Here are the corrections and explanations for last week's postings.
Tuesday
HIM, HER/HE, SHE
“He” and “she” are subjective pronouns. The plural of both words is “they”.
“Him” and “her” are objective pronouns. The plural of both words is “them”.
They are not interchangeable.
“He saw her at the mall and they went to Tim Hortons for a coffee.”
“She liked him and his dog and wanted to go for a walk with them.”
“Him and her went shopping,” is totally incorrect and unacceptable.
Wednesday
COMPLETE SENTENCES vs. POETIC LICENSE
Read the story, "Riverside haunts steeped in nostalgia", written by Marty Gervais in The Windsor Star on September 3, 2008. (canada.com/windsorstar/index.html)
Count the number of incomplete thoughts there are in the story.
I do not like incomplete sentences because they tend to lead to lazy writing habits. I know Dickens and Shakespeare, two of the greatest writers in the English language, violated every rule in the book and I accept the poetic license but I challenge all writers to get the effects they want with correct English usage.
There are no major errors other than incomplete sentences in the piece but I suggest looking at the following:
“I am talking about myself and Eugene Moser; or “Gene” as I knew him.”
The other person should always be mentioned first.
“I am talking about Eugene Moser or “Gene” as I knew him, and myself.”
Thursday
CAPITAL/CAPITOL
“Capital” as a noun can refer to the city which is the seat of government such as in Ottawa being the Capital of Canada.
“Capital” as a noun can also refer to the funds one has available as in having limited capital to invest.
“Capital” as an adjective means first-rate, principal or highly important as in winning a lottery being a capital idea.
“Capitol” is a noun which refers, almost exclusively, to buildings such as theatres.
Friday
Find and correct the error in the following excerpt.
“Under the terms of the tunnel proposal, Infrastructure Ontario would loan $75 million to the recently formed Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Corporation.”
“Loan” is a noun and cannot be used as a verb.
“Under the terms of the tunnel proposal, Infrastructure Ontario would lend $75 million to the recently formed Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Corporation.”
AN EDUCATIONAL PEARL
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
This was created by Aristotle.
DUMB CLICHÉS - Next
"He hit that one right on the screws."
Does this make any sense whatsoever? It is a baseball cliché and there are no screws on a bat or a ball. The term should be reserved for old golfers who are still using persimmon clubs.
LAST WEEK’S WORDS
“Circumlocution” (n.) means a roundabout way of speaking or the use of too many words in speaking or writing.
“Diaphanous” (adj.) means almost see-through, sheer or gossamer.
“Neophyte” (n.) originally meant a converted heathen or one newly baptized. It has come to mean a beginner, a learner or a trainee.
“Miscreant” (n.) means a troublemaker, a villain, a reprobate or a scoundrel.
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