CORRECTIONS & EXPLANATIONS - September 6, 2009

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

Monday

HOCK/HAWK

“Hock” (v.) means to pawn, soak or soak.
“He hocked his stereo to buy a ring for his girl friend.”

“Hawk” (v.) means to offer for sale, to pitch as in an idea or to hunt for hawks.
“The salesman created a loud and fast-paced commercial to hawk his used cars.”


ADVERBS

An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb.

“He ran quickly.”
The adverb “quickly” explains “how” about the verb “ran”.

“He ran very quickly.”
The adverb “very” explains “how” about the adverb “quickly”.

“She is beautifully adept in her dancing.”
The adverb “beautifully” explains “how” about the adjective “adept”.


Tuesday

DISCREET/DISCRETE

“Discreet” (adj.) means prudent, discerning or circumspect.
“We must be discreet in our arrangements so as to not tip our hand.”

“Discrete” (adj.) means separate, abstracted or removed.
Golf fans and tennis fans are distinctly discrete groups.


Wednesday

PHENOMENA/PHENOMENON

“Phenomena”, a noun, is plural.

“Phenomenon”, a noun, is singular.

“Data”/”datum”, “criteria”/ “criterium” and “media”/”medium” are of the same nature.


Thursday

CREVICE/CREVASSE

“Crevice”, a noun, means a small fissure, a wee crack, a tiny recess or a little niche and the accent is on the first syllable.
“The crevice between her teeth was barely noticeable.”

“Crevasse”, a noun, refers to a deep fissure or a huge cleft, as in a glacier, and the emphasis is on the second syllable.
“The crevasse in the ice was not passable and the explorers had to travel miles to get around it.”

“Crevice” has the emphasis on the first syllable.

“Crevasse” has the emphasis on the second syllable.


PRONUNCIATION/ARTICULATION

“Pronunciation” is the emphasis put on each syllable; for example, in Canada, the emphasis in the word “finance” should be on the second syllable.

“Articulation” is the clarity with which each syllable is spoken; for example, “water” has a “t” in it and the “t” should be clear; usually we say it as “wadder”.


Friday

Explain and correct the errors in the sentences below.

“Sombre Labour Day message”

I have heard of and visited “Sombra”, a beautiful little town on Lake St. Clair, but never “sombre”. Does anybody ever check spelling? I guess not, even though some spell-checks acknowledge it.

“Somber Labour Day message”


“As Kirk Maltby prepares for his 16th NHL season he knows the end of his playing days are near, but the Detroit Red Wings forward isn't thinking about retirement just yet.”

As usual, the subject and verb do not agree; the subject is NOT “days”; the subject of the sentence, Kirk Maltby, is singular, so the verb must also be singular.
There should be a comma after “season”.

“As Kirk Maltby prepares for his 16th NHL season, he knows the end of his playing days is near, but the Detroit Red Wings forward isn't thinking about retirement just yet.”


A GOOD OUTLOOK

“Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.”
Mark Twain (1835 - 1910) coined this phrase.



LAST WEEK’S WORDS

“Portentous” (adj.) means momentous or ominous in significance, prophetic, pompous or overblown.

“Hyperbole” (n.), considered a figure of speech, means exaggeration, magnification or overstatement

“Stereotypical” (adj.) means lacking spontaneity, originality or individuality, trite, hackneyed or conventional or conforming to a preset notion.

“Ignoble” (adj.) means cowardly, gutless, spineless, ungentlemanly or the opposite of “noble”.

“Incertitude” (n.) refers to doubt uncertainty, apprehension or dread.