CORRECTIONS & EXPLANATIONS - August 4, 2007

ANNOUNCEMENT - VACATION TIME

The next entry on this blog will be on Monday, August 20, 2007. I am taking a vacation break.

Michael

Monday

What is the error in the sentence below?

[It is] "...a time capsule of lost recordings that have been found."
The subject of the verb is “capsule” and it is singular, so the verb must also be singular.
Corrected version:
[It is] "...a time capsule of lost recordings that has been found."

Tuesday

"The body of a 29-year-old Chatham-Kent man who went missing Saturday was recovered from Lake St. Clair Monday."
People do not “go missing”. DUH!
Corrected version:
"The body of a 29-year-old Chatham-Kent man who disappeared Saturday was recovered from Lake St. Clair Monday."

Wednesday

THEM/THOSE

“Them” cannot be a replacement for “those”. “Them” cannot be used as an adjective.
“I like those girls. I would like to meet them”.
"I like them girls," is unacceptable.

“Applicable" should be pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable: “aPPLICable”.

Thursday

What is wrong with "between you and I"?
“Between” is a preposition. Prepositions take objects. “I” is subjective case and cannot be used as an object. “Me” is objective and so the phrase should be “between you and me”. And don’t forget to always put the other person first.

Friday

MORAL/MORALE

“Moral”, accent on first syllable, is a noun meaning "the lesson from a story" or “right conduct”. It is also an adjective meaning "virtuous” or “ethical” or “of high standards".
“He is a moral person who always tries to do things in a kind fashion.’

“Morale”, accent on second syllable, is a noun meaning "mental or emotional state".
“The morale of the troops is very low because of the frustrations of the ever changing battlefield.”

WORDS I LIKE

“Obtuse" means blunt in form, not sharp or acute, stupid.

“Farrago" (n.) means a confused mixture, a hodgepodge, a motley assortment.

“Feckless" (adj.) means ineffective, feeble, incompetent.

"Apotheosis" (n.) means the glorification of a person, the exaltation to the rank of a god, a model of perfection.

“Revulsion" (n.) means a sudden and violent change of feeling, a drawing back or away, an aversion.


WORDS/PHRASES I LOATHE - A CONTINUUM

“You know.”
"No problem"