CORRECTIONS & EXPLANATIONS - September 28, 2008

Here are the corrections and explanations for last week's postings.

Monday

QUOTATION MARKS

Rule 4

Punctuation Marks with Quotation Marks

Always place a comma or period before beginning or ending quotation marks.

"Harry," he requested, "please take this to your mother."


Rule 5a

Quotation Marks in Dialogue

Begin a new paragraph with every change of speaker.

"Hello, Tiffany," Peter stammered.
"Hi Peter. How are you?"
"Fine, I think. What have you been doing lately?"


Rule 5b

Quotation Marks in Continuing Paragraphs

For quotations longer than a single paragraph, put quotation marks at the beginning of each paragraph but only at the end of the final quoted word.
Note that the first paragraph has no closing quotation marks. Quotation marks do open the next paragraph to show that the quotation continues.


EXERCISE

Punctuate the following sentences.

mary he requested please take this to mr green

“Mary,” he requested, “please take this to Mr. Green.”


george claimed I have twenty points bill said i have only twelve

George claimed, “I have twenty points.”

Bill said, “I have only twelve.”


Tuesday

LOSE/LOOSE/LOSER/LOOSER

“Lose” is pronounced with a “z” sound.
“She often to lose her keys in the depths of her cavernous handbag.”

“Loose” is pronounced with an “s” sound.
“He lets his dog run loose and this upsets his neighbours.”

“Loser” means a person who is a failure. It is pronounced with the “z” sound.
He was a real loser and left the track with no money in his pocket.

“Looser” means less constricted or freer. This is pronounced with the “s” sound.
His pants were looser than they should have been and he embarrassed those behind him.


Wednesday

Correct the error in the following entries.

"Windsor 'fairly unique'" (headline)

“Unique” means the only one of a kind; “fairly” cannot be attached. This was a headline, so no verb is required.

"Windsor unique” is the only acceptable form.

"Of the 100 Ontario municipalities for which MPAC has so far released the new assessments, spokeswoman Annette Beaudoin said Windsor is 'fairly unique' in that it is one of the only municipalities where home values have decreased."

“Unique” means the only one of a kind; “fairly” cannot be attached.

"Of the 100 Ontario municipalities for which MPAC has so far released the new assessments, spokeswoman Annette Beaudoin said Windsor is 'unique' in that it is one of the only municipalities where home values have decreased."



QUOTATION

“The very spring and root of honesty and virtue lie in good education.”

Plutarch, a Greek philosopher and moralist said this.


Thursday

FOREGO/FORGO

“Forego” means to go before because “fore” means before.

“Forgo” means to do without or abstain from using.


DUMB CLICHÉ DEPARTMENT - A CONTINUUM

"What goes around comes around."
“Duh!”


Friday

Identify and correct the error in the following piece.

"A grizzly bear lays down in a stream Thursday at the St. Felicien Wildlife Zoo in St. Felicien, Que."

A person, or bear, “lies” down.
Someone “lays” down a book.

"A grizzly bear lies down in a stream Thursday at the St. Felicien Wildlife Zoo in St. Felicien, Que."


DUMB CLICHÉ DEPARTMENT - ANOTHER ONE!

"Grow your business!"

A crop grows by itself. One does not grow a crop.
A business becomes larger or increases in size or scope. One cannot grow a business; it is not a wart.


LAST WEEK’S WORDS

“Ambience” (n.) means the feel, atmosphere or mood of a setting.

“Assignation” (n.) means a meeting, usually secret, a tryst or a get-together.

“Vaunt” (v.) means to speak vaingloriously or boastfully, to boast or brag. Thus, a “vaunted” character is a rooster crowing about himself rather than a person of high character.

“Feign” (v.) means to pretend, to fake, to simulate or to put on. It is used mostly by Shakespeare.

“Vulpine” (adj.) means pertaining to, like or characteristic of a fox.