The American English Doctor is Margaret Joan Maddox, veteran classroom teacher, English specialist, and published author. [Writing under the names M. J. Maddox, Margaret Maddox, Peggy Maddox, and Maeve Maddox.]
She has earned four university degrees and taught language and literature at every level, from preschool to university, in public and private schools, in the United States and in England.
Her views about teaching and public education often differ from current policy and practice. However, she is a strong supporter of public education, regarding the public schools as a pillar of democracy. She believes that parents and teachers must work together to resist policies, teaching fads, and political pressures that are detrimental to teaching, learning, and national unity.
University Degrees
BA, English/Journalism, Oklahoma City University
BA, (Honours) English, University of London (England)
MA, Comparative Literature, University of Arkansas (Fayetteville)
PhD, Comparative Literature, University of Arkansas (Fayetteville)
Teaching Experience
John Marshall High School, Rochester, New York: English.
Hugh-Jones Tutorial School, London, England: English
Fountain Lake High School, Hot Springs, Arkansas, English, Journalism
Hot Springs High School, Hot Springs, Arkansas: English, French
National Park Community College, Hot Springs Arkansas: English, French
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas: English, World Literature
Malvern Technical College, Malvern, Arkansas: English
DailyWritingTips
From 2008 until 2023, Dr. Maddox wrote as Maeve Maddox for the international language blog, DailyWritingTips.com/. Several hundred of her articles about writing and English usage can be found in the archives there.
So You Want to Write: 50 tips for getting started and staying on track.
Beginners and veterans alike will find practical tips and encouragement in this collection of articles about writing. Originally written as posts for DailyWritingTips, these 50 articles address frequently asked questions about writing in a style geared to readers who want a lot of information in as few words as possible.
This brief and easy-to-use style guide for students, bloggers, and small-business owners addresses common errors of grammar, usage and spelling that distract readers from the message a writer wishes to convey. It can’t replace a dictionary or a premium style guide like The Chicago Manual of Style (1,026 pages) or the Associated Press Stylebook (406 pages), but writers can save time by looking here first.
7 Steps to Good Spelling
This guide is an easy-to-follow handbook for readers who are tired of making basic spelling errors in their online communication or business correspondence. Most people who self-identify as “bad spellers” were never taught the basics of the English sound code. The ability to spell correctly is available to anyone who is willing to take a fresh listen to the sounds we use to speak English and a fresh look at the symbols we use to write them. In addition to phonics information, 7 Steps to Good Spelling contains listening exercises and a list of 150 words that SpellCheck won’t catch.
The Pronoun Book
Because the humble pronoun has become a political football, careful speakers and writers will welcome a review of their function. The Pronoun Book contains all the information the nonspecialist needs to use pronouns correctly when speaking and writing Standard English. There’s even a section on the use of pronouns preferred by gender-divergent speakers.
Word Rage: How to stop worrying and learn to love your language
Some of the meanest comments in social media attack people for the language they choose to use. These unkind critics are often themselves mistaken in what they think is incorrect usage. The essays in this collection explore the history of English, as well as basic grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, and spelling. These essays in this book have appeared at DailyWritingTips.(based on past posts at DailyWritingTips) offer American English speakers a middle road to peaceful co-existence on the linguistic highway.
A Joan for All Seasons: Joan of Arc in History and the Movies
In this guide to six well-known 20th century features about Joan of Arc, I first present the historical background from which film-makers drew their ideas. Then, I discuss the individual films in terms of the times and personalities of the men who created them. These film treatments reveal a great deal about social attitudes toward women and their place in a male-dominated political arena.
The Fabergé Flute
Amateur flutist and English teacher Sallie Dunbar needs to get away. Not only is her life in a rut, the events of a frustrating school day have also pushed her to the limits. She impulsively drains her meager savings to spend Thanksgiving week at a music convention in 1980s London.
Anticipating a relaxing trip filled with sightseeing and perhaps a romantic fling, Sallie unwittingly becomes a killer’s target. A fabulous jeweled flute reputed to possess healing powers has gone missing. And someone is willing to kill to get it back.