Common Misuses

The words below are very often misused. Which word would be more appropriate in each of the following sentences? Why?

Anxious/Eager

I was (anxious,eager) to hear the outcome of the game.

I was (anxious,eager) to hear the outcome of my EKG test.


Amount/Number

The (amount, number) of people attending the concert was staggering.

The (amount, number) of food he ate at one sitting was astounding.

I was amazed at the (amount, number) of kids playing on the new equipment. (I heard this one on a TV interview.)

SUGGESTION FOR THE DAY
Consider this the "Word of the Day"
Try to go through an entire day without using any form of the word "GOT".

Thank You, Professional Writers!

Once again, I had no trouble finding grist to grind in my mill of lame writing skills and I heartily thank the contributors.

Find the Errors in the entry below:
Hint: there are three.

It's time for a Cougar reunion.
A Centennial secondary school reunion, that is. Its been four years since the last big party for students who went to the South Windsor school which closed in 1986 and was reopened as Holy Names.
Star Staff, The Windsor Star, April 13, 2007

Today's Word

Today's word is invective.
Define the word and use it in a sentence.

A Double Dose

I thank the person who caught my spelling error in yesterday's post. I have corrected it. Those who missed the error are out of luck.

There are two mistakes in the piece posted below. Can you find them?

"It's been at the museum for the past 27 years, loaned by its late owner, Lakeshore resident Ted Dudley."
Chris Vander Doelen, The Windsor Star, April 12, 2007

Today's Word

Today's word is mellifluous.
Define the word and use it in a sentence.

Today's Words

Define and use in sentences the following words:

penurious

onomatopoeia (take note that this word epitomizes every word that I have presented in the blog for definition)

Today's Erratum

Find the error in the entry below:

"A mature student who swims three times a week to stay in shape, Poisson, 42, said he's been complaining to security and maintenance staff since shortly after his arrival, but nothing has been done.
Doug Schmidt, The Windsor Star, April 10, 2007

Today's Word

Define and use in a sentence the following word: mendacious

Today's Posers

WORD OF THE DAY

Today's word is "conflagration".
Define the word and use it in several sentences.
Hint: the word was a favourite of Edgar Allan Poe.

ERROR OF THE DAY

What is incorrect in the following sentence?
"There are a variety of colours to choose from."
Source: a Chrysler Corporation ad entitled "Canada's Choice Event".
Hint: there are two errors.

Last Week's Answers

Friday, April 6

Word of the Day
Desultory: adj., disconnected, unmethodical, random, superficial
"The hyper teen skipped from topic to topic in a completely desultory fashion."

Mistake of the Day
misuse of the past tense of the word "go"
Corrected Version
I should have gone to the store but I was too lazy.

Saturday, April 7

Wrong Word
misuse of "who's" for "whose"
Corrected Version:
"I think they should leave it up, as long as it's not derogatory or offensive, " said Maria, whose Riverside-area establishment is popular among Windsor's skateboarding community and has its own skatepark.

Happy Easter Word

Today's Word: Resurrection

The definition should be easy, so to add an element of intrigue, name the famous "Resurrection Man" from a nineteenth century novel and explain why he is called a Resurrection Man. Obviously, you have to be able to name the novelist and the novel. Hint: the novel is considered, by many, to be the most sophisticated novel in the English language.