Articles by Colin Carmichael

One Comma, Total Chaos

I grew up in a household where passing the peas was optional, but passing up a pun was basically illegal. So it makes sense that I have a soft spot for punctuation, those tiny traffic cops of the English language. They stand there in reflective vests, calmly directing sentences away from disaster....

Funny Oxymorons We Somehow Say With a Straight Face

I grew up at a dinner table where the salt got passed with a pun and the potatoes got roasted with a riddle. So when I first noticed phrases like jumbo shrimp and pretty ugly , it felt like English was winking at me across the table. These little contradictions are called oxymorons , and they are...

About Colin Carmichael and Innocent English

Hi, I’m Colin Carmichael, and I’m delighted you wandered into Innocent English . Pull up a chair. Try not to trip over the pile of half-finished crossword puzzles I insist on doing in pen, because pencils are for people with less commitment and more wisdom. This site is my happy corner of the...