CORRECTIONS & EXPLANATIONS - January 31, 2010

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

Monday

SOLID/STOLID


“Solid”, as a noun, refers to a shape or a substance that is not soft or yielding.

“Solid” as an adjective, means of one substance, heavy, substantial or incapable of being seen through.
“The shot was so solid it broke the plexiglass.”

“Stolid”, an adjective, means dull, tedious, unemotional or dull.
“The preacher’s sermon was stolid and boring.”

BONUS: "MOTLEY"

Explain why "motley" in today's alliterative heading is appropriate.
“Motley” can mean varied and the headline addresses various words.  The alliterations contained in Monday’s “Motley Mix” and “stolid and solid” are varied and reflect the meanings of the words.


Tuesday

COMPLIMENT/COMPLEMENT

“Compliment”, a verb, means to hail, to herald, to acclaim or to express respect for.
“I compliment you on your new hairdo.”
several meanings for these words; try to list at least two for each.

“Compliment”, as a noun, refers to the congratulations or praise given to someone.
“”Your compliment is appreciated.”


“Complement”, as a verb, means to complete or to round out or to make full.
“Those earrings complement the dress you are wearing.”

“Complement”, as a noun, refers to a complete number, something added to make perfect or complete or a word or phrase to complete a grammatical construction.
“Putting verbs into sentences is absolutely necessary as a complement to the definition of a sentence as being a group of words expressing a complete thought.”



Wednesday

REEK/WREAK

“Reek”, a verb, means to give off smoke or vapours, to smell or to exude a brutally unpleasant odour such as heavy sweat.
“The smells from the dry forest reek of the recent devastating fire.”

“Wreak” is a verb meaning to cause to happen or to occur, to generate or to bring forth.
“High and low atmospheric pressure often wreak havoc when they come together.”


Thursday

What errors are committed below?

“As many as 200 corporate and private planes lined up at Windsor Airport. Luxury hotel rooms and restaurants filled to capacity. Jet-setters from around the world descending on Windsor.”

There are three incomplete thoughts is this example; all three groups are without verbs. The three are prefaced by the sentence, “Picture it.”  But the punctuation must be changed to connect the ideas and to make a complete thought.

“Picture it: as many as 200 corporate and private planes lined up at Windsor Airport; luxury hotel rooms and restaurants filled to capacity; jet-setters from around the world descending on Windsor.”


Friday

BREACH/BREECH

“Breach”, as a verb, means to act in disregard of laws and rules.
“Speeders flagrantly breach the law and should be punished severely.”

“Breach” as a noun, refers to an opening, a gap or a failure to perform some act or obligation.
“The breach in the levee widened disastrously as the unrelenting water drove against it.”

“Breech”, a noun, refers to the rear of a gun barrel where bullets are loaded or to rear-ends.
“The breech of the gun jammed because the gun was never cleaned.”


TOO CYNICAL?

Identify the author of the following observation.

“It has been said that man is a rational animal. All my life I have been searching for evidence which could support this.”
Bertrand Russell, a British author and philosopher who lived from 1872 to 1970, wrote this.


LAST WEEK’S WORDS

“Vituperate” (v.) means to rail against, to revile or to find fault with abusively.
“Vituperation” is the noun form.
“Vituperative” is the adjective form.
“Vituperatively” is the adverb form.

“Capricious” (adj.) Means changeable, impulsive or whimsical.
“Capriciousness” is the adjective form.
“Capriciously” is the adverb form.
“Caprice”, which comes from the same root, refers to the tendency to change one’s mind without reason or apparent motive.

“Quixotic” (adj.) means incapable of dealing sensible with practical matters, romantic or unrealistic. It also means extravagantly chivalrous as was Don Quixote.

“Obnoxious” (adj.) means offensive, unpleasant, detestable or repulsive.

“Bravado” (n.) refers to a swaggering show of courage, fanfare or ostentation.