FOREBODING/FORESHADOWING
What is the difference in meaning between "foreboding" and "foreshadowing"?
WORD OF THE DAY
The word for today is "deleterious".
Define "deleterious" and use it in a sentence.
CANADIAN BLOG AWARDS 2007
Please vote for this blog as the Best Educational Blog in the Canadian Blog Awards 2007 contest.
Access for voting is provided below:
http://cdnba.wordpress.com/vote/round-2/
Thank you for your support.
CORRECTIONS & EXPLANATIONS
Corrections and explanations for this week's postings will be published on Sunday.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
THANKS & A REQUEST
ANOTHER REQUEST
This Blog, Michael's English Usage, has received enough votes in the Canadian Blog Awards for 2007 to advance to Round 2.
I thank everyone who supported and voted for this blog.
Now, I request that you vote for Michael's English Usage in the next round.
Click on the link below to register your vote:
This Blog, Michael's English Usage, has received enough votes in the Canadian Blog Awards for 2007 to advance to Round 2.
I thank everyone who supported and voted for this blog.
Now, I request that you vote for Michael's English Usage in the next round.
Click on the link below to register your vote:
http://www.polldaddy.com/poll.aspx?p=250350
To learn more about the Canadian Blog Awards, click on this link:
http://cdnba.wordpress.com/vote/round-2/
Thank you for your support.
Mike
FULFILLING THE MANDATE
Is this acceptable?
"This, despite the fact that the university is a public body funded with public money."
Lead Editorial, "U of W, The decision-making process", The Windsor Star, January 24, 2008.
WORD OF THE DAY
The word of the day is "expiatory".
Define "expiatory" and use it in a sentence. (This is not as tough as it might appear; check the root.)
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
THIS & THAT
COLON/SEMICOLON
What is a "colon"?
What is a "semicolon"?
What are the functions and uses of "colons" and "semicolons"?
WHEN WILL IT EVER END?
Are there errors in the example below? What?
"One of the largest fears that all humans have is to be rejected. If you love someone, then you will want to spare them this pain."
Misty Harris, Canwest News Service, The Windsor Star, Wednesday, January, 23, 2008.
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is " ethereal".
Define "ethereal" and use it in a sentence.
What is a "colon"?
What is a "semicolon"?
What are the functions and uses of "colons" and "semicolons"?
WHEN WILL IT EVER END?
Are there errors in the example below? What?
"One of the largest fears that all humans have is to be rejected. If you love someone, then you will want to spare them this pain."
Misty Harris, Canwest News Service, The Windsor Star, Wednesday, January, 23, 2008.
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is " ethereal".
Define "ethereal" and use it in a sentence.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
SIMPLY REPETITIVE
THE FAULT, DEAR BRUTUS, LIES...
DO THESE NEED FIXING?
"...these kind of things..."
Jack Layton, NDP Leader
"Nearly 30% of Canada's bee colonies were killed off last year."
Jim Crichton, A Channel News, Monday, January 21, 2008, 11:30 pm
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "intractable".
Define "intractable" and use it in your communications some time today.
DO THESE NEED FIXING?
"...these kind of things..."
Jack Layton, NDP Leader
"Nearly 30% of Canada's bee colonies were killed off last year."
Jim Crichton, A Channel News, Monday, January 21, 2008, 11:30 pm
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "intractable".
Define "intractable" and use it in your communications some time today.
Monday, January 21, 2008
AN EASIER WEEK
PRONUNCIATION
I know that pronunciation is very regional but I often wonder how some words can be so mutilated. So, make a call with the examples below.
First of all, define "pronunciation".
What is the pronunciation of the following: "film", "a" and "coupon"?
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "acuity".
Define "acuity" and use it in a sentence.
I know that pronunciation is very regional but I often wonder how some words can be so mutilated. So, make a call with the examples below.
First of all, define "pronunciation".
What is the pronunciation of the following: "film", "a" and "coupon"?
TODAY'S WORD
The word for today is "acuity".
Define "acuity" and use it in a sentence.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
CORRECTIONS & EXPLANATIONS - January 20, 2008
Here are the corrections and explanations for last week's postings.
Monday
What is the error in the following?
"Police have said that none of the children were stabbed."
“None” is a singular noun and must have a singular verb.
"Police have said that none of the children was stabbed."
Tuesday
Does this make sense?
"An Oakville man is behind bars after he stole a car from the Casino Windsor valet stand as the owners were about to claim it and crashed it into a nearby pharmacy."
The writer makes it appear as if the owners crashed the car whereas it was the thief. The sentence has to be reworded.
"As the owners were about to claim their car at the Casino Windsor valet stand, an Oakville man stole the car and crashed it into a nearby pharmacy. The man was arrested and is behind bars."
Wednesday
DRASTIC/DRAMATIC
“Drastic” means severe or frightening and very often dangerous.
“Dramatic” means striking, bold or vivid and does not have the negative connotation of “drastic”.
Thursday
GAFF/GAFFE
“Gaff” (n.) is a hook or spur, used mainly in fishing. Sometimes it is used on bad actors.
“Gaffe” (n.) is a French word meaning a mistake or error.
Friday
What is the error in the entry below?
"A small sample of Windsor business owners and executives are slightly less pessimistic about the city's economic future than a year ago, according to a survey conducted by a research team at the University of Windsor."
“Sample” is a collective single noun and requires a single verb.
"A small sample of Windsor business owners and executives is slightly less pessimistic about the city's economic future than a year ago, according to a survey conducted by a research team at the University of Windsor."
AN ESOTERIC SERIES - Part 1
TENSE
The change in the form of a verb to show a change in time is called "tense".
There can be action in the PRESENT, the PAST and the FUTURE.
CONJUGATION
"Conjugation" means to give the tense forms of a verb with the first, second and third person pronouns.
AN ESOTERIC SERIES - Part 2
“TO HAVE”
Present Tense
I have, you have he has
We have, you have, they have
Past Tense
I had, you had, he had
We had you had they had
Future Tense
I shall have, you will have, he will have
We shall have, you will have, they will have
AN ESOTERIC SERIES - Part 3
"TO HAVE" - PERFECT TENSE - must use “have” as the auxiliary verb
Present
I have had, you have had, he has had
We have had, you have had, they have had
Past
I had had, you had had, he had had
We had had, you had had, they had had
Future
I shall have had, you will have had, he will have had
We shall have had, you will have had, they shall have had
AN ESOTERIC SERIES - Part 4
“TO HAVE” - PROGRESSIVE TENSE - indicates “continuing” action at the time
Present
I am having, you are having, he is having
We are having, you are having, they are having
Past
I was having, you were having, he was having
We are having, you are having, they are having
Future
I shall be having, you will be having, he will be having
We shall be having, you will be having, they will be having
AN ESOTERIC SERIES - Part 5
“TO HAVE” - PERFECT PROGRESSIVE TENSE - must use “have” as the auxiliary verb
Present
I have been having, you have been having, he has been having
We have been having, you have been having, they have been having
Past
I had been having, you had been having, he had been having
We had been having, you had been having, they had been having
Future
I shall have been having, you will have been having, he will have been having
We shall have been having, you will have been having, they will have been having
THIS WEEK’S WORDS
Didactic” (adj.) means excessively instructive, informative or inclined to teach too much.
“Enervation” (n.) means enfeeblement, lack of vitality or exhaustion.
“Insipid” (adj.) means bland, tasteless or flat.
“Avatar” (n.) means embodiment, incarnation or personification as in giving bodily form to a spiritual being. It comes from Hindu mythology and is often associated with evil.
"Pernicious” (adj.) means exceedingly harmful, corrupting or degrading.
Monday
What is the error in the following?
"Police have said that none of the children were stabbed."
“None” is a singular noun and must have a singular verb.
"Police have said that none of the children was stabbed."
Tuesday
Does this make sense?
"An Oakville man is behind bars after he stole a car from the Casino Windsor valet stand as the owners were about to claim it and crashed it into a nearby pharmacy."
The writer makes it appear as if the owners crashed the car whereas it was the thief. The sentence has to be reworded.
"As the owners were about to claim their car at the Casino Windsor valet stand, an Oakville man stole the car and crashed it into a nearby pharmacy. The man was arrested and is behind bars."
Wednesday
DRASTIC/DRAMATIC
“Drastic” means severe or frightening and very often dangerous.
“Dramatic” means striking, bold or vivid and does not have the negative connotation of “drastic”.
Thursday
GAFF/GAFFE
“Gaff” (n.) is a hook or spur, used mainly in fishing. Sometimes it is used on bad actors.
“Gaffe” (n.) is a French word meaning a mistake or error.
Friday
What is the error in the entry below?
"A small sample of Windsor business owners and executives are slightly less pessimistic about the city's economic future than a year ago, according to a survey conducted by a research team at the University of Windsor."
“Sample” is a collective single noun and requires a single verb.
"A small sample of Windsor business owners and executives is slightly less pessimistic about the city's economic future than a year ago, according to a survey conducted by a research team at the University of Windsor."
AN ESOTERIC SERIES - Part 1
TENSE
The change in the form of a verb to show a change in time is called "tense".
There can be action in the PRESENT, the PAST and the FUTURE.
CONJUGATION
"Conjugation" means to give the tense forms of a verb with the first, second and third person pronouns.
AN ESOTERIC SERIES - Part 2
“TO HAVE”
Present Tense
I have, you have he has
We have, you have, they have
Past Tense
I had, you had, he had
We had you had they had
Future Tense
I shall have, you will have, he will have
We shall have, you will have, they will have
AN ESOTERIC SERIES - Part 3
"TO HAVE" - PERFECT TENSE - must use “have” as the auxiliary verb
Present
I have had, you have had, he has had
We have had, you have had, they have had
Past
I had had, you had had, he had had
We had had, you had had, they had had
Future
I shall have had, you will have had, he will have had
We shall have had, you will have had, they shall have had
AN ESOTERIC SERIES - Part 4
“TO HAVE” - PROGRESSIVE TENSE - indicates “continuing” action at the time
Present
I am having, you are having, he is having
We are having, you are having, they are having
Past
I was having, you were having, he was having
We are having, you are having, they are having
Future
I shall be having, you will be having, he will be having
We shall be having, you will be having, they will be having
AN ESOTERIC SERIES - Part 5
“TO HAVE” - PERFECT PROGRESSIVE TENSE - must use “have” as the auxiliary verb
Present
I have been having, you have been having, he has been having
We have been having, you have been having, they have been having
Past
I had been having, you had been having, he had been having
We had been having, you had been having, they had been having
Future
I shall have been having, you will have been having, he will have been having
We shall have been having, you will have been having, they will have been having
THIS WEEK’S WORDS
Didactic” (adj.) means excessively instructive, informative or inclined to teach too much.
“Enervation” (n.) means enfeeblement, lack of vitality or exhaustion.
“Insipid” (adj.) means bland, tasteless or flat.
“Avatar” (n.) means embodiment, incarnation or personification as in giving bodily form to a spiritual being. It comes from Hindu mythology and is often associated with evil.
"Pernicious” (adj.) means exceedingly harmful, corrupting or degrading.
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