Arlene Miller's Blog, page 29

Fun with Misplaced Modifiers

Image by GraphicMama-team from Pixabay

In the English language, words are generally understood to go with the words that are near them. Putting words in other places in a sentence often makes the sentence unclear — or even silly. The problem is generally with misplaced or dangling modifiers. These modifiers are generally prepositional phrases or participial phrases. Misplaced phrases are simply near the wrong word in the sentence. In dangling phrases the word they modify isn’t in the sentence at all. Misplaced modifiers are often hard to catch and are a common writing problem.

Here is my favorite dangler:

While still in diapers my mother remarried. 

Since while still in diapers is next to my mother, the sentence actually means my mother was still in diapers. While still in diapers refers to me, which isn’t even in the sentence and needs to be added: While I was still in diapers, my mother remarried.

Here is another dangler, missing “I”:

Reading a book by the window, my cat jumped onto my lap.

This would be silly unless cats have recently learned to read. While I was reading a book by the window, the car jumped onto my lap.

The two examples above contain dangling participles. Here is a misplaced one:

She read from her new book wearing glasses.

Although we pretty much assume it is the author who is wearing the glasses, the sentence says that the book is wearing glasses because the words are placed next to one another.

Here is a misplaced prepositional phrase:

You might like this mixing bowl set designed to please an expert cook with a round bottom for efficient beating. 

Who or what has the round bottom? The cook? You might like this mixing bowl set with a round bottom for efficient beating, designed to please an expert cook.

Here are more fun ones:

You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian composers, artists, and writers are buried daily except Thursday.

(Daily except Thursday, you are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian composers, artists, and writers are buried.)

I must ask you to banish all information about the case from your mind, if you have any.

(I must ask you to banish from your mind all information about the case, if you have any.)

Many of the members congratulated him for his speech at the end of the meeting and promised him their vote.

Here, we cannot tell if the members congratulated him at the end of the meeting, or if his speech was at the end of the meeting. (Many of the members congratulated him for his speech  and promised him their vote after the meeting was over.)

You might be interested in this antique desk suitable for a lady with thick legs and large drawers.

(You might be interested in this antique desk with thick legs and large drawers, suitable for a lady.)

I am selling several old dresses from grandmother in beautiful condition. 

Who is in beautiful condition? (I am selling several old dresses in beautiful condition that belonged to my grandmother.)

The farmer wanted to hire someone to take care of his horse who doesn’t’ smoke or drink.

(The farmer wanted to hire someone who doesn’t smoke or drink to take care of his horse.)

Teaser:

We almost made a profit of $10. 

How much did you make? Answer at the end of this post.

 

While we are having fun with words, here are some questions for you:

Is there another word for synonym?

If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages?

Does the little mermaid wear an algebra? 

How is it possible to have a civil war? (good oxymoron)

If you try to fail, but you succeed, what have you done?

Remember that there are many ways to rewrite a sentence. So in the rewritten sentences above, there are other options, including making a sentence into two sentences.

Answer to teaser:

You may not have made anything at all.

We almost made a profit of $10. You almost made a profit. You didn’t make anything.

We made a profit of almost $10.  You may have made $9 or $9.99….whatever profit you made, it was almost $10.

 

Stay safe and stay well.

Those Pesky Pronouns: Best of the Grammar Diva

This blog post was originally published on September 27, 2013. I am in a writing conference (virtual) this week, so I am running a Best of the Grammar Diva post. Enjoy!

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Pronouns are one of the eight parts of speech. They are used to stand in for a noun (or another pronoun), and they probably cause more trouble than any other part of speech. There are six varieties of pronouns.

1. Personal Pronouns:

   I                       me                  my/mine

    you                 you                 your/yours

     he                   him                his

     she                 her                 hers/her

     we                   us                  our/ours

     they                 them             their/theirs

      it                      it                    its

      who                whom            whose

 The pronouns in the first column are used for subjects in a sentence (nominative case). The ones in the second column are objects (objective case). Those in the last column are possessive (possessive case).

If you took Latin, you might remember these as nominative, accusative, and genitive (I think!)

A. She and I went to the movies.

She and I went to the movies with him and her. (If you have a problem deciding, just take out the other person, and see which sounds right by itself.)

B. It’s between you and me (Not you and I….these pronouns are the objects of the preposition between. You wouldn’t say between we, would you??)

C. Trouble with who and whom? Try substituting he and him. If he works, use who. If him works, use whom.

Who is going with you? (He is going with you.)
Whom are you inviting to the party? (I am inviting him to the party.)
With whom are you going? (I am going with him.)

D. Remember that none of the possessive pronouns (right-hand column) have apostrophes, so its doesn’t either when it implies ownership.

2. Demonstrative Pronouns:

This, that, these, and those — and they don’t usually cause problems. Just remember to use this and that with singulars, and these and those with plurals (not these kind of books, but these kinds of books).

3. Interrogative Pronouns:

Used to ask a question: Who, whom, whose, what, and which – These generally don’t cause a problem.

 4. Reflexive/Intensive pronouns:

These are the pronouns with -self at the end: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves

Remember: The only time you can correctly use myself in a sentence is when I is the subject. Likewise, you can use yourself only when you is the subject, and so on. 

Correct: I made myself a fancy dinner.

Incorrect: She told a story to him and myself. (should be me)

5. Indefinite Pronouns: 

There are many of these including the ones ending in -thing, -one, and -body: Nothing, something, anybody, everything, anyone, etc.

Those are all singular, which leads to a problem!  (There are several indefinite pronouns that are plural.)

Everyone is bringing their tents. (Everyone is singular and so is the verb is. But their, which stands in for everyone, is plural. This “mistake” is frequently made because there is no singular pronoun for a human that isn’t gender specific.  “Him or her” is awkward to say. Therefore, it has actually become acceptable to use the singular their. I don’t like it and would recommend just rewriting the sentence to avoid the problem:

Technically incorrect (but acceptable) – Everyone is bringing their tents.
Correct, but awkward – Everyone is bringing his or her tent.
Rewritten to solve the issue – Everyone is bringing a tent.

6. Relative Pronouns: 

These pronouns introduce clauses: which, that, who, whom, and whose.

Examples:

This is the boy who lives next door.
That movie, which I saw last year, is now out on DVD.

Just remember to use which and that for things; and who, whose, and whom for people. Also, use commas around the clause if you could take it out and preserve the meaning of the sentence. Use no commas around the clause if you need it to understand the sentence or identify whom or what you are talking about.

For more information on pronouns, you might want to buy my books. 

New World, New Vocabulary

Image by Fathromi Ramdlon from Pixabay

Will things ever be the same again? TV shows are broadcasting from cast’s homes. Some are relying on Patreon to make a living. We are homeschooling. The unemployment rate is sky high. Many of us are at home. We have a mask wardrobe. And we have new vocabulary. Much of this vocabulary applies to more than Covid-19, but for the sake of  this post, we will refer to everything in terms of Covid-19.

Here are a few new acronyms and abbreviations we were not familiar with a few months ago:

Covid-19 = Coronavirus that was first seen in 2019.

SIP = Shelter in place (staying home)

PPE = Personal protection equipment (masks and gowns for medical personnel)

And lots of new words:

Novel virus  – A virus that has not been seen before. Although there have been many other types of coronavirus before, not this one, Covid-19.

Epidemic versus Pandemic – An epidemic is the occurrence of a disease that spreads among many people in a location where it is not permanently present. A pandemic is a disease that has spread to an entire country or continents.

Quarantine versus self-quarantine versus isolation versus self-isolation – People are put into quarantine when they are not sick, but have been (or may have been) exposed to a disease, to help stop the spread. Self-quarantine is when someone isn’t ordered to go into quarantine but does so out of caution. A person who is infected with a disease and is infectious is isolated from healthy people to stop the spread. People who say they are self-isolating may or may not be infected with the disease. 

Asymptomatic – Without symptoms. Apparently some people who have Covid-19 may have no symptoms, but may be spreading the disease unknowingly. Good if you get it and have no symptoms, but bad since you are spreading it unknowingly.

Community Spread – People in a certain area becoming infected from others, whether they know who infected them or not. 

Flattening the Curve – The idea of slowing the spread of a disease like Covid-19 so that hospitals can accommodate the patient flow. There may not be fewer cases in total, but there are the same number of cases over a longer period of time.

Herd Immunity –  The opposite notion of flattening the curve, where you send everyone out to catch the disease until we become immune. Sweden has been trying this, and it didn’t work well for them.

Mask – Not just for Halloween anymore. The making of masks has become a big thing for those who sew. Some are making them for medical personnel (thank you. Some are making fanciful printed masks and selling them. Some are improvising their own masks with bandanas, thongs, and scarves.

Test– No grades given on these, just positive or negative. We hear “Test, test, test, ” and “Where are the tests?”  There has been lots of talk about the Covid-19 tests, which finally seem to be more available, even to those without symptoms. 

Antibody – You develop these if you have had Covid-19 already, with or without symptoms, and you might therefore be immune or somewhat immune to getting it again. The antibody tests are blood tests (unlike the cheek and nasal swab tests to see if you have the disease) and are starting to appear. However, we don’t know their accuracy and, more importantly, we don’t know if people are immune to getting it again or not.

Contact tracing – Finding those people whom infected people may have come in contact with and therefore exposed to Covid -19. For example, if someone who flew on a certain flight proved positive for Covid-19, the other passengers would be notified.

Ventilator – Machine that helps people breathe….and there weren’t enough of them. Or they were in the wrong places. Or broken. But we heard a lot about them.

Unemployment – Lots of that around, and you know what it is.

Front-line workers – Nurses, doctors, EMTs, other medical personnel, firefighters, and others who respond in a health crisis.

Essential workers – Those who still work during a pandemic because they are needed, including of course the front-line workers – also police, bankers, sanitation workers, etc.

Social distancing – Keeping space between you and everyone else when you leave home, so you don’t catch Covid-19 – in this case 6 feet.

Cuomo-sexual –   Those who highly approve of Governor Cuomo’s handing of the Covid-19 situation in New York.

Zoom – How we have meetings, learning experiences, and get togethers during the pandemic.

SNL at Home – A great try at making do with what you have…and somewhat a success!

Stay at Home – The new mantra

I am sure I have missed some of our “new vocabulary,” so let me know in the comments.

Stay well and stay home if you can.

 

 

Whatcha Doin’ At Home?

Image by Annalise Batista from Pixabay

I recently ran a couple of posts on your pandemic stories. Last week I asked what you are doing now that you are home most of the time.  I got some great replies, so here they are. The first one is more of a pandemic story and definitely worth a read. I did leave in a couple of compliments I got because they make me happy and very grateful. I hope these stories will do the same for you… And I did add what I am doing too!

Grateful from Across the World

Dear Arlene,

I love your grammar lessons and I have been reading the wonderful

stories from people all over the world, managing in these times. Feel

free to delete anything that is not suitable as per the situation.

Here is my story:

I have always wanted to attend a masquerade ball. I have seen them in

the movies, and always found it fascinating how people are not

recognized by the other characters in the movies, but we know who they

are. Of course, in my lifetime, I never got the opportunity to attend

any of those kinds of parties.

Little did I know that our lives would turn around and every day would

become a masquerade ball, where we have to hide behind masks, thanks

to Covid-19. It is not easy to recognize people with their masks on,

trust me.

It is interesting to see, though, how we are avoiding people in the

elevator, on the streets, on stairs, in hallways, in the aisles of the

supermarkets, or anywhere else. The virus has us fearing contact with

people, and we panic when we see someone coming our way. Social

distancing has become a terminology we use so freely. I also know,

that when all this is over (which it will be), we will use this sacred

terminology in a sarcastic, mocking, or humorous way.  I hope we will

not forget what all we have been through together as a world.

Until last year, I was teaching in China, and it was the hardest thing –

trying to protect myself from not getting banged into, pushed,

shoved, or coughed or sneezed at.  I always wondered how

they did not know basic courtesy. Don’t get me wrong. Those were the

best days of my life,  there in China. I am not judging their

culture. And since the onset of Covid-19, they have had to learn their lessons

the hard way.

However, I  do not want to dive into comparing people and cultures. I

want to share what I have learnt from the days in quarantine. After

all, we must concentrate on the positive and take every day as a

lesson. I am enjoying the experience of teaching from home, I have a

hot lunch every day, do Zumba in my living room every afternoon, and

every evening sit for meditation. I am concentrating on my well-being.

Teaching online was quite challenging in the beginning. But the most

amazing part has been how online teaching websites and resources have

opened up their hearts and websites to share free resources online. It

has been a blessing in disguise. My students did take their books home,

yet teaching online is not the same as teaching in the classroom.

This generation, which I call an IT generation, needs more stimulus to

stay engaged. And these online resources are just perfect to keep

them engaged – not to mention the ease of correction. I just need to

link my classrooms to that website; and my students receive the lessons

in their Google classroom, complete the tasks, and submit. The work gets

either corrected or I get to see where the students need extra help.

What more could I ask for?

I would like to shout out a huge “Thank You,  to all those “owners”

of those websites for opening up their hearts and sites and giving

teachers like me a world of resources to work with. My students are

learning, benefiting, and enjoying the teaching and learning process.

This is pure and selfless service to all students, parents, and teachers.

Bless you all. Stay safe, happy, and calm,

Kawita Thani, Secondary English Teacher in Jakarta, Indonesia

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Quiet Times

Hi Arlene,

I think you asked how people have been spending their time at home. Here

are a few of the things I’ve been up to:

1) Making sourdough bread (like 95 percent of the world, it seems).

2) Going through boxes of memorabilia accumulated from my (now-adult)

kids’ years in school. No, we don’t need the second-grade spelling

worksheet. I am snapping pics of things I really want to remember.

3) Attending Zoom meetings and webinars on meditation, writing, writing

and meditation, meditation and writing. And more meditation.

4) Checking graphs for signs of a downward-bending curve and studying

world maps. Appreciating Johns Hopkins for their relentless data

reporting, but feeling the immense suffering indicated by the

ever-expanding red circles.

5) Walking. And walking, and walking, and walking more. Alone, now

masked, and often on the phone with a friend who is also walking, to

simulate walking together.

6) Writing and editing. Well, mostly editing, since I have found it hard

to write anything that is not related to Covid-19.

7) Reading blogs/newsletters during the day and novels (as usual) in the

evening.

8) Watching Netflix and Amazon Prime (like 95 percent of the world).

Looking forward to getting back to grammar!

Stay well,

Audrey Kalman, author, California

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So Much Ambition!

Hi Arlene, 

I am very busy. I have done a complete spring cleaning of my house from ceiling to floors and everything in between. Last week, I began a project to repaint my kitchen cabinets. This should take me three weeks to complete. Yesterday, I made 18 cloth masks for family. Today I am resting. Back to the cabinets tomorrow. Walk a mile every day, weather permitting

If this goes longer than May 4th, I may start my fall cleaning!  LOL!

Elaine Pantano, Massachusetts

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One, Two, Three Priorities

Early on in the sheltering at home, I decided that I would do three things every day. 1) Walk or do tai chi 2) Practice trombone if only for ten minutes, and 3) Do the dishes. Everything else was negotiable. I don’t know why I did this. I used to only walk or do tai chi once or twice a week. I do know that it has been important. I sure haven’t FELT like doing the dishes. Without a decree, the plates and bowls probably would have stacked up like a Dr. Seuss illustration. The two days that I didn’t feel well and didn’t get my practicing and walks in, I felt myself slipping into a nebulous place with no schedule and no emotions. That’s okay for a short time, but I got back to my three things as soon as I could. I plan to keep them for the duration. When this is all over I’m going to have quads of steel.

Rae Rae Millard, Musician, Writer, California

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Making Good Use of Time

Here is a list of things I’m doing while sheltering in place:

Yoga

Meditation

Final editing of my 3rd book

Exercising on my stepper

Uploading 10 minute meditations for my students

Reading

FaceTiming with my kids, siblings, and grandkids

Playing Scrabble with my husband

Aliza Herbst

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Intellectual Undertakings

Not much of a change since my retirement in 2008. Instead of going shopping with my wife, I stay in the car (should have started that earlier…), and when she comes back I return the cart and disinfect it for the next customer – though some shopkeepers have a staff-member do that chore.

What we miss most, now that the weather is looking up, is going for a cappuccino on the “pavement terrace” of our favourite café, restaurants, and, of course, dining out with family and friends.

Personally, I had to go without attending the annual performance of Bach’s Saint Matthew’s Passion for the first time in 29 consecutive years (you may know that this is quite a popular thing in the Netherlands), but since I had already ordered tickets for the 2021 performance, these 2020 tickets will come in handy in 2022, I  hope . . .

So I have to make do with my laptop, tablet, and smartphone: watching Netflix on my tablet; reading Baldacci, Coben, Crais, Child, Lehane, Pelecanos, and many, many more on my tablet; doing some NLP-programming (No! Not Neurolinguistic nonsense, but genuine Natural Language Processing!) and logic programming, especially solving constraint logic problems (think of the Zebra-puzzle); and cheating on the weekly Sudoku challenges in Saturday’s newspaper, naturally.

So not much excitement during our “intelligent lock-down” as proudly presented by our Prime Minister, which may probably continue until the beginning of June, at least.

Stay well, all of you!

Will Snellen, Netherlands

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Keeping Busy

First: re “Forget Him”: [comment on last week’s blog post]

” He can’t give you love that isn’t there”  is how I originally learned the song, transcribing the words from a TV performance of it, so I guess some older but equally wise grammar diva must have come down on him like a ton of bricks?

Second, we’re zooming two to three meetings a day, then nicking away at the humongous  list of things we always said we’d rearrange, fix, or prune, if we ever had the time. Sadly, that’s no longer an empty threat.

Third,  I’m working on my book, finishing about a chapter a week.

Last, I’ve discovered that the pro-nutrition people lied.  A high-fiber, low-sugar, healthy diet has not made me thin.

Hope all is well with you.  You were one of our most popular speakers.

Knuti VanHoven, Fremont  (CA) Area Writers

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Not Much!

Every day at about 5 p.m. I ask the same question: Where did the day go? 

I moved from California to Florida last September to my daughter and son-in-law’s house. They were on tour, so I was here alone. I was planning to buy my own place here this spring or summer. Then Covid-19. They were due back in May, but they job got canceled in mid March, so here we are. I am very routine oriented so I do similar things every day. I get up early-ish to read and watch news. I watch entirely too much news, but I am cutting down a little. I  take care of e-mail and social media things in the morning. I haven’t been able to write much — except for this blog post, which gets done every Friday! Other than that, I walk the dog to the mailbox every day; exercise 30 or so minutes seven days a week; do a little writing, marketing, and research; watch a little Netflix with my kids; look at real estate online; eat carbs; do laundry and a little cleaning; read; and listen to political podcasts. Oh, and Zoom with friends, attend webinars, text, and phone my son and friends in California. I don’t bake bread or cook (but my son-in-law does), I don’t garden, I don’t meditate (although I try), and I don’t walk outdoors much. Too hot and humid by the time I get around to it. I find I am exhausted and have very little ambition. I don’t sleep well and fall asleep listening to podcasts. I think of all the things I could be doing….and keep rewriting my To Do lists.

Arlene, The Grammar Diva

 

 

Oy! The Things I Hear on TV!

Image by muhammad rizky klinsman from Pixabay

I must admit I have been a news junkie for the past several years. And during the past few weeks, my addiction has continued — until the last few days, when I decided I just couldn’t take it anymore. And it wasn’t just because of the bad grammar! However, in the past several weeks, there have been an unusually large number of guests (doctors and others) on cable news. I don’t expect everyone to have perfect grammar. But it does make me sad when doctors and other highly educated people make grammar faux pas. Here are some things I have heard recently.

The most frequent error I have heard is the fewer/less conundrum: saying less when fewer is correct. “less people, less cases, less tests…” and on and on.
I saw photo’s as a plural somewhere — must have been on a news chyron (I just learned how to spell chyron – the words at the bottom of the news screen).
I heard between used with I : between him and I . I hear that a lot, as I am sure you do and it makes me crazy!Argh!!!!!!!
I heard a doctor start a sentence with “Me and . . ..”
I heard a Los Angeles physician make two mistakes in one short interview that frankly appalled me, but that’s me:  1) less patients rather than fewer 2) have came to the emergency room (that is the one that really got me.)
Another medical person: “If I could have sang . . .”
Secretary of State Pompeo made a common mistake: We have arranged it where they don’t have to worry about getting home (no): We have arranged it so that they don’t have to worry about getting home (yes). 

I know that there is a very serious pandemic, and the grammar we hear on the news is the least of our problems. But this is a grammar blog, and I know I am not the only one driven crazy by these mistakes made over and over again. After all, isn’t it as easy to speak correctly as to speak incorrectly??

Speaking of songs — which we weren’t, but I was listening to oldies and cringed when I heard this one. You have to be pretty old to remember this song, and the error isn’t really a big one (in fact, I don’t even think it’s “wrong,” but it sounds really wrong to me):

1963, Bobby Rydell in the song “Forget Him”: He can’t give you love which isn’t there. (How about He can’t give you love that isn’t there?)

On the other hand, kudos to Tim Hardin, the songwriter who wrote “If I Were A Carpenter,” correctly using the subjunctive mood.

So…what are you doing while you shelter at home? Taking up a new hobby? Learning a new language? Taking online classes? Writing? Playing an instrument? Coloring? Watching a lot of Netflix? Shopping online? Sleeping? Baking? Cooking? Gardening? Talking to family members on Zoom or FaceTime? Playing computer games? Walking? Reading? Meditating? Working? Eating? Nothing? Please let me know for next week’s blog post. Don’t post a comment, please. Send me a short e-mail at bigwords101@yahoo.com — subject line “pandemic.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stay Safe: Stories from the Pandemic – 2

Image by Sumanley xulx from Pixabay

Still hunkering down, I hope….unless you are one of the heroes who needs to out and work with the public (thank you).  Here are more stories from the pandemic. Enjoy!

Good to Go

Except for the surgery, I have spent the last five weeks in isolation. Larder getting bare. Contacted two grocery stores to order groceries for pickup, so that I wouldn’t have to go into the store and someone could put my groceries into my trunk. I didn’t want to lift anything because I am not supposed to lift anything over 8 pounds. First store could bag my list in seven days. Second store could bag my list in eight days. Decided against that. Michigan is going to be worse next week than it is now.

Had three prescriptions to pick up and so off I went to the grocery store. They had a spray bottle for customers to spray their carts. I sprayed my hands also. After gathering my stuff and loading it into the trunk, I wiped down the handles, steering wheel, etc., with Clorox Wipes. Travel with those now.

Drove into the garage, shut the door, and stripped. I put everything that I was wearing into the washing machine. Got dressed and unloaded the trunk. I wiped down every article that I had bought before I put it away. Then I wiped the garage stuff that I had touched — door handles, etc. Then I wiped down everything that I had touched in the house.

I am good to go! I can spend another five weeks in isolation.

If I get the virus, I will know that I tried to avoid it.

Love to all my family members and friends. See you in the summer,

Mom/Carol

– Carol, Kalamazoo, Michigan

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New Numbers

Math was not my major, but now numbers have become hyper- relevant to me. It’s no longer Four and Twenty Blackbirds.  They’ve been replaced by the rules of Six and Twenty.  I am in the over-60 risk group, so when I venture out for necessities, I’m tempted to wear a hoop skirt or carry a yardstick to help me estimate the six feet I need to put between me and anyone else. I’m tempted, but I don’t do it. I just repeat it over and over in my mind until it drills a hole in my brain.  The same thing happens when I wash my hands with soap.  I lather up well, and then, instead of singing Happy Birthday or any of the other suggestions that have been posted on Facebook, I merely count to twenty, feeling righteous and pious. The last relevant number for me these days is nineteen, (as in Covid-19).  I pray that it and the other numbers will soon fade into disuse and remain a dim memory of the part of history others in the future will read about.

Evie, California

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We Still Need Books!

Here at Pro Audio Voices, we’re finding that authors are all the more in need of getting great stories and content out into the world to listeners who need resources and escapes. So we’re especially busy in this time of sheltering in place. Our team is spread across the globe, and I feel such gratitude and warmth for each of them — for the opportunity to see them via Zoom and to be a community. I feel like one of the best things we can do is to stay calm and be present for each other.

-Becky Parker Geist, California, Pro Audio Voices, Helping great stories come alive! 

Audiobook Production & Marketing, President of Bay Area Independent Publishers Association

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And We Still Need Music!

The first thing that happened was my gigs got canceled. Besides being my social outlet, gigs are a third of my income. Then schools got canceled, and I didn’t know if my teacher husband would get paid. All I had left were my trombone lessons. I messaged my students and gave them the option of lessons over FaceTime instead of coming to the music store, and every one of them opted for that.  I wondered if they would  just give up lessons for now? Would their parents continue to be able to afford lessons? I have never been so happy to see my students. All seven of them have been with me for years, and so we got to stare at each other and say how weird this all is. I realized in an instant what their parents were probably thinking. Lessons were one of the only links to their kids’ old schedule. Everything else was on hold. I think they were as happy to have me as I was to have them. My husband kept his salary for now, but getting to see my kids’ faces was worth more than the money I had been so worried about. Seeing their faces and keeping the music going is a commitment to the hope of being able to play in bands again in better times.

-Rae Rae, Petaluma, California, Professional Musician

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Grateful

As a single 72-year-old woman living in a luxury condo building in Atlantic City with my two cats, I am feeling grateful that I have a comfortable home, supplies for at least two months, activities that keep me engaged, and no one with whom to argue. Yes, I have been deprived of teaching dance classes and making pottery in a community art center, but the real lesson is about preparation for adaptability and change. I am very happy to say that I am passing this test. And in the words of Rumi, “This too shall pass.”

Another thought: While in the shower this morning, I thought about how fortunate we are to have the internet. Think about what happens if that gets a virus that really keeps us isolated. And no Amazon or Netflix or YouTube. Hmmmm.

-Judith Lokitch, Atlantic City, New Jersey, Tap Dancer and Potter

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What About Graduation?

This is all a big change and many people are in much worse situations than I am. A big part of my small publishing company’s sales come from school author visits and other events, so all the cancelations are felt. But my product (books) is not perishable. While it’s hard right now, we will bounce back. On the personal side of things, my son is a senior in a performing arts high school, and the kids in his program are very close. The school closures were announced while they were on Spring Break, so their world turned upside down without any warning. Prom is canceled and graduation is doubtful, but what is tough is they are realizing they may never be together again as a group. Their final Pops Concert is a big deal for them. The seniors select the music, and it’s when they get their senior recognition. The Pops Concert means more to the kids than the graduation ceremony. It’s hard to see the kids miss out on it. When my son was a freshman, I remember thinking I’ll be a mess at his last Pops Concert, and now I’m a mess because it may never happen.

-Luana Mitten, Mom and Publisher, Tampa, Florida

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Cruising Call to Shore

We’d been on the cruise for four days when eight Panamanian masked military men jumped off the tender and boarded our sailing ship. I was just stepping down from the ladder when they arrived. Pushing down the alarm that blared in my chest, I joined my nervous shipmates in the lobby. News of coronavirus filled the flat screen TV that hung in the hall. The captain’s voice came on the loudspeaker. “All passengers are to report to the Lounge.” And that’s when our vacation took an unexpected turn.

-Jeanne Jusaitis, children’s author, Petaluma, California

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Dressing for the Occasion

Even though the COVID-19 plague has many of us cocooned safely away at home, for some people, work continues online. For those whose professions require “virtual” meetings, here are a few useful tips:

If Time-Zone Follies require you to join a coast-to-coast meeting at “O Dark Thirty” and you haven’t yet managed to brush your teeth, save everyone from your Buffalo Breath by sitting at least two meters (six feet) from the microphone.

If it’s the kitchen that serves as your home office and you want your computer mouse to remain in good working order throughout the meeting, be sure to move the peanut butter, honey and ketchup off the table. And pull the photos of you and your buddies in goofy party hats off the fridge door.

Did you set up the man cave as your work-from-home hideaway? Don’t forget to remove the Playboy calendar from the wall behind your chair.

Is the bedroom doubling as your home office? Get that pile of laundry out of sight and for God’s sake make sure there’s no bra or panties left carelessly dangling from the handles of your Bowflex.

If your computer’s built-in camera catches a field of view wide enough to include the area behind your chair — you know, the one your spouse routinely passes through en déshabillé — the moment you hear said spouse starting to shuffle past, draw attention away from the embarrassing visual by leaning forward and loudly blowing your nose.

If you have small children or elderly parents living with you and, as a consequence, have rigged the entire house with an intercom or baby monitors, be sure to mute the one in the privvy for the duration of the meeting. After all, you wouldn’t want to broadcast bathroom audio [turn up the sound here, if you dare] to your entire audience.

Dressing for the occasion — best practices:

If your shirt is decorated with last night’s spaghetti sauce, undo the top four buttons and entertain everybody instead with a view of your hairy chest.
Anyone over 60 who sleeps in their birthday suit and thinks ZOOM is an invitation to “come as you are” is excused from the meeting.

Stay safe! Stay healthy! And don’t lose your sense of humor!

-Howard Daniel, Professional Writer, Santa Rosa, California

If you would like to read more of Howard Daniel’s great pandemic blog posts, click here!

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1. We will be getting back to grammar next week. I have been watching a lot of news lately (not too different than usual, if you know me!), and the grammar goofs make me crazy! More about that next week!
2. Idea for a new blog post: What are you doing to keep busy during sheltering in place? Working at home? Taking an online class? Reading more? Eating more? Taking up a new hobby? Cleaning out your closets? Unable to do much of anything?  Please shoot me an e-mail with what you have been doing (not a comment on this blog please) to bigwords101@yahoo.com
Stay home and be well!

 

Stay Safe: Stories from the Pandemic – 1

I loved your stories about what you are doing and thinking about in this unusual time. I have printed six of them today and will print the remainder of them next week. Please, if you have a story to share with my readers (a paragraph will do), send it along to me at bigwords101@yahoo.com. We want to read it!

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The Show Can’t Go On 

Being in the entertainment industry, I was one of the first to be affected by the regulations set forth during the Corona Virus, or Covid-19, pandemic. When I first heard about the virus, since I didn’t really watch the news, I wasn’t too bothered by it. There were some new regulations our company enacted to help keep our performers safer, like disinfecting the costumes and having hand sanitizer more available backstage. But, within a week or two, I went from being unbothered, to my life coming to a crashing halt. I was touring with Disney on Ice and we were in Southaven, Mississippi, when the NBA canceled their season. We knew we would be next. Sure enough, our tour — and all touring units of Disney on Ice — were canceled for the foreseeable future.

I was numb. I knew it had to be something big to cancel the entire tour. We were known for never canceling even one performance. Even as we wrapped up our tour that last day, the virus didn’t really change how I interacted with the people around me. We were such a close group that “social distancing” was too little too late. But when I flew home — seeing the airport empty — I think that’s when it really hit me. Since then, I have changed the way I do things. I wash my hands constantly and only leave the house when essential. During these last few weeks I went from being in a different city every week — being in contact with likely thousands of people — to being home with my Husband, Mom and dog. And, not only stuck at home — but unemployed and cut off of my health insurance as of the end of the month. I try to look for the silver linings as well as what the world is learning at a time like this. This is what I am paying attention to now: companies that are paying their employees even if they can’t work, states/countries making the right choices, who is helping by making masks and contributing to good causes. It is a weird time and the unknown is scary, but I am doing my best to try and stay positive by looking for the good in people and using this isolation time wisely.

-Shelley Bindon, Entertainment Industry

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From a Retired Nurse

We have been sheltered in place for 13 days. It really hasn’t been too bad since I am retired from nursing. But Jim’s legal deposition video business has come to a halt. And the stock market collapse has caused worry.

But the fear of the unknown with this Covid-19 Is overwhelming! We haven’t gone to the store, but plan to Tuesday at 5:30 a.m. using all the recommended precautions: unpacking the groceries like a nurse or doctor would do a sterile dressing change.

But my grief is the fear for all the front-line folks who are out there serving us and making our lives safe and easier. My heart goes out to the medical field with all their shortages. I feel bad that I am not there by their sides, but I know it would be so hard for me; it was a challenge on the best of days caring for patients. Throwing this Covid disaster in there would be frightening as well as exhausting. So far we stay in and cook. Trying new things. We walk the dogs daily in our neighborhood. Watch a lot of TV. Jim does puzzles, and I do chores and Facebook. Still haven’t gotten into home projects. Just not into it.

But it is what it is. Making the best of it. I am trying not to overreact to media. I am also trying not to judge people harshly for their actions. We want this to be over. In the meantime I will enjoy Facebook games, looking for teddy bears in neighborhood windows, watching Colbert, Kimmel, and Fallon. Also watching and sharing the funny Covid-19 spoofs about toilet paper, and a gal protecting herself using a peripad as a mask. Be safe all

-Edie Partridge, Retired Nurse

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Helping Out the Elderly

I not only work at Marin Villages, where I get a salary, but I also am a volunteer. On Friday I picked up groceries and delivered them to a low-income member. I, of course, used a mask and gloves and social distanced from her to keep both of us safe. She (let’s call her Sue, to protect her identity) was so appreciative that she started to cry. Then she told me that she has breast cancer and she cannot get her required surgery right now because her doctor does not want her to be in the hospital and possibly be exposed to COVID-19. We both then cried again. It is so heartwarming to be able to help older adults during this time, and they are very appreciative.

-Diane Castro, Novato, CA

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A Spiritual Community

When the spiritual leaders of All Paths to God arranged in lieu of our Sunday morning worship to ‘gather together’ every day through prayer at noon, I knew I’d participate. With all the influences shaping my world,  I saw this gathering as a way to ‘connect’  to Source and take time to bring our common voices together as one.  For me, prayer has always been a singular and private experience. Except for the one hour on Sunday morning when our congregation gathers for worship, I’ve always chosen to pray in my own way at no specific time. After two weeks of this daily commitment, I’m finding this set-aside time shapes the remainder of the day. I can actually feel comfort from 12-12:30. There is a knowingness that I am not alone, that I have community for sharing, for caring, and for support.  Yes, like all of us, I am very worried about the vulnerability of my family and friends, of the risk responders who are at every moment the heart and soul of this country.  I, too, see the numbers, listen to the news, and feel the pain that so many of our fellow travelers are experiencing.  For me, it’s challenging to remain strong, to believe that the situation will eventually improve, and we will return to normalcy. It’s challenging to look into the unknown future and wrap myself around the numbers who have died, who have been financially ruined –and think that our collective noontime prayer will make a difference. In all of this, I will remain diligent.  I will do my part to spread love. I will do my part to trust God.  I will do my part to believe that the solidarity and will of the inhabitants of this great country will come together as they have under so many other challenging times and be stronger than ever.

So, I pray and trust that my prayers for well-being-for-all will be answered.

-Bonnie Ross-Parker, Author

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Fun with Grandchildren

First and foremost, stay safe and healthy, Arlene, and ohhh don’t mind my grammar or punctuation

Let’s Talk About Last Week’s Quiz

Image by Mariana Anatoneag from Pixabay

Last week we had a quiz about some often confused (no, not by you!) words. The answers were provided, so here is a little discussion on why the answers are what they are:

 Hold tightly onto the (reigns, reins), or you will be thrown off the horse! 

There are three words pronounced the same way. Rain, which is weather and a noun or verb;  reign, which means to rule (verb), but can often be used as a noun: the King’s reign. Then there are the pieces of leather on the horse: rein.

Do you know the (principle, principal) rules of chess?

Did you get this one, my trick question? There are four words that sound the same, and three of them are spelled the same. Principal can be money, like your mortgage principal. Principal is also the person who runs the school. Principal also means primary or most important (adjective) or the most important one (noun). Principle means a rule or ethic. In the question, I already have the word rule, so principal is describing the rules as the most important ones, thus spelled principal.

Children’s pajamas are always (inflammable, nonflammable).

Tricky one here. Flammable and inflammable mean the same thing: able to catch fire. It is only nonflammable that means the opposite.

She lives a little (farther, further) down the street than you do.

Farther refers to distance.  Further means any longer: I don’t want to discuss this further. Sometimes there is truly a fine line between them.

I made an (illusion, allusion, elusion) to Shakespeare in my speech.

Although elude is a word (to avoid or escape the attention of), elusion is not. An illusion is something that isn’t there (and illuse is not a word). Allude is a verb and allusion the noun, meaning a reference to something.

She always seems to be (averse, adverse) to our plans.

These words are both adjectives. Averse is being against or opposed to something. Adverse means unfortunate: These are definitely adverse weather conditions for sailing. 

She said, “(All right, Alright), I will go with you.

No matter what the sentence is, the answer is all right. Alright as one word is slang and has the same meaning. 

The (number, amount) of students has increased in the past year.

This pair of confused words is the cousin of less and fewer. Amount is used with things that cannot be counted or singulars. Number is used for plurals and things that can be counted: The amount of traffic has increased. The number of cars has increased.

I have a new pair of (canvas, canvass) sneakers.

While you might wear your canvas shoes when you canvass, canvass means to solicit sales or answers to a survey, etc., in a neighborhood.

Do they even sell (stationery, stationary) to write letters on?

Stationary is the one related to place. Both stationary and place have a’s. Stationery is used to write letters. Stationery and letter have e‘s.

I (shined, shone) my shoes yesterday.

Both answers are okay, but shined is preferred when there is a direct object. I shined my shoes as the sun shone.

The sun (shined, shone) all day yesterday.

See above.

He is the (soul, sole) person in the room who is over 30.

Soul means that part of you that is not your body. The other soles are all spelled the same way: the only, the fish, and the bottom of your foot.

Are you (supposed to, suppose to) sign in first?

Suppose to is incorrect. The correct modal verb phrase is supposed to.

Did you get a (warrantee, warranty) with your new television?

Warranty is the paper.  Warrantee is the person who gets it. 

(Whoever, Who ever) even goes to gym these days?

Whoever is some person.  If you can put a word between who and ever and it makes sense, they are separate words: Who on earth ever does that any longer. 

I will give the last muffin to (whoever, whomever) asks for it.

If there was any answer you missed, I bet it was this one. It looks as if the answer should be whomever, as it comes after the preposition to. However, it is not the object of to; it is the subject of the noun phrase whoever asks for it. Every verb in a sentence needs a subject (unless it is a command, where the subject might be implied). What is the subject of asks? Must be whoever. Whomever is used as an object, not a subject. 

I feel (bad, badly) about losing the contest.

I know. Lots of people want to say badly, but bad is the correct answer. Feel is a linking, or sensory, verb here. It connects I and bad. Such verbs take adjectives, not adverbs. Badly is an adverb, and adverbs are used with action verbs: I sew badly. So if you use feel as an action verb here (which it can sometimes be), I feel badly means that your fingertips aren’t doing a good job

I plan to publish a (semimonthly, bimonthly) newsletter that comes out the first and third weeks of every month.

If you are publishing two times a month, as the sentence says, it is semimonthly. Bimonthly usually refers to once every two months, although many people do use it to refer to twice a month.

The (peddles, pedals) on this bicycle don’t work correctly.

You might pedal around town peddling magazines, but the things on your bike are pedals.

Please come visit me in my new house (sometime, some time).

Sometime is some future time. Some time means an amount of time: Do you have some time to help me?

If you go (towards, toward) the library, you will get to the new school.

Either answer is fine. The Americans usually leave off the s. The British use the s.

He paid only a small fine for his (venal, venial) traffic offense of parking in the space for too long. 

I am quite sure I have never used either of these words. Venial means able to be forgiven, minor. Venal means able to be bought off: The venal judge was removed from the bench after taking bribes.

If you think I am going to clean up that mess you have another (think, thing) coming.

Surprisingly (at least to me), the correct phrase is another think coming.

(By and large, By in large), this is a great book.

The correct phrase is by and large, although some people say by in large, or at least it sounds that way, probably because that is what they heard when someone said it. 

She has (deep seated, deep seeded) religious beliefs.

They sit deeply somewhere, but not in the garden. They are seated. This idiom means firmly established.

TWO SUPER-IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS

1 If you are sitting there at home these days, you might want a grammar book. If you do, and you like e-books, you can get any of my books on Kindle or any other e-reader. But now you can also get most of my e-books  on my website and pay with Paypal. That will lead you to my store on Payhip. Use either of these links:

Home page of my website

Payhip Store

2 I know some of you are writers and some not. I know some of you live in the United States and some not. I would love to do a blog post of pandemic stories: what is the situation where you are, and what are you doing? Anything special going on?  How are you filling your time? Whom are you with? Anything…please make the stories short – a paragraph is fine. If I get enough I will write a post next week, so get them to me by Thursday. Don’t worry if they are not literary masterpieces; I will edit anything glaring. Please e-mail your stories to bigwords101@yahoo.com (please do NOT write your story in the comments section of the blog). Put this in the subject field: Story for Blog. Thank you!!!

Stay well!!!!!!!!! 

A Little “Which Word” Quiz For You!

If you are getting bored at home — or even if you aren’t — here is a little word usage quiz for you. Scroll down to find the answers:

 Hold rightly onto the (reigns, reins), or you will be thrown off the horse!
Do you know the (principle, principal) rules of chess?

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

Children’s pajamas are always (inflammable, nonflammable).
She lives a little (farther, further) down the street than you do.
I made an (illusion, allusion, elusion) to Shakespeare in my speech.
She always seems to be (averse, adverse) to our plans.
She said, “(All right, Alright), I will go with you.
The (number, amount) of students has increased in the past year.
I have a new pair of (canvas, canvass) sneakers.
Do they even sell (stationery, stationary) to write letters on?
I (shined, shone) my shoes yesterday.
The sun (shined, shone) all day yesterday.
He is the (soul, sole) person in the room who is over 30.
Are you (supposed to, suppose to) sign in first?
Did you get a (warrantee, warranty) with your new television?
(Whoever, Who ever) even goes to gym these days?
I will give the last muffin to (whoever, whomever) asks for it.
I feel (bad, badly) about losing the contest.
I plan to publish a (semimonthly, bimonthly) newsletter that comes out the first and third weeks of every month.
The (peddles, pedals) on this bicycle don’t work correctly.
Please come visit my in my new house (sometime, some time).
If you go (towards, toward) the library, you will get to the new school.
He paid only a small fine for his (venal, venial) traffic offense of parking in the space for too long. 
If you think I am going to clean up that mess you have another (think, thing) coming.
(By and large, By in large), this is a great book.
She has (deep seated, deep seeded) religious beliefs.

Scroll down for the answers:

 

 

Keep scrolling…

 

 

 

Keep scrolling ….

 

 

 Hold rightly onto the reins or you will be thrown off the horse!
Do you know the principal rules of chess?
Children’s pajamas are always nonflammable.
She lives a little farther down the street than you do.
I made an allusion to Shakespeare in my speech.
She always seems to be averse to our plans.
She said, “All right, I will go with you.”
The number of students has increased in the past year.
I have a new pair of canvas sneakers.
Do they even sell stationery to write letters on?
I shined my shoes yesterday.
The sun shone all day yesterday.
He is the sole person in the room who is over 30.
Are you supposed to sign in first?
Did you get a warranty with your new television?
Who ever even goes to that gym these days?
I will give the last muffin to whoever asks for it.
I feel bad about losing the contest.
I plan to publish a semimonthly newsletter that comes out the first and third weeks of every month.
The pedals on this bicycle don’t work correctly.
Please come visit my in my new house sometime.
If you go toward the library, you will get to the new school.
He paid only a small fine for his venial traffic offense of parking in the space for too long. 
If you think I am going to clean up that mess you have another think coming.
By and large this is a great book.
She has deep seated religious beliefs.

We will discuss the answers next week. A couple of the answers are preferred, but both choices would have been correct.

Stay Well! Stay Home!

 

 

I Think We All Need Some Humor (Humour)

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Things have gotten pretty serious over the past week. I thought you might appreciate a little humor. Some of these you may have seen before, but others are likely to be new. Apparently, these are actual signs, headlines, ads, etc. Enjoy! (P.S. All typos are theirs!)

 

Students Cook and Serve Grandparents (headline)

 

Manure woman requires work. Not to heavy, 20+ hours per week (ad)

 

County Spelling Bee Postoned One More Time (headline)

 

Statistics Show That Teen Pregnancy Drops Off Significantly After Age 25 (headline)

 

Want to Spell Like a Champ? Read Wenster’s Dictionary (ad)

 

Midget Sues Grocer, Cites Belittling Remarks (politically incorrect headline – sorry)

 

Honey mustard chicken diapers with dipping sauce (menu item)

 

School Suplies (sign)

 

Employees must wash hands before living (sign)

 

One in For Kids Drops Out of High School (headline – and they work for this newspaper!)

 

One-Armed Man Applauds the Kindness of Strangers (headline – wrong word choice!)

 

Man Accused of Killing Lawyer Receives a New Attorney (headline)

 

Imagine More Snacks Than You Can Imagine (ad)

 

Bishops Agree Sex Abuse Rules (headline)

 

Child Care Provider. Apply in person, Jack and Kill Childcare (want ad)

 

Students Get First Hand Job Experience (headline – hyphens are important!)

 

Marijuana Issue Sent to Joint Committee (headline)

 

Tables are for eating customers only: No loitering (sign)

 

No Pubic Restroom (sign)

 

Correction: A headline on an item of the Enquirer Bulletin incorrectly states “Stolen Groceries.” It should have read “Homicide.” (newspaper correction – HUH??)

 

So Fun, They Won’t Even Know Their Learning (ad)

 

It Takes Many Ingredients to Make Burger King Great, but “Our secret ingredient is our people.” (ad)

 

Violators will be towed and find $50 (promise?)
 
Stay Well and Stay Calm