CORRECTIONS & EXPLANATIONS - September 14, 2008

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


Monday

ANONYMOUS COMMENT

The following comment was sent to this blog by ANONYMOUS. Determine the number of errors it contains. Correct the errors.

“I think you must hate Shakespeare. He spelled the same words differently and made up over 1700 words. This over a timespan of how many years? Funnily enough, the audiences of the day were able to understand what he was saying, apparently unimpeded. Perhaps you are just dense!!”

"This over a timespan of how many years?" This is an incomplete thought; it has no verb.
“Time span is two words, not one.
One exclamation mark is considered sufficient in accepted, correct writing.
I will not even mention the use of three persons in one paragraph, which is a total violation of accepted writing practices.

“I think you must hate Shakespeare. He spelled the same words differently and made up over 1700 words. This occurred over a times pan of how many years? Funnily enough, the audiences of the day were able to understand what he was saying, apparently unimpeded. Perhaps you are just dense!”


Tuesday

A COMMON SLIP

Identify and correct the error in the following sentence.

“It is definitely not equal between all of the parties.”

“Between” is used with two units. “Among” is used when referring to three or more units.

“It is definitely not equal among all of the parties.”


Wednesday

PRECEDENCE/PRECEDENTS

“Precedence” means giving priority, preference or primacy to something as in the star being given the better table than the amateur hockey player at a restaurant.

“Precedents” is just the plural of precedent, as in models, guides or standards for good behaviour.


Thursday

MANIC/MANIAC/MANIACAL

“Manic” (adj.) refers, in psychology, to a clinical condition, usually of frenzy or overexcitement.

“Maniac” (n.) refers to a crazy person, usually a fanatical type.

“Maniacal” is the adjectival form of “maniac” and the stress is on the second syllable.


Friday

A LITTLE TEST

In each of the following sentences, choose the correct pronoun.
Give reasons for each choice.

1. Is he the friend of (who, whom) you speak?
Is he the friend of whom you speak? (Objective case)

2. Are they the relatives (who, whom) you visited?
Are they the relatives whom you visited? (Objective case)

3. I do not know the girls (who, whom) we passed.
I do not know the girls whom we passed. (Objective case)

4. He is a man for (who, whom) I have great respect.
He is a man for whom I have great respect. (Objective case)

5. He is a mechanic (who, whom) my father works with.
He is a mechanic whom my father works with. (Objective case)

6. She is the girl (who, that) sang so well.
She is the girl who sang so well. (Subjective case)

7. The teacher praised the students (whose, who's) desks were tidy.
The teacher praised the students whose desks were tidy. (“Whose” is possessive; “who’s” is a corruption of “who is”.)

8. Anyone (who, whom) you choose may go with us.
Anyone whom you choose may go with us. (Objective case)

9. They are people (who, whom) we know well.
They are people whom we know well. (Objective case)

10. Find and correct the sentence above that needs to be rewritten.
(Sentence 5 should be rewritten because it ends in a preposition.)
“He is a mechanic with whom my father works.”


HOW TRUE

“Love is the difficult realization that something other than oneself is real.”
Iris Murdoch created this line.


DUMB CLICHÉS - Football Section

What on earth does this mean or imply?
Are they playing their first down?
Where is this point on the field?
How cool, really, is the dorf who said this?

"They're in four down territory."


LAST WEEK’S WORDS

“Contemptuousness” (n.) means scornfulness, distainfulness, condescension or sneering.

“Raconteur” (n.) refers to a narrator, a skilled storyteller or a conversationalist.

“Totalitarianism” (n.)refers to arbitrary or unrestrained exercise of power, dictatorship, tyranny or absolutism.

“Phantasm” (n.) is a vision, illusion, mirage or delusion.

“Impassionate” (adj.) means free from passion or dispassionate.