CORRECTIONS & EXPLANATIONS - April 19, 2009

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

Monday

WHAT IS WRONG?

Identify the problems in the examples cited below.

Customer: “May I have a double-double, please.”
Window Waitress: “That will be $1.40.”
Customer: “Thank you.”
Window waitress: “No problem.”

The waitress should say, “You’re welcome.”
“No problem” is a hideously self-focused expression that should be extirpated from the English language. The waitress should be thanking the customer, not discussing some form of personal aggrandisement.

Customer: “May I have a double-double, please.”
Window Waitress: “That will be $1.40.”
Customer: “Thank you.”
Window waitress: “You‘re welcome.”


“The man was so restless he fell off of the couch.”

“Off of” is the use of two prepositions. “Of” must be eliminated.

“The man was so restless he fell off the couch.”


“The little girl went missing on Saturday and the community is searching desperately to find her.”

“People do NOT “go missing”. They disappear. They are reported as missing.
BUT PEOPLE AND THINGS DO NOT “GO MISSING”!

“The little girl disappeared on Saturday and the community is searching desperately to find her.”


“One of the girls are going to graduate if they really work hard in the next three weeks.”

The subject of the sentence is “one”, not “girls”. The subject and the verb MUST AGREE. This error affects the rest of the sentence.

“One of the girls is going to graduate if she really works hard in the next three weeks.”


‘I was talking to Bob and he says to me that I should take it easy.’

“Says to me” is colloquial and is very poor English.

“I was talking to Bob and he said to me that I should take it easy.”


“I took the shot, I won the game.”

The error is called a “comma splice”. A comma cannot be used to join two principal clauses.

“I took the shot. I won the game.”


“Where did you get that from?”

The error here is ending a sentence in the preposition, “from”. This is not allowed. Also, it is redundant.

“Where did you get that?”


“A fine time to choke!”

This is an incomplete thought.

“They picked a fine time to choke!”


Tuesday

CORRECT WRITING CHALLENGES

What is incorrect or vague in the following entries?

“Which brings us to this so-called deadline week, with mediators running interference between the two sides four months after the last contract expired at the end of 2008.”

This is an incomplete thought because of the use of the subordinate conjunction, “which” at the beginning. A co-ordinate conjunction must be used.

“This brings us to this so-called deadline week, with mediators running interference between the two sides four months after the last contract expired at the end of 2008.”


“Let's hope CUPE is merely acting brave in the face of the economic whirlwind.”

“Brave” is an adjective being made to perform the function of an adverb. It has to be changed to an adverb.

“Let's hope CUPE is merely acting bravely in the face of the economic whirlwind.”


“They should ask the CAW how much support autoworkers are enjoying from the Canadian public. It's saddened a lot of them.”

The problem is the second sentence: “It’s saddened a lot of them.”
“It” is a relative pronoun. To what is it referring?
The two sentences are completely disjointed. Some rewording is needed.

“They should ask the CAW how much support autoworkers are enjoying from the Canadian public. The lack of public support would sadden a lot of them.”



Wednesday

Identify and fix the error in the following. What is the applicable rule?

“There are less words used.”

This sentence is incorrect.

Amount words relate to quantities of things that are measured in bulk.
“I drink less milk.”

Number words refer to things that can be counted.
“I eat fewer cookies.”

The correct form is, “There are fewer words used.”

According to the rule, words can be counted, so “fewer” must be used.


Thursday

PERIMETER/PARAMETER

“Perimeter” (n.) refers to the boundary, the edge or the outer limit of something.
The perimeter of the circle is a thick line.

“Parameter” (n.) refers to a mathematical constant, a set of physical properties, a limit, a stricture or a limitation.
The policeman is allowed to work within the “parameters” the law will allow.


Friday

WHENEVER/WHEN

“Whenever” is an adverb or an adverb conjunction. It can refer to repeated events or it can refer to events of uncertain date or time.
“He will arrive whenever the plane is released for take-off.”

“When” is an adverb or adverb conjunction used if an event is unique and its date or time are known.
He will arrive when the sun sets.”


A GOOD IDEA

Identify the author of the following concept.

“If we cannot live so as to be happy, let us least live so as to deserve it.”
Immanuel Hermann Fichte, a German philosopher, coined this phrase.


LAST WEEK’S WORDS

“Rube” (n.) is a slang word for an unsophisticated countryman.

“Extirpation” (n.) means total destruction, removal of something. The verb form is “extirpate”.

“Insatiable” (adj.) means voracious, greedy, avid or unquenchable

“Bourgeois” (n.) refers to a member of the middle class or to any person owning property. As an adjective, it means lacking in refinement or elegance.

“Vestigial” (adj.) refers to a make, a trace or something which is no longer present. The noun form, “vestige” comes from the Latin “vestigium” which means footprint.