Grammar Quirks: Amanda Foody on Her Vocabulary War

Grammar Girl: What’s your favorite word and why?

AF: It feels impossible to pick a true favorite, but as an author who publishes both YA and middle grade, I take such delight in word choices that carry whimsical or silly connotations, the sort often too juvenile to suit an edgy YA novel. Words like “snivelling” and “scuttled,” “grubby” or “glum.” They’re mostly exclusive to my middle grade writing, but they bring me such joy.

GG: What’s a word you dislike (either because it’s overused or misused) and why?

AF: I have no words I dislike. Even the dreaded “moist” is welcome at my table.

Why People Hate Words Like 'Moist'

GG: What word will you always misspell?

AF: My constant confusion between “epigraph” and “epitaph” has led to many an amused Google Doc comment from Christine whenever I dub the quotes at the top of each chapter of "All of Us Villains" as the sort that belong on a tombstone. Christine has corrected me dozens of times, and I still could not tell you which is which.

GG: What word (or semblance of a word) would you like to see added to the dictionary? Why?

AF: Oh! I wish I had a better memory because truly I so often include words in my manuscripts that I’m eventually informed are complete jibberish. I fight back emphatically on every single instance only to look increasingly ridiculous. In my great vocabulary war with the English langauge, English is very decidedly undefeated.

GG: Any grammar pet peeves we should know about?

AF: I try not to judge grammatical errors, as, established above, the English language no doubt regards me as a fool. But one mistake that always amuses me is when people incorrectly say “This person and I” when—per that grammatical construction—the correct phase is “This person and me.” As though they’re making an effort to circumnavigate a potential error when there wasn’t one to begin with. Justice for the objective case!

Grammar Girl's Between You and Me

GG: To what extent does grammar play a role in character development and voice?

AF: ...

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