Having read and enjoyed Tom Weber’s well-written commentary (BDN, Jan. 6) on Lynne Truss’ enjoyable grammar book, “Eats, Shoots & Leaves,” I felt a need to add my two cents’ worth to the fight to save English grammar, spelling and usage.

My favorite pet peeve of the moment is a local supermarket’s invitation to shop in its “stationary” aisle. One can only hope that all of the aisles are stationary, which means “standing still or not moving.”

I’m sure the word they intended but missed is “stationery.” With an “e” rather than an “a,” the word means “writing paper.” Make a connection with the “e” in envelope, and it’s easy to remember the difference.

The other linguistic trend seems to be that more is better, when actually the opposite is true. Our language offers such a plethora of choices that with just a little thought, one could find exactly the right words to express any idea effectively. The two overused and grating phrases that have entered the lexicon are “at this point in time” and “on a weekly (or whatever) basis.”

Why not simply use now or weekly, monthly, yearly, etc.? All are perfectly good words that stand quite clearly and firmly on their own.

Donna Fransen

Hampden