My father was my language hero.  He got me started on detecting bad usage.  And, he did it in a humorous way.  I think his favorite line came during the telecasts of football games.  It went something like this:  The reporter would say, “Everyone agrees Rock Hardy is the most underrated linebacker in the NFL.”  Think about it.

I don’t know if Dad knew the words “pleonasm” or “tautology,” but he sure was familiar with “redundance.”  Or, perhaps some would say “redundancy.”  I looked it up.  Let’s stick with “redundance,” eh?

Check out this link for more information on these words.

Yesterday, I heard two usage mistakes that are all too common.  A replacement talk show host on one of my favorite shows on satellite radio said, “Later on in the show, we’ll talk about that issue too as well.”

And, this morning, a television reporter, referring to the President’s visit to our city said, “Obama has always used Los Angeles as an ATM machine.  Isn’t that a bit like, “The La Brea Tar Pits”?

Instead of bothering my family with comments about the ugly deeds we do to our language, I thought I would start a blog where I can address my beefs about common usage, pronunciation, and maybe even spelling, mistakes that I hear or see in the media, in the books I read, and all around me, every day.  So, I will do my best to come to the aid of English speakers, and writers, everywhere.  I’m on a mission here folks.  Here we go . . . .