NOTICE
It's time for a break.
There will be no new postings between Monday, January 24, 2007 and Sunday, January 8, 2008.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.
If that offends you, try having a good holiday season.
CORRECTIONS & EXPLANATIONS
Corrections and explanations for this week's entries will be posted on Sunday.
AGGRAVATE/IRRITATE - AN INTERESTING ONE
What is the difference between "aggravate" and "irritate"?
Use the words in sentences that clearly show their meanings.
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "rhapsodic".
Define "rhapsodic" and use it in a seasonal sentence.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
MEDIA MUSH
HEADLINE SPEAK
Below are a few examples of poor, sloppy or incorrect diction and incomplete sentence construction. Can you identify and correct the errors?
"Lawson loaned the track $1 million and the other two each put in $500,000."
Dan Lajoie, "former raceway lawyer wins "380,000 judgment", The Windsor Star, Thursday, December 20, 2007.
"Those of you that live in the county, do you have [anything to add]?"
Lynn Martin, CKLW AM800, program promotion, 8:15 am, Thursday, December 20, 2007.
"Traffic time brought to you by [PRODUCT]."
Lynn Martin, CKLW AM800, commercial lead-in, Thursday, December 20, 2007.
"Drew Dilkens is anxious to hear what they have to say."
Peter Straw, CKLW AM800 News, Thursday, December 20, 2007, 9:32 m.
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "slovenly".
Define "slovenly" and use it in a sentence.
Below are a few examples of poor, sloppy or incorrect diction and incomplete sentence construction. Can you identify and correct the errors?
"Lawson loaned the track $1 million and the other two each put in $500,000."
Dan Lajoie, "former raceway lawyer wins "380,000 judgment", The Windsor Star, Thursday, December 20, 2007.
"Those of you that live in the county, do you have [anything to add]?"
Lynn Martin, CKLW AM800, program promotion, 8:15 am, Thursday, December 20, 2007.
"Traffic time brought to you by [PRODUCT]."
Lynn Martin, CKLW AM800, commercial lead-in, Thursday, December 20, 2007.
"Drew Dilkens is anxious to hear what they have to say."
Peter Straw, CKLW AM800 News, Thursday, December 20, 2007, 9:32 m.
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "slovenly".
Define "slovenly" and use it in a sentence.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
MID-WEEK MUSINGS
ANY ERRORS?
Read the sentence below and determine if there are any errors in it. Explain your choices.
"And anything they do for the rest of their life is somehow referenced in that instant as they make their way up the ice, carrying the puck, and the respect of everybody in that town."
Marty Gervais, "Hockey dreams in a small town", The Windsor Star, Wednesday, December 19, 2007.
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "moue".
Define "moue" and use it in a sentence.
Read the sentence below and determine if there are any errors in it. Explain your choices.
"And anything they do for the rest of their life is somehow referenced in that instant as they make their way up the ice, carrying the puck, and the respect of everybody in that town."
Marty Gervais, "Hockey dreams in a small town", The Windsor Star, Wednesday, December 19, 2007.
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "moue".
Define "moue" and use it in a sentence.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
TUESDAY'S TEASERS
PRESUME/ASSUME
Explain the difference between "presume" and "assume".
A GOOD THOUGHT
Identify the author of the following. Do you agree? Think about it.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "aphorism".
Define "aphorism" and use it in a sentence.
Explain the difference between "presume" and "assume".
A GOOD THOUGHT
Identify the author of the following. Do you agree? Think about it.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "aphorism".
Define "aphorism" and use it in a sentence.
Monday, December 17, 2007
MONDAY'S SNOWY OFFERINGS
POT POURRI
The following pieces are in one article. Correct the errors and give reasons for your choices.
“The man who took on the union at the wheel. The man who took on the owners riding shotgun.”
“Both on and off the ice.”
“The only way both men believe it should be played – with the utmost of passion and while skating along a thin line between the laws of the game and the laws of the street.”
Bob Duff, “Chelios, Lindsay in step”, The Windsor Star, Saturday, December, 15, 2007.
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "melange".
Define "melange" and use it in a sentence.
The following pieces are in one article. Correct the errors and give reasons for your choices.
“The man who took on the union at the wheel. The man who took on the owners riding shotgun.”
“Both on and off the ice.”
“The only way both men believe it should be played – with the utmost of passion and while skating along a thin line between the laws of the game and the laws of the street.”
Bob Duff, “Chelios, Lindsay in step”, The Windsor Star, Saturday, December, 15, 2007.
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "melange".
Define "melange" and use it in a sentence.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
CORRECTIONS & EXPLANATIONS - December 16, 2007
Here are the corrections and explanations for last week's entries.
Monday
ORDINANCE/ORDNANCE
A law is an ordinance or rule.
A gun is a piece of ordnance or a military supply.
SETUP/SET UP
“Setup” is a noun meaning a device such as in "check the setup”.
“Set up” is a verb meaning to found or to launch such as in "set up the experiment”.
Tuesday
Identify and correct the errors in the following:
"Because the members of Ontario's Ministry of Transportation licence plate review committee seem like a dour bunch with too much time on their hands and not enough sense in their heads."
This is an incomplete thought. “Because” makes the clause subordinate or incomplete and should be removed.
"The members of Ontario's Ministry of Transportation licence plate review committee seem like a dour bunch with too much time on their hands and not enough sense in their heads."
"Hopefully, this panel will have a sense of humour. And some restraint."
“And some restraint” is an incomplete thought. The punctuation in the middle should be removed.
"Hopefully, this panel will have a sense of humour and some restraint."
Wednesday
BROOCH/BROACH
“Brooch” is a noun meaning a decorative pin.
“Broach” is a verb meaning to bring up or introduce a topic.
The two are not interchangeable but are pronounced the same.
Thursday
Identify and correct the errors in the following:
"...with myself, Arms Bumanlag at Radio 800 CKLW..."
“Myself” is a reflexive pronoun and cannot be used as the object of a preposition. Replace “myself” with “me”.
"...with me, Arms Bumanlag at Radio 800 CKLW..."
"There were a bunch there."
“Bunch” is a collective singular noun and demands a singular verb.
"There was a bunch there."
"A crash at Lincoln and Wyandotte has now cleared."
How can a crash clear itself? This is poor word construction and does not make sense.
"A crash at Lincoln and Wyandotte has now been cleared."
Friday
CAN/MAY
This is only about the verb forms of “can” and “may”. The noun meanings of these words are not relevant here.
“Can” is a verb meaning the ability to do something.
“May” is a verb meaning being allowed to do something.
“He can do the job because he is strong but he may not be allowed to do it without permission from his boss.
THIS WEEK’S WORDS
“Confluence" (n.) means a place where things come together, a junction or a flowing together.
“Mordant" (adj.) means grimly humourous, sardonic or biting.
“Inveterate" (adj.) means chronic, habitual or long-standing.
“Simulacrum" (n.) means a vague or insubstantial semblance such as a sculpture of a person.
“Anomaly" (n.) means a deviation from the normal, an oddity or mutation from the usual.
QUOTE FOR THE WEEK
Who is the author of the following quotation?
"Everything is funny as long as it is happening to Somebody Else."
Will Rogers, Illiterate Digest (1924).
Monday
ORDINANCE/ORDNANCE
A law is an ordinance or rule.
A gun is a piece of ordnance or a military supply.
SETUP/SET UP
“Setup” is a noun meaning a device such as in "check the setup”.
“Set up” is a verb meaning to found or to launch such as in "set up the experiment”.
Tuesday
Identify and correct the errors in the following:
"Because the members of Ontario's Ministry of Transportation licence plate review committee seem like a dour bunch with too much time on their hands and not enough sense in their heads."
This is an incomplete thought. “Because” makes the clause subordinate or incomplete and should be removed.
"The members of Ontario's Ministry of Transportation licence plate review committee seem like a dour bunch with too much time on their hands and not enough sense in their heads."
"Hopefully, this panel will have a sense of humour. And some restraint."
“And some restraint” is an incomplete thought. The punctuation in the middle should be removed.
"Hopefully, this panel will have a sense of humour and some restraint."
Wednesday
BROOCH/BROACH
“Brooch” is a noun meaning a decorative pin.
“Broach” is a verb meaning to bring up or introduce a topic.
The two are not interchangeable but are pronounced the same.
Thursday
Identify and correct the errors in the following:
"...with myself, Arms Bumanlag at Radio 800 CKLW..."
“Myself” is a reflexive pronoun and cannot be used as the object of a preposition. Replace “myself” with “me”.
"...with me, Arms Bumanlag at Radio 800 CKLW..."
"There were a bunch there."
“Bunch” is a collective singular noun and demands a singular verb.
"There was a bunch there."
"A crash at Lincoln and Wyandotte has now cleared."
How can a crash clear itself? This is poor word construction and does not make sense.
"A crash at Lincoln and Wyandotte has now been cleared."
Friday
CAN/MAY
This is only about the verb forms of “can” and “may”. The noun meanings of these words are not relevant here.
“Can” is a verb meaning the ability to do something.
“May” is a verb meaning being allowed to do something.
“He can do the job because he is strong but he may not be allowed to do it without permission from his boss.
THIS WEEK’S WORDS
“Confluence" (n.) means a place where things come together, a junction or a flowing together.
“Mordant" (adj.) means grimly humourous, sardonic or biting.
“Inveterate" (adj.) means chronic, habitual or long-standing.
“Simulacrum" (n.) means a vague or insubstantial semblance such as a sculpture of a person.
“Anomaly" (n.) means a deviation from the normal, an oddity or mutation from the usual.
QUOTE FOR THE WEEK
Who is the author of the following quotation?
"Everything is funny as long as it is happening to Somebody Else."
Will Rogers, Illiterate Digest (1924).
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