Saturday, July 25, 2009

CORRECTIONS & EXPLANATIONS - July 25, 2009

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

Monday

MILITATE/MITIGATE

Militate” should be followed by the word “against” as in militating or working against a silly law.

Mitigate” means to make easier or moderate. It means to lessen and should never be followed by “against”.


Tuesday

Identify and fix the problems in the following entries.

FURNITURE STORE COMMERCIAL

“One out of two people buy at Art Van.”
The subject and verb are not in agreement.
“One out of two people buys at Art Van.”

GLOBAL NEWS STORY

“He may have hung himself.”
The correct verb is “hanged” when referring to capital punishment.
“He may have hanged himself.”


Wednesday

LYSOL COMMERCIAL

“You can see the stains bleach leave behind.”
“Bleach” is a singular subject and requires a singular verb.
“You can see the stains bleach leaves behind.


Thursday

GRAMMAR CHECK

Identify the incorrect sentences and explain the errors.

“The result of all these calls are that the phone lines are jammed.”
The subject of the sentence is “result”, which is singular, so a singular verb must be used.
“The result of all these calls is that the phone lines are jammed.”

“Mary and Tom are going to stay for a week.”
This sentence is correct.

“Mary, along with her boyfriend, are coming to visit tomorrow.”
The subject is “Mary”, which is singular, so a singular verb must be used.
“Along with her boyfriend is an adjective phrase modifying “Mary”.
“Mary, along with her boyfriend, is coming to visit tomorrow.”


Friday

SOMETIME/SOME TIME

Sometime” refers to some indefinite time in the future.

Some time”, when “some” modifies the word “time” refers to a specific time or moment in the future.


WORTH THINKING ABOUT

“Education: that which reveals to the wise, and conceals from the stupid, the vast limits of their knowledge.”
This was created by Mark Twain (1835 - 1910).


LAST WEEK’S WORDS

Recondite” (adj.) means abstruse, obscure or incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding.

Rapprochement” (n.) refers to the reestablishment of cordial relations or reconciliation.

Simulacrum” (n.) refers to an insubstantial or vague semblance or the likeness of a person as in a sculpture or on a coin.

Disreputable” (adj.) Means dishonourable or lacking respectability in character, behaviour or appearance.

Obeisance” (n.) refers to bending the body, head or knees as a sign of submission or shame.


COMMENT
I will tackle "acting stupidly" next week.

Friday, July 24, 2009

MY "RAISON D’ÊTRE"

MY OPINION

I started this blog over two years ago in the hopes that highlighting writing errors by professional writers, radio personalities and newscasters would encourage them to be more careful in proofreading and presenting their work. They have great influence because they are, in effect, teachers and it is incumbant upon them to be good leaders of English usage in their chosen medium.
I must have had some success with my constant harangues because many of the local media have blocked my e-mail address on their web pages.
Even when I try to congratulate some of them on their good work, my efforts are blocked.
So be it. I will survive. And I will be ever more diligent in encouraging good English usage because if what is said or written is incorrect, the message cannot be understood. As a result, readers, or listeners, are subtley subjected to a "dumbing down" of the language and that is a shame!
It is not my job, as a reader, to try to puzzle out what is said or written. It is the job of the composer to make his work intelligible. If his is incorrect, his work is unintelligible. If he cannot, or will not, put forth the effort to make his work correct, then he reaps what he sows. Unfortunately, so does the reader or listener.(This is not a religious diatribe; it is just a good metaphor.)

On the other side of the coin, congratulations to photographer, Scott Webster of the Windsor Star, for spotting the sign below. Is it any wonder that I expect to be writing this blog for quite some time to come!





SOMETIME/SOME TIME

Explain the correct useage of "sometime" and "some time".
Create sentences for "sometime" and "some time" that clearly express the meanings.


TODAY'S WORD

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


CORRECTIONS & EXPLANATIONS

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

Thursday, July 23, 2009

GRAMMAR CHECK

SUBJECTS AND VERBS

Two of the following sentences are grammatically incorrect.
Identify the incorrect sentences and explain the errors.
Correct the errors.


“The result of all these calls are that the phone lines are jammed.”
“Mary and Tom are going to stay for a week.”
“Mary, along with her boyfriend, are coming to visit tomorrow.”


TODAY'S WORD

The word for today is “obeisance”.
What part of speech is “obeisance”?
Define “obeisance” and use it in a sentence.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

THE BAD, THE GOOD & THE ARCANE

ANOTHER COMMERCIAL

Identify and correct the error in the following.

"You can see the stains bleach leave behind."
Lysol commercial seen on NBC Today Show, Tuesday, July 21, 2009, 9:35 am.


WORTH THINKING ABOUT

Identify the author of the following.

“Education: that which reveals to the wise, and conceals from the stupid, the vast limits of their knowledge.”


TODAY'S WORD

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

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

IS THERE HOPE?

THE PROS AT WORK

Identify and fix the problems in the following entries.

FURNITURE STORE COMMERCIAL

"One out of two people buy at Art Van."
Art Van commercial, Channel 7 Action News, 5:28 pm.

GLOBAL NEWS STORY

"He may have hung himself."
Kevin Newman, Global News report about Arturo Gatti, Monday, July 20, 2009, 5:47 pm.


TODAY'S WORD

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

Monday, July 20, 2009

SOME LESS-USED WORDS

MILITATE/MITIGATE

Define and explain the difference in meaning between the words "militate" and "mitigate".
Use each word in a sentence.


TODAY'S WORD

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


ENGLISH PURISTS CLUB

Join my club and become a regular subscriber or reader.
Click on "Join this site" in the box to the right.
Help keep correct English a reality.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

CORRECTIONS & EXPLANATIONS - July 19, 2009

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

Monday

WHAT IS A SENTENCE?
A sentence is a group of words having a subject and a predicate constituting a complete thought.

Read the following entries and explain why each is, or is not, a sentence.

Not one of the groups below is a complete thought because each lacks a verb or predicate.
Note the completeness of thought in the corrected versions.
Also note that if the writer were to say that the reader gets the gist of the idea, it would be a cop-out and an example of poor professional writing standards.


“Every gesture captured in close-up by coordinated stage cameras, the images sent to jumbo screens for mass viewing.”
“Every gesture was captured in close-up by coordinated stage cameras and the images were sent to jumbo screens for mass viewing.”

“No irony involved.”
“No irony was involved.”

“A souvenir of Windsor.”
“There was even a souvenir of Windsor.”


Tuesday

BEMUSE/AMUSE

Bemuse” means to cause to be confused, to throw off, particularly emotionally or to bewilder.

Amuse” means to hold the attention of someone pleasantly or to make someone laugh.


Wednesday

DREDGE/DRUDGE/TRUDGE

Dredge” is a verb meaning to dig up something such as debris or sludge from underwater.
Dredge” can also be a noun meaning the machinery to do the digging.

Drudge” is a verb meaning to do hard or annoying work.
A “drudge”, as a noun, refers to a person who does the hard work.

Trudge” is a verb meaning to slog or to walk labouriously.


Thursday

Identify and correct the error in the following.

Since this is a headline, a period is not needed, but the subject and verb must agree.


"Cash for clunkers make sense"
"Cash for clunkers makes sense"


THINK ABOUT THIS ONE

“A point of view can be a dangerous luxury when substituted for insight and understanding.”
Marshall McLuhan penned this comment.


Friday

ATTRIBUTE/CONTRIBUTE

"Attribute", a verb, means to give credit to someone as in attributing his success to hard work and perseverance. The emphasis is on the second syllable.

Attribute”, a noun, refers to a detail or an abstraction belonging to a character or entity. The emphasis is on the first syllable.

Contribute”, a verb, means to give or donate to or to chip in. The emphasis is on the second syllable.
Contribution” or “contributor” are the noun forms of the word.



LAST WEEK’S WORDS

Eviscerate” (v.) means to remove the entrails of something. It means to disembowel.

Disreputable” (adj.) means lacking respectability or honour in character or behaviour or appearance.

Torpor” (n.) refers to listlessness, inaction or passivity.

Consummate” (adj.) means supremely skilled, complete or perfect in every respect. The emphasis is on the first syllable.

Consummate” (v.) means to fulfill or complete an act such as the sex act. The emphasis is on the third syllable.

Exponentially” (adv.) means expanding or increasing more and more rapidly. It is a mathematical term of representation. Please, do not ever ask me to explain the mathematics.