CORRECTIONS & EXPLANATIONS - June 14, 2009

Here are the corrections for last week’s entries.

Monday

Find and correct the errors in the following examples.

“Later in the same game, Johann Franzen's flip shot from behind the goal line banked into the net off of Fleury's pad.”

“Off” and “of” are prepositions. It is grammatically incorrect to use them together.

“Later in the same game, Johann Franzen's flip shot from behind the goal line banked into the net off Fleury's pad.”


“In games like this, all the pressure falls on one guy.
The fellow between the pipes.”

(Note the two paragraphs in the example.)
There must be only one paragraph because of the direct connection between the ideas.
The second group of words is an incomplete thought because there is no verb. It should be combined with the first.

“In games like this, all the pressure falls on one guy, the fellow between the pipes.”


Tuesday

A.D./B.C.

“A.D.” means “anno domini” and is Latin for “in the year of the Lord”, meaning the birth of Jesus Christ from which our calendar is derived.

“B.C.” is an English phrase meaning “before Christ” or before the birth of Jesus Christ.

Most scholars suggest Christ was born in 6 B.C. which, technically, throws the calendar completely out of whack.


A.M./P.M.

“A.M.” is a Latin phrase meaning “ante meridiem” or “before noon”.

“P.M.” is a Latin phrase meaning “post meridiem” or “after noon”.

“Ante” means “before”. “Post” means “after”. Note the spelling of “meridiem”, meaning “mid-day”.


Wednesday

CANON/CANNON

Canon” refers to a list of approved works or a musical form such as Pachelbel”s Canon.

A “cannon” is a large piece of artillery such as a large gun.


Thursday

MORE INITIALS

e.g./i.e.

The term “e.g.” is taken from the Latin phrase meaning “exempli gratia” and means “for example”.

The term “i.e.” is taken from the Latin phrase “id est” and means “that is”.

The two terms are not interchangeable.


Friday

Define and fix the error in the following piece.

“How the Tigers might effect that decision remains to be seen.”

“Effect” is a noun as in, “The effect of brutal cold is often frostbite”.
“Affect” is a verb as in, “They will affect us greatly is they abandon us”.
There are variations when each word can be used differently, but the context of this sentence demands the use of “affect”.

“How the Tigers might affect that decision remains to be seen.”


THINK!

Who created the following line?

“You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try.”
Beverly Sills, an American opera singer said this.


LAST WEEK’S WORDS

“Largess” (n.) means a generous bestowal of gifts, openhandedness or philanthropy.

“Ulterior” (adj.) means lying beneath what is revealed, deliberately concealed or clandestine.

“Abject” (adj.) means hopelessness, utter resignation, dismal or gloomy.

“Pillory” (v.) means to expose to public scorn or ridicule.

“Pillory” (n.) is a framework with holes cut in it to secure the head and hands and which is used to expose an offender to public derision.

“Calumniate” (v.) means to charge falsely, to defame, to smear or to denigrate someone.