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The finals are here, and the competition to determine the Best Grammar Blog of 2011 [1] is heating up. Grammar.net would like to thank everyone who participated in the nomination process and congratulate the finalists who passed the five-vote barrier and made it into the last phase of the contest.
If you haven’t already, now is a great time to grab the code and add a snazzy nomination badge to your sidebar or homepage to draw attention to your entry and capture votes to help you win one of three awesome prize packages, including gift certificates to Amazon.com [2] ranging from $100 to $250 as well as several fun extras.
You can vote for your favorite grammar blog here [3].
All votes in the final phase of the contest must be received between September 26 and October 17, 2011. The grand prize winner and two runners up will be announced on or before October 27th. All finalists have three weeks to alert their readers and promote their contest entry on Twitter, Facebook, forums or your favorite social network. Good luck to all of the talented finalists, and have fun promoting your entry!
Below are reviews of several grammar blogs from the final round.
1. http://literalminded.wordpress.com/ [4]
Literal Minded has a knack for breaking down complex linguistic issues into simple and understandable chunks. Review easy to understand syntax diagrams, adventure into the titillating taboo section or explore the semantics and complex sentence structure of classic Christmas carols and literary works.
2. http://www.arrantpedantry.com/ [5]
At Arrant Pendantry, there are rules, and then there are real rules. Created by an editor and master’s student in linguistics, the Arrant Pendantry explores common questions, curious conundrums in language, moral prescriptivism and descriptivism as well as the hows, whys and history of grammar rules, word use and etymology.
3. http://walkinthewords.blogspot.com/ [6]
A Walk in the Words is all about having fun with words and learning something new in the process. Linguistics professor and blogger extraordinaire Laura Payne shares wordy anecdotes, literary cartoons, funny advertisements and vocabulary-expanding definitions in her humorous, enlightening and downright entertaining blog.
4. http://mightyredpen.wordpress.com [7]
At Mighty Red Pen, grammar mistakes, typos and misused words aren’t only about humor. These grammar mistakes and typographical errors taken from websites, signs, books and the pages of magazines are used to educate the public and make an example of some very humorous and unfortunate errors.
5. http://lowercasel.blogspot.com/ [8]
Vigilante blogger and Brooklyn-based cartoonist/computer consultant William Levin explores the baffling phenomenon of the lowercase L in his blog with the same name. This equally humorous and irritating typographical trend breeds confusion in its victims. You too can report your lowercase L sightings through the blog’s submission page.
6. http://www.shadycharacters.co.uk/ [9]
Shady Characters digs deep into the nefarious origins of the various symbols and punctuation marks that dominate our language. Join Keith Houston, the mastermind behind Shady Characters, for a scholarly exploration of the semantics behind formal punctuation marks and linguistic standards as well as several obscure fads that didn’t last.
7. http://writingclearandsimple.com/ [10]
Created by career writer and editor Roy Jacobsen, Writing, Clear and Simple is a real-world grammar blog with practical examples and relatable content designed to help anyone become a better writer. Writing, Clear and Simple also has a handy “Ask an Editor” feature for those burning grammar questions.
8. http://terriblywrite.wordpress.com/ [11]
Ripped from the headlines of the hottest news sites, the confused words, misspellings and eye-popping mistakes that the author of Terribly Write digs up are so bad they’re great. Whether you visit Terribly Write for laughs or for learning, these grammar bloopers are perfect examples of what not to do.
9. http://cherylnorman.com/blog/ [12]
At the Grammar Cop, author and blogger Cheryl Norman uncovers grammar offenses and shares strategies to avoid grammatical blunders that could draw the attention of the grammar police. With pop culture references and crystal clear examples, the Grammar Cop makes it fun and easy to learn what’s right and wrong.
10. http://www.LingEducator.com [13]
Designed with teachers in mind, the LingEducator Blog covers everything from phonics and root words to social topics with posts targeted to college-level and elementary-age educators. If the thorough posts from LingEducator aren’t enough, you’ll find a healthy list of resources at the end of each topic.