Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2009

You know who he is.
I won't say his name here out of respect.
But he gave you a sample of what blood-sucking lawyers do.
EG

Looking at the instructions on a tin of talc*, I found this:
"Keep powder away from children's nose and mouth".
This just sounds wrong to me. Is it bad grammar, though?
--

I found this sentence on a well-known brand of breakfast cereal:
"People with a healthy heart tend to eat more wholegrain foods as part of a
healthy diet and lifestyle".
1) "A healthy heart"? I would have said "healthy hearts".

First there's his name -- "Murray"
"Murray" -- what the f*ck is a Murray?
Where'd he get that name from "Murray the K, the Fifth Beatle"?
Okay, it's not your fault Murray, but geezus Christ, this is 2009, not

Which is the correct verb here "was" or "were"?  I've been using
‘Network’ as singular noun all the way through this report as it’s  a
single unit in this context; however, “…was to pay…” just seems/sounds
a bit odd to me.

September 1761 – Return to Mecklenburg
 In September of 1761 a coterie of handpicked aristocrats were
dispatched to the German duchy of  Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Their duty was
to perform a proxy marriage then transport Princess Charlotte—the

How do you spell "school marm"?

Object pronouns are:
me
us
you

I thought this one was simple but the more I look at it, the more
unsure I become.
"There is an endless number of prime factor graphs that have the same
underlying graph."

Last year I read a few reviews of a new book explaining in detail fine
shades of difference between words and phrases sometimes considered as
synonyms. I failed to note down the title. Does anybody know what it
is?

  What is your strategy to eradicate "to be + adjective" phrases from
sentences? I would like to replace them with stronger verbs. Consider
these examples:
It is important to wash your hands.

When did it become common to start names with a capital letter?
When did it become common to start a sentence with a capital letter?
Thank you.

Effin & Jeffin - up there with Flotsam & Jetsam? Laurel & Hardy? Wilson,
Keppel & Betty?
The local authority in Preston, Lancs, have decided to impose penalties for
anti-social behaviour, including swearing in public which they coyly

Enough already!

I wonder....
Is there a subtle difference between "frou frou" and "chichi" that the
*stylish* speaker of English should know? :P
Some relevant references: