to say "have got to"
This week, we have got to address a question a listener recently sent us about whether there's anything wrong with saying "have got to" instead of just → Read More
TWTS: We can't answer each question, but we appreciate "each and every" one
An evening of drinking beer and talking about grammar? Yes please. Last week, we were thrilled to dust off our pint glasses and host another Grammar Night → Read More
TWTS: "Large" occupies a large space in our lexicon
It's clearly different to talk about a large country and the country at large, but these two meanings of "large" are historically related. A listener named → Read More
TWTS: Two "p" words with nothing in common
This week we looked at two words that have nothing to do with each other, aside from the fact that they both begin with “p.” At least they’ve got one thing → Read More
TWTS: A rule about which we should be asking questions
Many of us were taught that a sentence should never end with a preposition. However, some sentences just sound better when they do. → Read More
TWTS: An "abstruse" takeover
When we describe someone as “obtuse,” there are clear negative connotations. The scope of those connotations has been expanding, perhaps because of the → Read More
TWTS: The not-so-ordinary world of "ordinary" and "ornery"
Some words sound similar but don't have anything to do with each other. Others sound similar and have everything to do with each other. When a listener → Read More
TWTS: No calculator required for the math in "aftermath"
In the aftermath of Tuesday’s election, we found ourselves wondering about the history of “aftermath.” A listener named Sybil Kolon put "aftermath" on our → Read More
TWTS: It's all downhill from here. Or is it?
When it’s “all downhill from here,” there’s some ambiguity about whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. A friend of Professor Anne Curzan recently → Read More
TWTS: "Curry favor" comes from a horse (of course, of course)
Currying favor has everything to do with flattery and horses, and nothing to do with food. This expression, which means to seek or gain favor through → Read More
TWTS: Crummy nickname knockoffs
What do knockoffs, nicknames and the word "crummy" have in common? The answer is not much, except that we've received listener questions about the origins → Read More
TWTS: A couple of thoughts on "a couple of"
A couple of things can clearly be two things. For many people though, a couple of things can include three or even four things. That's because the phrase → Read More
TWTS: Does one bad apple spoil the others? Not according to the Osmonds
As stories of police brutality and anti-police brutality protests continue to dominate the headlines, you may have noticed some people placing the blame on → Read More
TWTS: When cabin fever comes on strong
This past week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer extended the stay-at-home order until May 15th. That means an extension of the cabin fever making the rounds. → Read More
TWTS: Shackling a ram is one way to get a ramshackle house
It’s tempting to parse the word “ramshackle” into two separate words, “ram” and “shackle.” A listener named Brian Van Drie wrote to us about how this word → Read More