- Home
-
Novels
Is this forbidding?
Forbidding Sky What’s wrong with this sentence: “They struggled on beneath a foreboding sky.” Answer: Well, nothing. It’s a perfectly valid sentence … in theory. But it’s not what the writer meant. It should have read: “They struggled on beneath … Continue reading
This is not my cat
Ceci n’est pas mon chat (image courtesy Wikimedia Foundation*) Who am I? Am I a man or a woman? Am I thirty, fifty or seventy years old? Who are my favourite writers? How well am I progressing with the job … Continue reading
Be it so
Before or After? (image courtesy Wikimedia Foundation) Spot the mistake in this sentence: “It is vitally important that the community hall has a new roof.” Answer: We don’t know whether the community hall desperately needs a new roof, or already … Continue reading
Why I won’t watch on
Watch on Wrist (image courtesy Wikimedia Foundation) Spot this mistake in this sentence: “The tennis star lost the set love-six as thousands watched on.” Answer: The verb “watch” doesn’t have or need a follow-on particle (the “on” bit). It’s complete … Continue reading
Just because …
Man with Megaphone (bus by Corgi) Spot the mistake in this sentence: “Just because everyone else makes this mistake doesn’t mean you have to do the same.” Answer: That sentence doesn’t have a subject! What exactly “doesn’t mean you have … Continue reading
And and is good
From Peter in the Wood, by Peter Rowlands (my 5-year-old self) Spot the fault in this sentence: “While packing his suitcase, he threw in a jacket, a shirt, a tie, and added his electric shaver.” Answer: There should be another … Continue reading
Why grammar always matters
From Peter in the Wood, by Peter Rowlands (my 5-year-old self) “I have laboured to refine our language to grammatical purity, and to clear it from colloquial barbarisms, licentious idioms, and irregular combinations.” — Samuel Johnson, 1752 “Let schoolmasters puzzle … Continue reading
Both … but also
Why “both … but … ” is wrong and confusing, and should be replaced by “both … and …” or “not only … but also …” Continue reading
Would you read an AI-generated novel?
How appealing could a novel written by artificial intelligence be? That might seem a question for the future. As I write this there aren’t many AI-generated novels around. But there are some, and soon there will be many more. So … Continue reading
Blackmail – best crime if you want to escape detection?
Blackmail is one of the themes that kick off the next Mike Stanhope mystery drama, scheduled for publication in late summer 2024. Continue reading
© Peter Rowlands 2026
We use cookies on this site, but we don't capture any personal information. View cookie options.
What happens if you decline cookies?
Like most people, I use Google Analytics to see how my web site is used, but this doesn't capture any personal information about you, and I certainly don't gather data about you in any other way without telling you. There's no hidden market intelligence stuff on the site. But you can decline cookies if you really want to, and I'll suppress Google Analytics.
Please state your preference below.
(Clicking 'Accept cookies' gets rid
of that annoying top bar.)
My site also uses essential cookies, which
are permitted under UK law. You can
override them in your browser settings, but
the site probably won't work properly if you
do.
For more information, see my Privacy
policy page.
Current status:
