CORRECTIONS & EXPLANATIONS - February 8, 2009

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

Monday

Each unit below has, at least, one error. Find and correct each error.


Title: “Rants, ranters: Huge waste of time”

There is no capitalizing of words after a colon unless they are proper nouns.

Title: “Rants, ranters: huge waste of time”


“A lot of things cheese me off. My bad back, debt, snow, this winter. Mean people, people who are overly nice.”

There are incomplete thoughts and incorrect punctuation here.
This is a good place to use a colon and the rule is: use a colon before a list when the list is preceded by a complete independent clause.
"Cheese" is a noun. Can it correctly be used as a verb?

“A lot of things really irritate me: my bad back, debt, snow, this winter, mean people and people who are overly nice.”


“That reminds me of another thing I don't like. People who complain.”

Check the comments in the preceding example.

“That reminds me of another thing I don't like: people who complain.”

Another way of correcting this and making it stronger is to create two independent sentences.

“That reminds me of another thing I don't like. I don’t like people who complain.”


“Instead of unloading my problems onto someone, I'd rather leave them feeling happier than they were when I ran into them.”

“Them” and “they” are relative pronouns referring back to the singular word “someone”; therefore, the words should be singular.

“Instead of unloading my problems onto someone, I'd rather leave him feeling happier than he was when I ran into him.”
If it is necessary to be politically correct, use “her” instead of “him”.

Another solution is to use a plural form instead of the singular “someone”.

“Instead of unloading my problems onto others, I'd rather leave them feeling happier than they were when I ran into them.”


“You know, pushing the rage deep down into your guts until it turns into an ulcer.”

This is an incomplete thought; there is no main verb. Actually, there is no verb at all.

“You know, you push the rage deep down into your guts until it turns into an ulcer.”
(Put this back into the context of the article and it makes more sense.)


Tuesday

CLEANUP/CLEAN UP

“Cleanup” is a noun as in the clause, “the cleanup of the ashes and rubble from the fire will cost millions of dollars”.

“Clean” is a verb and “clean up” is a verb phrase.
“Clean up your room and you can go out with your friends tonight.”


Wednesday

CREVICE/CREVASSE

“Crevice” refers to a small gap, crack or fissure in rock or between things such as teeth.

“Crevasse” is a French word referring to a gorge, a chasm or a large gap such as in a glacier.


Thursday

PERSPECTIVE/PROSPECTIVE

“Perspective”, a noun, refers to a viewpoint, an outlook an angle as in a bigot’s perspective being myopic and hateful.

“Prospective” is usually an adjective meaning potential, forthcoming, likely or probable as in one’s prospective employment beginning in March.


Friday

LIABLE/LIBEL

“Liable”, an adjective, means likely as in one is liable to do something if it is enjoyable. It also means, legally, being accountable or responsible for some action.

“Libel” means to defame, slander or vilify another in print or any in any form other than the spoken word. “Defamation by the spoken word is slander."


GOOD FOOD FOR THOUGHT

“Love is the difficult realization that something other than oneself is real.”
Iris Murdoch, British novelist, 1919 - 1999, created this phrase.


LAST WEEK’S WORDS

(Sorry! I posted the same word twice this week. I’ll make it up some time. Don‘t hold your breath.)

“Banality” (n.) means triteness, triviality or ordinariness.

“Disaffected” (adj.) means discontented through having lost one’s feelings of loyalty or commitment. It comes from the word “disaffection ” which refers to the alienation the affections on a person.


“Ostentatious” (adj.) means pretentious, flamboyant, showy or affected.

“Nonchalance” (n.) means indifference, detachment, dispassion or disinterest.