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The Vine

The Tomato Nation advice column addresses your questions on etiquette, grammar, romance, and pet misbehavior. Ask The Readers about books or fashion today!

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Articles tagged with: grammar

The Vine: December 2, 2009
December 2, 2009 – 12:14 PM | 74 Comments

Dear Sars,
I’m looking for a great self-help book that can teach me how to deal with difficult people. Specifically, my sister-in-law Carrie.
If I spend too much time trying to describe her, it will only make …

The Vine: November 18, 2009
November 18, 2009 – 1:58 PM | 67 Comments

What’s the proper construction for the possessive form of a noun phrase such as “commander-in-chief”? I know the plural is “commanders-in-chief,” but is the plural possessive then “commanders’-in-chief”? “Or commanders-in-chief’s”? That doesn’t look right…
This question …

The Vine: October 29, 2009
October 29, 2009 – 1:08 PM | 26 Comments

Sars,
I’m an intern in my state’s legislature. My boss is a progressive, feminist woman; however, one of the staffers in her office (and thus my superior) is a guy, and a somewhat misogynistic guy at …

The Vine: October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009 – 5:29 PM | 41 Comments

Hi Sars,
I have a cat question. I’ve read through most of the Vine archives and haven’t found this one, so maybe it’s new. Here’s the deal: My husband and I have four cats. …

The Vine: September 23, 2009
September 23, 2009 – 1:45 PM | 96 Comments

Dear Miss Bunting,
Thank you for making me laugh until my sides hurt. It’s funny because it’s true.
I would greatly appreciate it if you would clarify another word faux pas. My head spins off of my …

The Vine: August 26, 2009
August 26, 2009 – 10:26 AM | 66 Comments

Hey Sars,
I have an ex-boyfriend question for you. I’ll try to sum up as well as possible.
I dated my ex-boyfriend off and on since we were teenagers, then seriously for 5 1/2 years. We broke …

The Vine: July 8, 2009
July 8, 2009 – 2:43 PM | 80 Comments

How do you alphabetize a list containing items starting with numbers? I remember learning back in the day that you do it as if you were writing the number out. So “5th” goes under F, …

The Vine: June 17, 2009
June 17, 2009 – 2:33 PM | 55 Comments

Dear Sars,
I stumbled into a problem and I’m way out of my depth.I’m hoping you or your readers will have some advice for me.
My husband comes from a family with a history of cancer.He lost …

The Vine: June 10, 2009
June 10, 2009 – 12:49 PM | 64 Comments

Dear Sars,
“Publicly” or “publically”? My instinct says the latter is preferable, but I see the former (which I HATE) more and more in print and online media. Online dictionaries claim they’re synonymous. Am I being …

The Vine: June 3, 2009
June 3, 2009 – 10:43 AM | 62 Comments

Hi Sars,
I know that I am not the only one out there grappling with the awkwardness of losing colleagues to layoffs and “workforce reductions” right now but I haven’t been able to find a good …