Friday, March 13, 2009

EASY WEEK ENDER

COMPLEMENTARY/COMPLIMENTARY

Explain the difference in meaning between the words "complementary" and "complimentary".
Use each word in a sentence which clearly shows its meaning.


TODAY'S WORD

The word for today is "dubious".
What partof speech is "dubious"?
Define "dubious" and use it in a sentence.


CORRECTIONS & EXPLANATIONS

Corrections and explanations for this week's entries will be posted on Sunday.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

THINK CAREFULLY

MAJORITY ARE/MAJORITY IS

What is the correct use: "majority are" or "majority is"?
Explain your reasons for your choice.
Create sentences that exhibit your choices.


TODAY'S WORD

The word for today is "anomaly".
What part of speech is "anomaly"?
Define "anomaly" and use it in a sentence.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

GOOD WORDS & IDEAS

INTENSE/INTENSIVE

Explain the difference in meaning of the words "intense" and "intensive".
Use each word in a sentence that displays its meaning.


TAKE THIS TO HEART

Identify the author of the following quotation.

“There is no remedy for love but to love more."


TODAY'S WORD

The word for today is "trenchant".
What part of speech is "trenchant"?
Define "trenchant" and use it in a sentence.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

RECURRING ERRORS

HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL...

I keep hoping that this blog will help (shame?) writers who are paid to write correctly to do some serious proofreading before submitting their copy.
I keep hoping that the copy editors will, some day, edit the copy they receive.
I will keep hoping.
I will also keep citing the errors.

Find and correct the errors in the following pieces.

"Overnight Saturday, another vanderGaast penguin statue went missing, this time from the London School of Economics in England."
Sonja Puzic, "Penguin allure too much for thieves", The Windsor Star, Tuesday, March 10, 2009.

"A record number of Ross's geese seen at one time in Southern Ontario were spotted Monday at Hillman Marsh Conservation Area."
Star Staff, Birdwatchers atwitter over geese sighting", The Windsor Star, Tuesday, March 10, 2009.

"'I've the heard the last six month described as an economic tsunami,'" he said.
Dave Battagello, "Council wants MPPs at session on jobs strategy", The Windsor Star, Tuesday, March 10, 2009.


TODAY'S WORD

The word for today is "strident."
What part of speech is "strident"?
Define "strident" and use it in a sentence.

Monday, March 9, 2009

SURPRISE! TEST DAY

VERBS TEST

Read the following sentences and identify the following about each:

a) the verb itself
b) type of verb
c) tense of the verb
d) voice of the verb


1. Betsy is a wonderful mother.

2. The house was built by George.

3. He quickly ran to the front of the line.

4. The operator was driving his bus when it ran out of gas.

5. The marathoner had run the race in 2005.


If you cannot complete this test, check the blog entries for the week of February 15 to 20. All the rules and examples are available there.


TODAY'S WORD

The word for today is "perseverance".
Define "perseverance" and use it in a sentence.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

CORRECTIONS & EXPLANATIONS - March 8, 2009

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

Monday

Correct the errors in the following pieces.

“Each of these factors alone are demonstrated to negatively effect a student's scores but most students fall into more than one of those groups, Connelly said.”

“Each” is singular and needs a singular verb.
“Effect” is a noun. “Affect” is a verb. They are not interchangeable.


“Each of these factors alone is demonstrated to negatively affect a student's scores but most students fall into more than one of those groups, Connelly said.”


“As NHL boss John Shannon told me, anytime there's a chance to reach a market of a billion people, he's so there.”

“He’s so there,” is so lame and “teenagerish“!

“As NHL boss John Shannon told me, anytime there's a chance to reach a market of a billion people, he’ll be there.”


“The good thing is the warden and myself were installed today and we now have a plan to move forward.”

Check the explanations below for the use of “myself”.

“The good thing is the warden and I were installed today and we now have a plan to move forward.”


Tuesday

DISBURSE/DISPERSE

Disburse”, a verb, means to distribute or dole out something such as money.
"The millionaire disbursed some of his wealth be contributing heavily to several charities."

Disperse”, a verb, means to scatter, disband or break up.
"The members of the band dispersed after several years of bickering among themselves."


Wednesday

HYPOCRITICAL/HYPERCRITICAL

Hypocritical” is an adjective meaning two-faced, duplicitous, deceitful or false.
"Two of Lear’s daughters were hypocritical in their protestations of love for their father."

Hypercritical” is an adjective meaning overly fussy, too critical, carping or finicky.
"The rigid teacher was hypercritical of the student’s first essay."


Thursday

I/ME/MYSELF

I” is a subjective personal pronoun. “I” can only be used as the subject of a sentence.

Me” is an objective personal pronoun. “Me” can only be used as the object of a verb or preposition.

Myself” is a reflexive personal pronoun. Use “myself” only when “I” has been used earlier in the same sentence. “Myself” cannot be used as a subject or object.

The most common misuse is putting “me” as a subject as in, “Me and Betsy are in love”. It should be, “Betsy and I are in love.”

Conversely, “I” is often misused as an object as in, “The agreement had to be signed by both Susan and I”.
It must be, “The agreement had to be signed by both Susan and me”.

“Myself” is often misused in place of either” “I” or “me”, as in, “A refund was sent to my wife and myself”.
It should read, “A refund was sent to my wife and me”.


Rule: the OTHER person should ALWAYS be mentioned FIRST.


Friday

ARBITER/ARBITRATOR

An “arbiter” (n.) is a settler of a dispute or a person who has influence over something. The root is the Latin “judge” or "supreme ruler".

An “arbitrator” (n.) is a person chosen to decide a dispute or settle differences, one formally empowered to examine the facts and decide the issue. The origin is the late middle English word “arbitratour”.

An arbitrator is appointed.
Arbitrators make a decision or judgment but arbiters/mediators do not.
An arbiter has no such authority but his opinion is valued.


A GOOD OBSERVATION

“Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all.”

Sam Ewing coined this observation.


LAST WEEK’S WORDS

Paucity” (n.) means scarcity, rareness or dearth.

Adduce” (v.) means to bring forward in argument or to cite as conclusive or conclusive.

Quibbler” (n.) refers to a person who uses ambiguous or irrelevant language to evade a point of issue. Often politicians are quibblers.

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

Disconsolate” (adj.) means unhappy, dejected, gloomy or sad.