It's written in the margin

Do you love words? Do you love them so much that you sometimes wonder where they come from? Do you find yourself wondering about them—why they’re spelled the way they are, why they mean what they mean? Would you like to get to know them better?

This book you’re holding in your hands right now does exactly that—it’s about words. Its approach is eclectic (sometimes serious, sometimes not), but a common thread runs through it: words. Words from the dictionary, from grammar, from everyday life; old words, new words; other people’s words, my mother’s words; scholarly words, ordinary words, words we find beautiful or not so beautiful; words, quite simply.

That said, sometimes it’s not easy. The agreement of past participles (not him—have mercy!), that of color adjectives (why no «s» on “orange” in “orange cones”?), these agreements have a daunting side to them—there’s no denying it. But you can approach them with a lighthearted attitude, with a touch or two of humor, and suddenly they become easier to digest.

Other topics related to words are as sweet as strawberry jam: birds and their songs; deer and the damage they cause; milkweed and its metamorphoses.

We also occasionally come across two old friends in this book, Laurette and Alma, who chat about words. They talk, ask each other questions, reflect, and sometimes tease the author of these lines. Célavi.