Cause of death: Alzheimer's + uncles

"Cornett lost his father to Alzheimer's disease, as well as a few uncles."

Hee-hee. I can picture the autopsy now: "Mr. Cornett died from a number of causes: Alzheimer's played a role, as did the multiple stab wounds he received from his four brothers."

How about: "Cornett lost his father and a few uncles to Alzheimer's disease."

Even then, I'm somewhat perturbed by the vague "few" uncles. Even if it's only three (what I consider the minimum threshold for "a few"), that's still quite a lot of brothers to be brought down by the same affliction.

Subjunctivitis and other grammar-oriented puns

Hee hee hee. How much fun am I having when I'm reading Subjunctivitis?

I'll give you a hint. It's a lot. It's as close as grammar gets to "edgy." (Which, since we're talking about grammar, is more like "standing close to the edgy, but not really close enough to be able to see straight down.")

Pet peeve of the moment: "free of charge"

As in, "Classes are offered free of charge."

I guess plain old "free" isn't good enough, because the public might get really confused and think you mean "free from oppression." Or "sugar-free."

Astute copy grrls and bois will notice the sentence also contains a superfluous "offered." I promise you, gentle readers. If you simply say "Classes are free," your audience will understand that the classes are being offered.