Arlene Miller's Blog, page 38

Seeing Red?

I am happy to present to you a guest post by Jags Arthurson . . .

I love words. Not just the meaning of words but their etymology: where they came from; how they evolved; how their meanings, sounds, and rhythms have changed with changing culture and social mores. Words tell us so much about how times and thinking have evolved. For example, think of all the words earlier generations used that are no longer acceptable or “politically correct.” And swear words—the worst words we can utter—lose their impact and soften over time. “By Our Lady” (absolutely obscene in the Middle Ages) became “bloody” (still quite risqué when I was 11 and caned for using it), now so mild as to be almost acceptable in front of children.

Every concept needs words to express it and without the words simply cannot exist. The Sami people of Lapland, the so-called “Eskimos of Europe,” have nearly ninety words for snow. They need these in order to survive. We get by with snow, sleet, slush and a few others, but they need to be able to tell each other when snow is safe to walk on or if it will swallow a sled and team in an instant. Will it allow fast passage? Or cling to the runners, dragging on progress and tiring the reindeer? (Try Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow by Peter Høeg.)

On the other hand, giving certain meanings to words can control the way we think. There are people in Africa who physically cannot tell the difference between certain shades of blue and green … because they use just one word to describe all those colours. This idea is explored in some detail in George Orwell’s 1984 when Big Brother changes the meaning of words on an almost daily basis in order to control the thinking, and therefore behaviour, of the people.

And if you think you are immune, here is a perfect example:

In Europe we have a bird, the European Robin, Erithacus rubecula. “Robin Redbreast”—usually depicted standing on a snow-covered log—adorns Christmas cards across the globe, even in countries that have never seen a living example of the creature.

Ask anybody, from the tiniest tot to a grown adult, to draw one or colour in an outline, and the first colour they will reach for is scarlet. Everybody knows the colour.

So red are the chest feathers of this bird that there are folk stories from across Europe telling how this colour arose, mainly involving the blood of Christ during the crucifixion.

When the Victorians introduced the world’s first national postal delivery system, the delivery boys’ uniforms included a crimson waistcoat and they were immediately nicknamed “Robins.”

In Latin rubecula indicates “red.”

But there is a problem because the breast of the European Robin is not red—it’s orange! Even people who see these birds on an almost-daily basis will insist this statement is incorrect, and the breast is red. Shown a photograph as proof, they may suggest there was something wrong with the development process, or the film, or the camera … anything except that they might have been misled, or have misled themselves, all these years. Okay, have you just Googled “European Robin”? Were you surprised that I am right? Proof of the power of words.

So how did this strange situation come about?

The problem is that the bird has existed alongside man for tens of thousands of years, but the word orange didn’t enter the English language until the sixteenth century. Until then there was “red” and variations of “red.” The nearest the language had to orange was “yellow-red” (geoluread—geh-olloo-reh-ahd—in Old English). But “Robin Geoluread-Breost” doesn’t have much of a ring to it, does it?

The word orange probably originated as the name of the fruit in Sanskrit or Tamil, arriving in Europe via the Arabic naranj (they’re all very similar to modern Spanish’s naranja). When the Europeans acquired the “yellow-red” fruit, they started using the name to describe the colour.

But wait a minute. How did naranj morph into orange? By a process called “rebracketing” or “wrong word division,” and it’s easy to see how “a naranj” became “an aranj” and finally “an orange.” This process was also seen when, for example, a napron became an apron, or in reverse when an eke name (literally an “also name”) became a nickname.

But orange presented another difficulty to the English language in that it is one of the few words for which there is not a perfect rhyme. But on that score I think we might also have struggled with geoluread too.

 

Jags Arthurson

Jags Arthurson is the pen name of a Brighton, UK writer. Jags has been a research chemist and company director. He has lived and worked in over 40 countries. His acclaimed first novel, the crime thriller Pagan Justice, is available on Amazon with all proceeds going to charity.

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Grammar Diva News
Saturday, September 8 is a big day!
Come to Writer’s World, presented by the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association! Bring a friend and one of you gets in for FREE! Many speakers, vendors and workshops for writers, editors, indie publishers, and anyone interested in the world of writing and publishing. I will be speaking at 11 a.m. about The Wonderful World of Words: What is the difference between a writer and an author? What leeway do writers have in following/breaking grammar rules? Grammar and Punctuation Q and A, and Word Trivia!  Click here for details!
That same day, from 2 to 5 p.m., come on down to the Petaluma branch of the Sonoma County Library to meet (and buy books from) 30 local authors. I will be there with my books. 
Finally, after much tribulation….To Comma or Not to Comma is out in print as well as e-book format. Check it out on Amazon. It will also be available for sale at both the aforementioned events!

 

 

The Grammar Diva’s Gastronomical Greasy Spoon

If you owned a restaurant, what would you name it? Joe’s Place (substitute your own name)? Main Street Tavern? Cooked? The Grill? 

I recently read that there is a trend for names of restaurants to be adverbs. I thought I would find out, so I looked up the top thirty restaurants in my city. I found no adverbs. Did you ever hear of a restaurant called Slowly? Deliciously? When? I didn’t think so.

I did find one restaurant whose name is a complete sentence—an exclamatory one, with two exclamation points—What a Chicken!! It is actually a Mexican restaurant. I have been there once, and I won’t forget it. I apparently cut my tongue with a chip and nearly bled to death. But enough about me….

No adverbs, but I did find a few restaurants whose names were adjectives, actually past participles: Twisted, Seared, and Sauced (wine, steak, and ribs in that order). Those are three separate places.

Possessives were pretty popular, understandably. Just look at the title of this post. We have Gator’s Rustic Burger and His Creole Friends, Sax’s Joint, Chili Joe’s, Alfredo’s Italian Restaurant, Sarah’s Eats and Sweets, and Brewster’s Beer Garden. Makes sense that people like to name restaurants after themselves or their kids— or someone imaginary.

Some restaurants are named for their location: The River Front Cafe, The Water Street Bistro, Central Market (not actually on Central, but in the center of downtown), 256 North,  and Fourth and Sea, which is also a play on words. It’s a fish and chips place at Fourth Street and C. 

Many restaurants are solitary nouns: 

Pearl—Someone’s name perhaps?
Wishbone
Crocodile (I think it’s French…)
Stockhome–Another play on words. Scandinavian food (or the home of soup?)

Some owners name their restaurants by defining what they offer you: The Speakeasy, The Shuckery, Pub Republic, and Brasil BBQ.  You pretty much know what you are going to get there.

So what is left? Verbs? No, I didn’t see any verbs. But I saw a couple of names that didn’t fit into any category. 

Cafe Zazzle. What is a zazzle? Maybe a cross between dazzle and zing???It says it is a cafe, but it really isn’t. It has a fusion menu. Kind of vegetarian, kind of Asian. Catchy, nonetheless. Wouldn’t’ you want to check it out?
The Drawing Board. Beats me. 

So now, what is with the goats? I have heard of goat yoga. But in my general vicinity we have the Wild Goat Bistro, Flying Goat Coffee, and Crooked Goat Brewing.  Are goats wild? flying? or crooked?

 

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Grammar Diva News
Come to Writer’s World, sponsored by the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association! I will speaking about the Wonderful World of Words at 11 a.m. The event is on Saturday, September 8, at Dominican University in San Rafael, CA. Click here for more info.
On the same day as Writer’s World—in the afternoon from 2-5—come celebrate Petaluma authors at the Petaluma branch of the Sonoma County Library! Click here for more info.
I am waiting for the proofs from Amazon for To Comma or Not to Comma. Will be available in paperback in a week or less on Amazon. It will be available in a couple of weeks on all other online bookstores and to order from any bookstore.

Hand Out This Handout: Phrasal Verbs

We know what a verb is. And we know that a phrase is a group of words, usually a small group. So a phrasal verb is a verb that is more than one word. Usually it is a verb followed by a preposition: hand out. Well, that isn’t quite right because hand is a noun. But when paired with out, it becomes a verb. You can also pair hand with in, off, over, and to and voila! You have a verb. Most phrasal verbs, however, are verbs paired with prepositions — or what seem to be prepositions. Actually, they are often referred to as adverbs, not prepositions.

A preposition is generally thought to be part of a prepositional phrase: preposition+article (usually)+noun or pronoun:

in the doghouse
above the clouds
under the table
to the mall
between the houses
outside the lines

When you put what looks like a preposition after a verb, it becomes an adverb: She walked outside.  Please come in.

In any case, a verb that contains more than one word is a phrasal verb. And many phrasal verbs are also nouns. However, when you make a phrasal verb into a noun, it usually becomes one word, and that is where many people mess up. I see phrasal verbs written as one word, when they should be two. It is the noun that is one word. It is not as common that I will see the noun written as two words. Here are some examples of phrasal verbs and the nouns they become:

I need to set up the exhibit. I don’t like the setup of the room.
I need to back up my computer. I need to perform a backup on my computer.
Please take out the trash. Let’s get takeout for dinner.
We will blow up these balloons. My boss and I had a huge blowup.
Tomorrow we will break down the exhibit. She had a nervous breakdown. (Is that even a thing anymore?)
Break up the peanut brittle into pieces for everyone. She and her boyfriend just had a breakup.
I am going to break out my dancing shoes. My skin is having another of its breakouts.
The candle will burn out shortly. I have burnout from my stressful job.
Hand out these papers to the class. Did you get the handout to help you study for the quiz?
We will kick off Back to School Week tomorrow. Can you come to the kickoff on Saturday?
It is time to let down your defenses. When vacation ends, it is a real letdown.
I need to make up my test today. You are wearing too much makeup.
Did you pay back your loan yet. This is payback for how you treated me!
You need to show off that new ring! You are such a showoff!
I work out for an hour every day. I am really tired from my workout.
Did you mix up the days for the parties? It was just an innocent mixup.

One way to remember that the verb is two words and the noun one is simply by the old pause trick. We usually pause when saying the phrasal verb, but not when saying the noun.

GRAMMAR DIVA NEWS
Calling all writers, would-be writers, editors, marketers, designers, and anyone interested in writing or publishing!
Saturday, September 8 is Writer’s World at Dominican University in San Rafael, California. This event is sponsored by the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association. All day— with vendors, speakers, workshops, music, books! I will be speaking at 11 a.m. about The Wonderful World of Words: What is the difference between a writer and an author? What leeway do writers have with grammar rules? Grammar and punctuation Q and A, and Fabulous Word Trivia! Click here for more info!
 
Also on Saturday, September 8 is the Local Author Gala at the Petaluma branch of the Sonoma County Library. This event is free and goes from 2 to 5 p.m. I will be there too selling my books, and meeting and greeting! 

 

To Comma or Not to Comma is now available on all e-readers including Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBooks, Overdrive, etc. I have just sent the index for the printed book to the designer. The cover designer has the back covers. So, printed book very soon!

 

 

 

One Word — Or Two?

Words like anyway (any way), everyday (every day), and others can either be one word of two depending on how they are used. Many times I see these words written as one word when they should be two. So what is the difference, and how do you know?

awhile/a while – This one is tricky. If you put a preposition before it, use two words: a while, which is a noun. Awhile is an adverb. 

I can stay for only a while.  He will be here in a while.

Come sit here awhile. 

 

anyway/ any way – With many of these words, you can tell which one to use by seeing if you would pause between the parts of the word. Any way is an adjective and a noun. Anyway is an adverb.

I can go anyway.  Who cares, anyway?

Is there any way you can take my place at the meeting? I will get there any way I can.

 

sometime/some time/sometimes – Some time is a noun and an adjective. Sometime and sometimes are adverbs.

I hope you have some time to help me with this. 

Please come visit sometime. 

Sometimes I go to the beach on weekends.

 

any time/ anytime – Any time is a noun and an adjective. Anytime is an adverb.

I don’t think I have any time to do laundry today.

Come visit anytime. You can get these chores done anytime.

 

every one/everyone – Everyone is an indefinite pronoun. Every one is a pronoun and an adjective.

Every one of you should be studying your math. I frosted every one of these cupcakes.

Everyone is taking the bus to the fair. Hello, everyone!

 

any one/anyone – Any one is a pronoun and an adjective. Anyone is an indefinite pronoun. 

Did any one of you see the cat? Any one of you can try to fix the printer.

Is anyone there? I didn’t see anyone come in.

 

some thing/something/some things – Some thing and some things are nouns and adjectives. Something is an indefinite pronoun. Actually some thing  and something are the same, so use something. Because some implies more than one, we wouldn’t use some thing (but we would use some things) .

Something is in my eye. I heard something about you from my brother. (Some thing would mean the same thing, so we just use something.)

Some things are bothering me about this plan. I have some things for you to buy.

 

everyday/every day – Every day is a noun and an adjective. Everyday is an adjective.

I swim every day at 6 p.m. Every day is a fresh start.

My swimming program is an everyday thing. 

GRAMMAR DIVA NEWS

WRITERS WORLD

All writers and those interesting in writing, editing, publishing, design, marketing of books. The Bay Area Independent Publishers Association (BAIPA) invites you to Writers World on Saturday, September 8 at Dominican College in San Rafael, Calfornia. There will be vendors, a Q&A session, and many speakers (of which I will be one).  For more information, go to the BAIPA website.

Sign up today by midnight for early bird prices.

 

Me at the Sonoma County Fair selling my books. A fun time!                             .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now on Kindle! On all other e-readers this week. In print later this month.

Lyrical Malapropisms

The  noun malapropism, first recorded between 1840 and 1850, is  defined as “an act or habit of misusing words ridiculously, especially by the confusion of words that are similar in sound.”

A malapropism probably develops because we hear the words a certain way, and while what we hear is close to what is being said, it isn’t quite right. For example, a chest of drawers is a piece of furniture. However, it is often pronounced as chester drawers because that is the way it rolls off the tongue. Sometimes, perhaps a malapropism is created because the “correct” phrase actually makes less sense to someone than the phrase they hear: butt naked instead of buck naked, or nipped in the butt instead of nipped in the bud.  

Well, I have a whole book containing commonly confused words and malapropisms, and this post isn’t about those. This post is about the malapropisms that arise in popular songs. You have probably heard someone singing at the top of his or her lungs—the wrong words to a song that make absolutely no sense and are ridiculous, yet actually do sound like what the performer is saying.

With some songs, it is a miracle anyone can understand any of the words. Perhaps you are old enough to remember “Louie Louie” by the Kingsmen from the 1960s. Rumors were rampant about how the lyrics were “dirty,” yet no one really knew what they were. People would play the 45 (I am dating myself here) at 33 speed to try to figure out the words. I happened to see the Kingsmen in person in my hometown of Lynn, Massachusetts—at City Hall, no less. They played “Louie Louie” three times—I will never forget it— but I still couldn’t figure out any of the words. Of course, now with the internet, you can look up the lyrics to any song. I have looked up the words to “Louie Louie,” and although I don’t remember what they were, what was on the internet wasn’t “dirty” at all.

Here are some humorous “lyrical malapropisms” you might know . . .

Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze”: Excuse me while I kiss this guy. Nope. It’s Excuse me while I kiss the sky.

Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer”: Hold me closer, Tony Danza. Nope. It’s Hold me closer, tiny dancer.

Johnny Rivers’ “Secret Agent Man”: Secret Asian man. Nope. It’s Secret agent man.

Creedence Clearwater Revival’s  “Bad Moon Rising”: There’s a bathroom on the right. Nope. It’s There’s a bad moon on the rise.

Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind”: The ants are my friends, they’re blowin’ in the wind. Nope. It’s The answer, my friends, is blowin’ in the wind.

Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now”: I can see clearly now Lorraine is gone. Nope. It’s I can see clearly now the rain is gone.

Starship’s “We Built This City”: We built this city from sausage rolls. Nope. It’s We built this city from rock ‘n’ roll.

ABBA’s “Dancing Queen”: See that girl, watch her scream, kicking the dancing queen. Nope. It’s See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the dancing queen.

Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back”: I like big butts in a can of limes. Nope. It’s I like big butts and I cannot lie.

The Fifth Dimension’s “Aquarius”: This is the dawning of the Age of Asparagus. Nope. It’s This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius

Yup. It’s pretty funny until you’re the one merrily singing the wrong words at karaoke. 

Oh, by the way, websites disagree (of course) on the “Louie Louie” lyrics, but I just looked it up again. This version does have one four-letter word, but they could have been saying anything there. Click here to check it out.

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It’s here! Available on Kindle Monday, August 6. Available on other e-readers later this week and in print later this month.

Comma confusion?
Ellipsis enigma?
Apostrophe apoplexy?
Dash dilemma?
Don’t worry. Help is on the way! 

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

 . . . Does anybody really care?

How long a minute is, depends on which side of the bathroom door you’re on. ~Zall’s Second Law

Time: abstract noun – 1. indefinite, unlimited duration in which things are considered as happening in the past, present, or future; every moment there has ever been or ever will be.  – Webster

As abstract a notion as time is, we do talk about it (a lot) and write about it. In fact, it is the most common noun used in English language conversation. So let’s talk about three time issues we run across in speaking and writing about time

1. This one is pretty easy. We use a.m. and p.m. to denote day and night. It isn’t very difficult to figure out until we get to 12 noon and 12 midnight. Most of us have it figured out, but it can be a little confusing at first. Night would seem to be p.m., but it isn’t. Apparently 12 a.m. begins the morning. And 12 p.m. ends the morning and begins the afternoon.  One thing to note when you write (or speak). Saying 8 a.m. in the morning is redundant. Say either 8 a.m. OR 8 in the morning.

2. It is Monday. The teacher tells the class that they are going to have a test next Thursday. Which Thursday is next Thursday? Is it the same as this Thursday or is it the one after that? “Next Thursday” is ambiguous. (Same with next Monday, next Tuesday . . . you get the picture.) It is best to say this coming Thursday . . . or a week from this coming Thursday if that is what you mean.

Time is making fools of us again. ~J.K. Rowling

3.  How often does a biweekly magazine come out? How about a semiweekly magazine? What about a bimonthly magazine? Or a semimonthly magazine? This is a confusing one. Let’s look at the two prefixes: bi- and semi-. Bi- means two. Semi- means half. A biweekly magazine comes out every two months. A semiweekly magazine comes out every half month, or twice a month. Are they always used correctly? No. Usually, it seems that biweekly is used for both every other week and twice a week.  Likewise, bimonthly means every two months. Semimonthly means twice a month (or biweekly, but let’s not go there!). And, once again,  bimonthly is often used to mean either twice a month or every other month. It is best to avoid the ambiguity and just say every two weeks or every other week or every other month or twice a month.

The Future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is. ~C.S. Lewis

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Grammar Diva News
Local folks – I will be at the Sonoma County Fair with my books on Saturday, August 4; Sunday, August 5; and Friday, August 10. Come see me and other fabulous Redwood Writers in the Kraft Building from 10:30 to 5:30. Sonoma County Fairgrounds.

 

We beat the date! To Comma or Not to Comma will now be available on Kindle on August 6. You can still preorder it now for delivery on August 6. The print book will be out sometime in August, as will be e-book for other readers. Take a look at some of the great pre-release reviews:

“An incredible book on punctuation. A great resource for any writer attempting to guide their reader with the proper road signs (punctuation). Loved it!” – Jonas Saul, author of the Sarah Roberts Series

“Arlene Miller’s book To Comma or Not to Comma provides us with an easy-to- read, sometimes humorous, and very valuable handbook for those pesky grammatical and punctuation questions that pop up when writing. Although I’m generally pretty good at navigating the rules, there were many places in reading the book that I was surprised, or grateful, to understand the rule or the reasoning behind it—or I learned something completely new. Thank you, Arlene, for “comma-ing” to our rescue!” – Becky Parker Geist, Owner of Pro Audio Voices (audiobook production), President of Bay Area Independent Publishers Assn

“Arlene Miller’s entertaining and educational book To Comma or Not to Comma will make you your neighborhood’s (and possibly, your entire town’s) Comma Expert.  A must for a literate person’s bookshelf!” – Linda Jay, book editor and public relations writer

“There’s no need to be scared anymore about punctuation. In this short book, Arlene Miller tells you what you need to know and makes it easy.” – Andy Ross, literary agent

“From periods and exclamation marks to en dashes and interrobangs, this book explains it all with wit and precision.” – Evelyn Elwell Uyemura, Professor, Humanities Division, El Camino Community College and author of Pronunciation Celebration

“As a writer of historical fiction, I sometimes lose track of the fundamentals of the English language. With English usage constantly changing, it has been essential to have one or more of Arlene Miller’s books on grammar in my arsenal of reference books. To Comma or Not to Comma? The Best Little Punctuation Book Ever! will not disappoint. It is written with precision and humor and will always have a place on my bookshelf. They don’t call Arlene Miller The Grammar Diva for nothing!” – Marilyn Campbell, author of Trains to Concordia and A Train to Nowhere 

“An invaluable book for writers at any stage in their careers. It is a thorough and detailed guide about punctuation, done in a clear, concise and fun way. This book will help us write better books, and also blogs, articles, letter, emails and any written communication.” – Brian Jud, author of 14 books (including How to Make Real Money Selling Books), and the Executive Director of the Association of Publishers for Special Sales

“I learned so much from To Comma or Not To Comma. There were rules I THOUGHT I knew, but Arlene showed me that I was doing it all wrong. I was completely messing up elliptical phrases and question marks with quote marks. Thanks to Arlene, I have a new tool to share with my writer community. A great resource.” – Amy Collins, New Shelves Books

 

 

 

 

Can You Twirk? More Fun Facts About Language

Did you know that set has more definitions than any other word in the English language? It has 464! The Oxford English Dictionary‘s full entry of the word set is two times longer than George Orwell’s Animal Farm!

For our past posts on fun facts about words, click here or here. 

Did you know?

In 16th century English, twirk meant to “twist the hairs of a mustache.” (But notice the difference in spelling. It isn’t twerk!)

In 18th century English a wobble-shop was a place where beer was sold without a license.

The use of the word selfie increased by 17,000 percent between 2012 and 2013. Can you imagine how much it has increased from 2013 to now?

A dazzle is a group of dragonflies. Makes some sense.

An aurora is a group of polar bears. That, too, makes some sense.

Would you rather drink water than alcohol? If so, you are an aquabib.

In Tudor English ducks were nicknamed arsefeet because their legs are so far back on their bodies.

If you are carrying on a conversation with whispers, you are having a toot-moot.

Do you throw many of the initial drafts of your writing into the wagger-pagger-bagger? (1920’s slang for a wastepaper basket.)

To snirtle is to try to suppress a laugh. We need a snirtle emoticon.

Etymologically, Great Britain means “great land of the tattooed.”

Do you go around and drink the heeltaps at the end of a party?? Hope not. (The remnants of a drink left in the bottom of a glass.)

There are no words for yes and no in Latin. (And apparently no questions that require a yes or no answer!)

The sign language equivalent of a tongue-twister is called a finger-fumbler.

The expression “possession is nine-tenths of the law” was originally “eleven-twelfths of the law,” which is smaller. No one knows why it changed.

Enjoy Hangman? A study (who studies these things?) in 2010 found that the hardest word to guess is jazz. (Unless you guess the letter z!)

Earth is the only planet in our solar system that is not named after a god.

The articles a, and and the do not exist in Russian. (I will refrain from making any further comments about this one.)

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Final Cover! Available on Kindle and other e-readers August 15. Preorder available now. If you are unsure where to put those commas (or apostrophes or ellipses or quotation marks or . . . ), you will like this book! Prefer paperback? Available in August.
Please come on down to the Sonoma County Fair if you are in the area (Santa Rosa, CA). Local authors will be selling their books. I will be there on August 4, 5, and 10. 10:30 to 5:30 in the Kraft Building. See you there!

Pesky, Perplexing Prepositions

I have been hearing and reading a lot about prepositions lately, so I thought I would do a post about those pesky words—one of the most challenging parts of the English language to learn if you are not a native speaker.

When I sometimes ask a question in a grammar class whose answer is “preposition,” I often get these answers instead:

pronoun
proposition
proverb

A pronoun is a part of speech, like a preposition, but different. Pronouns stand in for nouns, e.g., his, I, me, we, they.

Proverbs are wise sayings, generally from the distant past.

Propositions—well, you know what those are!

A preposition is a part of speech that, I have read lately, really has no meaning. True. Often prepositions don’t have much meaning on their own because they don’t ever appear on their own. They generally appear in what we call a prepositional phrase, which has a specific format: 1) preposition, 2) usually an article, 3) noun or pronoun. For example, in the house, out the door, up the stairs, down the street, by the river, along the beach, under the table, over the moon.

If they are not in a prepositional phrase, pronouns can be found after a verb, in many cases becoming an actual part of the verb, for example, strike out, go inside, mess up, etc. In such cases, the preposition is actually functioning as an adverb, but let’s not worry about that. 

So what is so weird and perplexing about prepositions?

Is there any difference between burning up and burning down?

We sit in a chair, but we sit on a sofa. Why? If a chair has no comfy armrests, do we then sit on the chair?

We sit in a car, but we sit on a bus. Do we sit in a plane or on a plane? 

We are at the mall, but we are not at the school; we are at school.

We can turn the car in to the garage, but you probably wouldn’t want to turn the car into the garage. (unless you have a magic wand).

You turn in at night when you are tired. And you turn in your math exam. But you turn out at a protest march. 

You can take up knitting, but you take down an opponent. 

You can bring up a topic, but you bring down a foe.

You can tune in to a radio station, and then you can tune out what your friend is saying.

You can let out your emotions,  and let go of your anger.

You can have a walk-in closet and a walk-out basement. Doesn’t anyone want to walk out of the closet or walk into the basement?

You can make up a story, but when you put the two words together, you put it on your face.

Sometimes people put a verb and preposition (adverb) together when they should be separate:

You take off your makeup. But when you put the words together, you have a noun: Are you ready for takeoff?

Similarly, you can set up for the party. Then, everyone else can enjoy the setup of the tables.

You can sign up to volunteer. You can sign in to your computer. I can sign out of this blog post. This is a signoff.

More Mispronounced Words: Part 4 – S Through Z

This post wraps up our series on commonly mispronounced words.  See the other posts in the series: Part 1 ,   Part 2, and  Part 3.

Commonly mispronounced words: S through Z (actually U)

Salmon — The L is silent.

Salon — Not the same as saloon; and the second syllable is accented—it’s French.

Sherbet — Has only one R. It isn’t sherbert.

Silicon — Not to be pronounced like silicone. Even more like sili-cn, rather than silikon.

Status — I did not know this, but the preferred pronunciation is with a long A: stay-tus.

Suite — Pronounced sweet, not suit.

Supremacist — It is not supremist.

Supposedly — It is not supposably, even if that rolls off the tongue more easily.

Tenet — Not the same as tenant. Tenet is a law or rule; tenant—well, you know what that is. 

Take for Granted — Don’t get sloppy (I know you wouldn’t) and say take for granite.

Transient — Has only two syllables, not three. Tran-junt.

Triathlon — Has only one A. Not triathalon.

Undoubtably — It’s undoubtedly.

 
Come visit me at the Sonoma County Fair! I will be displaying and selling my books with other local authors from Redwood Writers. I will be there from 10:30 to 5:30 on Saturday, August 4; Sunday, August 5; and Friday, August 10. We are in the Kraft Building, Santa Rosa Fairgrounds. 

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Now available for preorder on Kindle (or, if you would prefer, Kobo, iBooks and Nook).
Includes standards for using all the punctuation marks: periods, question marks, exclamation points, quotation marks, italics, semicolons, colons, parentheses, brackets, hyphens, dashes, apostrophes, ellipses, and, of course, commas.  Also includes quizzes, an answer key, a glossary of grammar terms used in the book,  lots of examples, an index. and a comma quick reference guide. 

Language Trivia: 25 More Fun Facts

Word lovers: You are in for some fun.

A few weeks ago I wrote the post A Dozen Fun Facts About Words and the Language.  A few months ago I wrote a post called 20 Interesting Facts About the History of Our Language. Continuing in the series of language trivia, here are 25 more fun facts about words and the language:

The most common letter in the English language is e . No surprise there. But did you know that one in eight of all letters written is e ?
The most common consonant in English is r , followed by t .
The most common first letter of a word is s .
Maine is the only state whose name consists of only one syllable.
The longest word in the English language that has its letters in alphabetical order is almost .
Bookkeeper and bookkeeping are the only two words with three consecutive double letters.
The longest word that doesn’t repeat any of its letters is uncopyrightable.
The word like  is actually called a “crutch,” along with basically and actually .
Erwth , a musical instrument once played in Europe, is the longest word without a vowel. (assuming y is not a vowel  — rhythm ).
Strengths is the longest word with only one vowel.
On average, for every letter q written in the English language, there will be 56 e ‘s.
The compulsive desire to look at something that horrifies you, such as a horror movie or an injury, is called cacospectomania . 
To jakes is to walk mud into a house.
An autohagiograph y  is an autobiography that makes the subject appear better than they actually are.
Use of the word selfie increased by 17,000% between 2012 and 2013.
An aquabib is someone who chooses to drink water rather than alcohol.
Callomaniacs are people who think they are more beautiful than they really are. (Are  shallowmaniacs   the only ones who care?)
We know that a soliloquy is a solo speech. The proper name for speaking through clenched teeth is dentiloquy .
The head of an asparagus is called the squib .
GIF stands for “graphics interchange format,” and, according to its inventor, should be pronounced “jiff” and not “giff.” 
Referring back to #9, apparently some people don’t consider y a vowel and say that rhythm is the longest word without a vowel. However, I say y is obviously a vowel in rhythm . 
Skiing is the only word with a double i . Unless you also count Hawaii !
Queuing is the only word with five vowels in a row.
At the beginning of a game of Scrabble, you have roughly a 1 in 20,000 chance of picking the word senator out of the bag. I would think the same is true of Words with Friends. Anyone know?
Apparently (and I have seen differing opinions on this), some think the longest word in the English language has 189,819 letters. It is the full chemical name of titin , a protein that controls the movement of muscles. I would spell it out here, but I don’t have room