Columns by Martha Brockenbrough

Columnist Martha Brockenbrough

In her columns, Martha takes an offbeat look at the big, crazy world around us.

Martha Brockenbrough is the author of "Things That Make Us [Sic]," a guide to funny bad grammar. She is also the founder of SPOGG, the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar.

Featured Column:

Flamingo colony (Image credit: BBC Worldwide Americas, Inc.)

When All Else Fails: Dating Tips From the Animal Kingdom

How do animals stand out from the crowd to attract the perfect mate? Encarta columnist Martha Brockenbrough explores beastly courtship rituals and finds a few lessons for two-legged creatures.

Other featured columns by Martha:

•	A Modest Proposal

•	How Old Is Too Old To Learn?

Ever Wonder?

Things you've always wanted to know, but didn't know who to ask:

•	Could You be the Next John Grisham?

•	Does Bigfoot Exist?

•	Urban Legends: Lies We Love to Tell

•	Whatever Happened to the Metric System?

•	What's in a Name? More Than You Think

•	What Makes People Picky Eaters?

•	Why Do We Have to Get Old?

Archive

The Natural World

•	3 Bugs You Should Love

•	Beyond Batman: Super Gross Superheroes and Villains

•	Family Feud: What Does it Mean that Obama and Cheney are Cousins?

•	Lefties: Sinister or Special?

•	The Cold Facts

•	The Physiology of Fear, or Why Everyone's a Little Chicken

•	The Strange Truth About Twins

•	What Your Handwriting Says About You

•	When All Else Fails: Dating Tips From the Animal Kingdom

•	When Good Food Goes Bad

•	Which Are Smarter, Cats or Dogs?

School and Education

•	Are Kids' Books Boring?

•	"Cheaterpants!": Are Kids Today Worse Than Ever?

•	Classic Toys: Playthings with Staying Power

•	Emotional Intelligence: What Cartoons Can Teach

•	Finding a Killer Summer Job

•	Friends 101: Why Friends are Important, and How You Can Help Your Child Succeed

•	How to Succeed at School: A Former Teacher Tells All

•	Is it Time for Big Bird to Die?

•	Is the Education Better at Boarding Schools?

•	Ladies First? Gender Disparity in the Classroom and the Workplace

•	The Reality of College Sports Scholarships

•	The Skinny on School Lunches

•	The Student-Teacher Connection: A Vital Link to Learning

•	What Did You Learn in School Today? A Parents' Guide to Homework Help

•	Why You Should Keep a Journal

Beyond Classification

•	3 Cheers for Dunces

•	5 Achievements That Deserve Nobel Prizes but Don't Get Them ... Yet

•	Amusing Ourselves to Death

•	An Ode to the Commode

•	Are You Beautiful? Why Looks Matter

•	Are You Rude? 4 Accidental Goofs

•	Astrology: Serious Science or Strictly for Fun?

•	Bring Back the Letter! Or Bring Something Better!

•	Celebrity Germ Freaks

•	Christmas not for You? 4 Holiday Alternatives

•	Daylight-Saving Time: What's the Point?

•	Debate Greats: Political Zingers and How They Work

•	Famous Letters from the Mailboxes of History

•	Fashion: 1 Fib and 3 Truths

•	High Maintenance: Wacky Celebrity Insurance Policies

•	History's Greatest Hoaxes (and How to Avoid Being Hornswoggled)

•	How to Make $67 Billion a Year

•	How to See a Ghost

•	How Social Networking Sites Can Make You a Superhero

•	How to Win at Trivia Games

•	I've Got Mail!

•	Land of the Weird: 8 Kooky Roadside Attractions

•	Notable Nitwits: A Roundup of World-Class Fools

•	The Best Mother's Day Gift Ever

•	The Biggest, Best, and Worst Gifts in History

•	The Funniest Jokes in History

•	The Greatest Mistakes of All Time

•	The History of Magic

•	The Mysteries of Amelia Earhart

•	The Pilgrims Watched Football (and Other Thanksgiving Myths)

•	The Secret to Happiness

•	The Trouble With Love (Stories)

•	The True Story of Santa

•	Weird Beauty Treatments for Celebrity Suckers

•	What Would Sacagawea Do?

•	Who's Afraid of Friday the 13th?

•	Women Warriors We Love

Grumpy Martha on Language

•	46 Ways to Embarrass Yourself in Writing

•	Errors That Aren't

•	Grammar Ethics

•	Grammar Lessons for Pop Stars

•	Grumpy Martha's Guide to Grammar and Usage

•	In Defense of the Semicolon

•	National Grammar Day: Why You Should Care

•	Put Your Writing on a Diet

•	Tips from a Former Spelling Champion

•	Verbs Gone Wild

Ask Martha Archive

Answers to tough questions.

Browse through her answers.

Want More Martha?

•	Visit her personal homepage!

•	Check out her book:

It Could Happen to You: Diary of a Pregnancy and Beyond

Our Partners

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Tutor.com: Live Help When You Get Stuck

Also on MSN

•	Peek into the world of parasites on Animal Planet

•	Mom's Homeroom: Learn ways to help your kid succeed in school

•	MSN Shopping: Best books for the season

•	MSN Careers: Nail that job interview

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