Arlene Miller's Blog, page 50

Does Anyone Write Letters Anymore?

Some of you — including me — remember writing “real” letters, both friendly and business. Some of us girls might have had some pretty blue or pink paper and written to our friends or relatives who were far away. A letter might start with Dear Susie,  or maybe Hi Frannie! We would fold the paper neatly, put the letter in a matching envelope, stick (actually, we would have to lick it!) a stamp on it, and put it in a mailbox (one of those blue things that was on the sidewalk on every street corner). Ah, the memories . . . 

Or maybe we had to write a business letter — maybe a cover letter for a job we wanted, or a letter to apply to college. That would be typed on a typewriter and, later, a computer. We would use letter-size white (or maybe cream-colored) paper for that. We would put on the appropriate headings, type carefully, fold the paper in three parts, put it in a business-size envelope, carefully print or type (or type up a label), remember to put the stamp on, and once again, drop it in the mailbox.

Well, those days are gone. Most of the time we send our letters by e-mail, whether they are formal business letters, business memos, friendly letters, or friendly memos. Is format and procedure still important in our business correspondence?

Yes and no. Things have definitely become less formal.

Let’s start with the formal letter. We still do write those, but usually we e-mail them. This post deals with salutations (greetings) and closings of letters and memos. (There are various ways to do other heading material on business letters.)

Salutations:

If we are applying to college, sending a cover letter (some companies don’t even want those any longer), or complaining to  a company about something we bought — or whatever — we want to send a formal business letter. The salutation to that type of letter is generally Dear/ name/ colon:

Dear Mr. Alvarado:
Dear Dr. Seuss:

Sometimes the Dear is omitted. PLEASE do not address your letters to Sir (Dear Sir:). Find out the name of whomever you are sending the letter to. It is easy to find out names now that we have the Internet. And, of course, do not address your letters to To whom it may concern: (I have used lowercase letters because technically only the first word of a salutation is uppercase; however, most of the time the words are names and titles, so they are capitalized!)

Use a colon for a business letter, rather than a comma.

For a friendly e-mail, anything goes. Usually, we use a comma after the name. Some people like to use dashes. Same goes for a friendly memo. There is often a fine line between a business and a friendly memo. Some memos don’t really have a salutation, Let’s talk about those first. They look like this:

     To: Marketing Department

     From: Ralph Scott

     RE: Meeting this Friday

     And you would just start writing the information . . . 

For a business note/memo, you might want a salutation. If you have not met the person, or this is the first time you are contacting them, you might want to be more formal. If you are well-acquainted with the person, you might want to be informal. Whatever you choose to do, just use your best judgement: make sure you are not offending the receiver of your memo. If you think they want to be addressed formally, then do that. If you are on first-name basis, then be informal. You can still  use colon if you like, even with a more informal memo greeting. Here are some examples of memo salutations:

Dear President Fowler:
Dear Mr. Gates:
Kathy:
Hi Kathy:
Joe,
Joe:

It is your call how formal or informal is right for a particular memo. 

Closings

Here is a rule you may not know about closings of letter and memos: Only the first word of the closing is capitalized if you use a multi-word closing:

Yours truly,
Sincerely yours, 
With regards,

Closings are followed by  a comma, and underneath, your name.

What about the closing “Thank you” or “Thanks”?

Personally, I don’t like thank you or thanks as a closing followed by a comma:

     Thank you,

     Joe

I would prefer “Thank you” as the last sentence, followed by a closing:

     Thank you. ( or Thank you very much. OR Thank you for your consideration of this matter.)

     Sincerely,

     Frank Possum

Sincerely yours, 

The Grammar Diva

 

My new book, an updated edition of my first grammar book, will be released and available this coming week. It will be available on Amazon, Kindle, and other popular e-readers (iBook, Kobo, Nook), as well as available from Ingram. How is it different from the first edition?

It has been reformatted.
The quizzes have been taken out (because an accompanying workbook will be released in a few months), but there is a final test that covers the entire book.
There are additions for new/changed grammar rules.
There is an additional chapter on confusing words.
There is an expanded section on comma usage.

 

 

 

Yay or Nay? The Singular “They”

Yay or Nay? The Singular They?

If you are a member of the nerdy world of grammarians, you know that there are “controversial” grammar topics. One of those is the use of the Oxford comma. Another is the use of the singular they.

They is a pronoun. A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun. For example, you would use they to perhaps stand in for the boys (The boys went to the circus/They went to the circus). Or you would use she to stand in for Lucy  (Lucy is mowing the lawn/She is mowing the lawn).

We can see that obviously she is singular; it stands in for one female. He is singular and stands in for one male. It is singular and stands in for one “nongendered” noun.

They, on the other hand, is obviously plural, along with its relatives them and their. I think we can all agree on that one.

But how many times have you said, or heard someone say, Everyone is bringing their book to the meeting or something similar? Let’s pick that sentence apart:

We have something in grammar called agreement. Agreement means that a singular subject will have a singular verb form to go with it. And a singular noun or pronoun will have a singular pronoun of the same gender stand in for it. Now as much as the pronoun everyone sounds plural, it isn’t. It is singular. You can tell because you use a singular verb with it; it just sounds right. You wouldn’t say Everyone are bringing. But you would say They are bringing because they is plural. Okay, so we have a singular subject (everyone) and a matching singular verb (is bringing), but what about their book? Their is plural. It doesn’t agree. 

Now if we said Everyone in the girls’ book club is bringing her book to the meeting, we would all be happy. Everyone in the boys’ book club is bringing his book to the meeting would also make us happy.

But if everyone refers to a mixture of male and female, or if we simply don’t know, what do we do? Well, we used to just say his or her and be done with it. Actually, before that, we probably used to just say his and be done with it — before the days of political correctness and women’s rights. And people have tried his/her and alternating his and her, but neither of those solutions work.

What to do . . . what to do . . .

Well, most everyone just uses their. It is easier to use one word than that clunky old his or her. And most people don’t think or care about that agreement rule anyway. 

The English language, so far, doesn’t have a word that can stand in for either a singular male or female. I hear that a word is being developed as we speak . . . for the transgender population, not for us grammarians, but we will take it!

But until such a word is added to our language? A short while after my first book came out, which was six years ago, my cover designer ( an extremely intelligent gentleman) told me that the grammar powers-that-be (which I believe are the Webster folks) had anointed the use of the singular they as completely proper. Therefore, the sentence Everyone is bringing their book to the meeting is fine.

Most people use it and have been using it, without knowing or caring, forever. However, many people, especially when making a speech, do use he or she, or his or her. Similarly, most grammarians and language purists are horrified by the use — and even more, the acceptance —  of the singular they.

So, you can do as you wish. I tell anyone I am teaching to use he or she (his or hers)  because you can never be accused of being too right! After all, many of “my generation” may not know that the singular they is now okay. I am curious to know your take on this topic. Yay or nay? Please comment!

Grammar Diva News:

My new book, The Best Little Grammar Book Ever: Speak and Write with Confidence/Avoid Common Mistakes (Second Edition) will be out in paperback and e-book in June. It is currently available for presale on Kindle at a special low price, which will change when the book is released on June 25. Here is the link for the presale at a special price of $4.99 instead of the regular price of $8.99.

 

Got Friggatriskaidekaphobia? Paraskevidekatriaphobia?

Happy Friday the 13th!

This morning, when I was thinking about writing my blog post, it dawned on me that I have written all types of holiday posts, but never a post about Friday the 13th. Yes, both friggatriskaidekaphobia and paraskevidekatriaphobia are words that mean “fear of Friday the 13th.”

Friggatriskaidekaphobia comes from Frigg, the Norse goddess of wisdom (after whom Friday is named) and the Greek words triskaideka, meaning 13, and phobia, meaning fear. Paraskevidekatriaphobia comes from paraskeví, which means Friday, and dekatria, 13, also from the Greek.

Here are some interesting things about Friday the 13th:

1.This may be the origin of the fear:  Jesus was crucified on a Friday. It is believed that 13 guests attended the Last Supper the night before Jesus was killed. The disciple who betrayed Jesus, Judas, is believed to have been the 13th guest.

2. It is not really a “dangerous day.” A study published in 2011 found that there’s no link between Friday the 13th and an increase of  emergency room visits.

3. Viva Las Vegas wedding chapel offers three different packages on Friday the 13th: zombie, vampire, and “Rocky Horror”-themed ceremonies.

 4. A NASA report says a large asteroid will fly close enough to the Earth to be visible without a telescope in Africa, Europe, and Asia on Friday, April 13, 2029.

 5. Taylor Swift has a special connection with the number 13: “I was born on the 13th. I turned 13 on Friday the 13th. My first album went gold in 13 weeks. My first No. 1 song had a 13-second intro,” the singer told MTV in a 2009 interview.

6. The first documented mention of the day can be found in a biography of Italian composer Rossini, who died on a Friday 13th.  

7. Experts say that fear of Friday the 13th affects millions of people and estimate that businesses, especially airlines, suffer from severe losses on this day.

8. Triskaidekaphobia, or the fear of the number 13 is even more widespread. Many high-rise buildings, hotels, and hospitals (and this blog post) skip the 13th floor, and many airports do not have gates numbered 13. In many parts of the world, having 13 people at the dinner table is considered bad luck.

9. All years will have at least one Friday the 13th. The good news is that there cannot be more than three Friday the 13ths in any given calendar year. The longest you can go without seeing a Friday the 13th is 14 months.

10. For a month to have a Friday the 13th, the month must begin on a Sunday. 

11. Three Friday the 13ths can occur in a leap year as well. If January 1 of a leap year falls on a Sunday, the months of January, April, and July will each have a Friday the 13th.

12. Alfred Hitchcock was born on the 13th. The master of suspense was born on August 13, 1899 – so Friday, August 13, 1999 would have been his 100th birthday. He made his directorial debut in 1922 with a movie called Number 13.

14. Friday the 13th is not universally seen as a day of misery. In Italy, Friday the 17th and not Friday the 13th is considered to be a day that brings bad luck. In fact, the number 13 is considered to be a lucky number!

 15.In many Spanish-speaking countries and in Greece, Tuesday the 13th is seen as a day of misfortune.

16. Many studies have shown that Friday the 13th has little or no effect on events like accidents and natural disasters.

17. The commercially successful Friday the 13th enterprise includes 12 horror movies, a television series, and several books that focus on curses and superstitions. Even though the films and the television series consistently received negative reviews from critics, they have a huge following. 

18. Since 1995, Finland has dedicated one Friday the 13th in a year to observe National Accident Day. The day aims to raise awareness about safety — on the roads, at home, and in the workplace.

19. In the United States alone, it is estimated that between 17 and 21 million people dread that date to the extent that it can be officially classified as a phobia.

20. Adam and Eve were purported to have died on the then-nonexistent “Friday.” 

21. Most of the pleasure-boats make their first voyage for the season on Good Friday.

22. The name “Friday” was chosen in honor of the Norse goddess Frigg, also known as Freyja, who was the multitalented goddess of love, beauty, wisdom, war, death, and magic. Teutonic people are thought to have considered the day extremely unlucky, especially for weddings, due in part to the lovely goddess the day was named for. Later, the Christian church attempted to demonize the goddess, so that may or may not be a contributing factor as well.

23. The notion that Friday was popularly considered unlucky among the masses doesn’t seem to have popped up until around the mid-17th century. Within the next two centuries after that, the idea continued to spread and by the 19th century was nearly ubiquitous in certain cultures.

24. It is considered incredibly bad luck to have 13 people sitting at a table for dinner, which supposedly is due to the fact that Judas Iscariot was by tradition the 13th person to be seated to dine at the Last Supper. The Hindus also believed that it was bad luck for 13 people to gather together for any purpose at the same time.

25. According to the old Norse myth, 12 gods were feasting at the banquet hall at Valhalla, when Loki, the god of Mischief, showed up uninvited. This, of course, brought the count of gods up to the dreaded number of 13. Loki then encouraged Hod, the blind god of winter and darkness, to murder Balder the Good with a spear of mistletoe, throwing all of Valhalla into mourning, and once again providing another example of a story in history that congregating with 13 for dinner is a bad idea.

26.In goddess-worshipping cultures, the number 13 was often revered, as it represented the number of lunar and menstrual cycles that occur annually. It is believed by those who adhere to this theory that as the 12-month solar calendar came into use over the 13-month lunar calendar, the number 13 itself became suspect.

27. The Ancient Egyptians believed life was a spiritual journey that unfolded in stages. They believed that 12 of those stages occurred in this life, but last, the 13th, was a joyous transformative ascension to an eternal afterlife. So the number 13 represented death to the Egyptians, but not death as in decay and fear, but as acknowledgement of a glorious eternal life.

28. Others point to the last day of King Harold II’s reign on Friday, October 13, 1066. William of Normandy gave him the opportunity to relinquish his crown, which he refused. The next day William took it by force at the Battle of Hastings, causing Harold’s demise. Again, it is a modern idea that this is where the first “Friday the 13th is the ultimate unlucky day” notion came about.

29.William Fowler formed a club known as “The Thirteen Club” in which club members would meet in groups of 13 to dine, with their first ever get together occurring, of course, Friday the 13th in January of 1881. To thumb their noses even further at the fates, they had club members walk under a ladder before sitting down to a table in room 13 of the building they were in. They also made sure there was plenty of spilled salt on the table before they dined.

30. The Dutch Centre for Insurance Statistics in 2008 attempted to prove that Friday the 13th was no different from any other day. They found Friday the 13th is actually a slightly safer day to drive than other days, at least using two years’ worth of data from 2006-2008 in the Netherlands. In that span, there were an average of 7,500 traffic accidents on days that were both Friday and the 13th of the month. On Fridays that didn’t line up with the 13th, there were an average of 7,800 accidents each day. Their theory is simply that, due to the phobia, fewer people drive on Friday the 13th and people are more careful when they have to. They also found similar trends with reported fires and crimes, with fewer happening on Fridays that coincide with the 13th day of the month.

And now you know more about Friday the 13th, Fridays, and 13s, than you ever imagined you would! Have a Happy Friday the 13th!

Thank you to my sources: If you would like to read more, here are the links.

http://www.whio.com/news/news/national/6-things-you-didnt-know-about-friday-13/npMd4/

http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/13-things-friday-13.html

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/09/the-origin-of-friday-the-13th-as-an-unlucky-day/

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Grammar Diva News:

My new book, the Second Edition of The Best Little Grammar Book Ever! will be available for resale on Kindle in a couple of days. It will be out in paperback next month as well. The second edition of the book has been reformatted and updated with new grammar standards and additional information, including an expanded section on comma use (yay!). The book is the first in a series of Best Little Grammar Books. The second will be The Best Little Grammar Workbook Ever! and the third is The Best Little Book of Confused Words and Phrases Ever! Both of these books should be out by the end of the summer. 

I will be launching the paperback edition of the book on August 6 with a workshop at Petaluma Copperfield’s. 

 

A Songworthy Tribute to Mothers

Happy Mother’s Day!

It is time again for the annual Mother’s Day post. This year I thought I would try something different. Many, many songs have been written about mothers and with mother in the title. I have attempted (hear that? attempted!) to write a story of sorts with some of these titles included. Song titles are in boldface and the recording artist is in italics and parentheses. Enjoy!

 

 

Dear John:

I should have listened to Dear Mama (2pac). Mama Said (Shirelles) I shouldn’t go out with you. Mama Tried (Merle Haggard) to tell me you were a player.  Mama Told Me Not to Come (Three Dog Night) out of my room the first time you came to pick me up. Mama Don’t Allow (Hank Thompson) me to go out with men who have reputations like yours. Even My Mammy’s (Al Jolson) Mother-In-Law (Ernie K-Doe) said you were trouble. Tell Mama (Etta James) you didn’t mean to hurt me. I am my Mother’s Pride (George Michael) and joy! I’ll Always Love My Mama (Intruders). When I first met you, I said, “Mama He’s Crazy (Judds),” but then I changed my mind and  now I feel bad about Mama’s Broken Heart (Miranda Lambert).  Mama Didn’t Lie (Jan Bradley) when she told me I was right in the first place!

I have always been Mother’s Little Helper (Rolling Stones) and now my Little Mama (Clovers) is crying!  Hey, Ma (Cam’ron), you used to be such a Pistol Packin’ Mama (Al Dexter) but now She’s a Bad Mama Jama (Carl Carlton). I can see the disappointment in My Mother’s Eyes (George Jessel). Mama You’ve Been on My Mind (Bob Dylan), I think to myself all the time, and Your Mother Should Know (Beatles) how I have let My Yiddish Momme (Sophie Tucker) down. 

I Had a Good Father and Mother (Washington Phillips).  Papa Loved Mama (Garth Brooks) before he died. He always said, “Mamma Talk to Your Daughter (JB Lenoir) about that dude she’s dating. Mama Said Knock You Out (LL Cool J), but did I listen? No. Mama Weer All Crazee Now (Slade). 

I hope Mama (Spice Girls)  forgives me for hurting her and that we can have a Mother and Child Reunion (Paul Simon). I hope I can cure her Pretty Mama Blues (Ivory Joe Hunter). I always knew Mama Can’t Buy You Love (Elton John). 

And you, John, Have You Seen Your Mother Standing In The Shadows (Rolling Stones) ashamed of your behavior? And as a result of her disappointment in me, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (Jimmy Boyd)! When You’re Good to Mama (Mary McCarty) she doesn’t have to resort to such things.

Mama Used to Say (Junior) Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys (Waylon & Willie). I fear I have grown up to be something worse.  Look Mama (Howard Jones), I am so sorry. I Wanna Be Mama’d (Jimmy Logsdon) again….. Hey, Lawdy, Mama (Steppenwolf), I am sorry for what I put you through. 

Love, 

Your Daughter

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Many artists did songs simply called Mama, or something similar:

Mother (John Lennon)

Mother (Danzig)

Motorcycle Mama (Steppenwolf)

Crazy Mama (JJ Cale)

Mama (BJ Thomas)

Mother Freedom (Bread)

Future Baby Mama (Prince)

Lollipop Mama (Wynonie Harris)

Hey Mama (Kanye West)

Say Mama (Gene Vincent)

Welfare Mothers (Neil Young)

Mother (Police)

TV Mama (Big Joe Turner)

Mamma Mia (Abba)

Mother (Pink Floyd)

Mama (Spice Girls)

Mama (Connie Francis)

Mama Kin (Aerosmith)

Mother Mother (Tracy Bonham)

Sexy Mama (Moments)

Mother Popcorn (James Brown)

Fujiyama Mama (Wanda Jackson)

Mama (Genesis)

 

Happy Mothers Day from The Grammar Diva to You!

 

 

STEAM: The “A” Stands for The Arts

Last week I wrote a post about STEM . . . how the emphasis in public education is on science, technology, engineering, and math . . . as being the appropriate preparation for today’s jobs. I do not disagree that these fields are where the jobs are. I do, however, think that the ability to communicate clearly is still important, as is the role of the arts in a well-rounded education.

Even in college, students during their first two years are required to take “general education” courses. These courses fall into a variety of categories and are there to provide a well-founded education. Such requirements were there when I went to college, and as far as I know, exist today. So, even though I was planning to major in journalism and English Literature, I needed to take two classes in the maths or sciences, two classes in the social sciences, two classes in the fine arts, and so on. 

Yes, one of the problems of this is that if you are not interested in math or science, you tend to choose the “gut” classes — classes that you think will be easy to just get by in. In my case, it was nutrition, which everyone said was an easy way to the requirement. For my other class, however, I chose astronomy; it sounded like fun. However, I nearly failed it, as it was a very difficult math class. And I was no math slouch, having taken calculus in high school.

So perhaps, college is too late for the well-rounded, classical education, as most people have developed their interests by then. However, in grades K through 12, I think we certainly need the classical education. We need art and music. And we need language, foreign language and English language. 

In high school, and even junior high school, English class tends to become a literature class. Why? Here are some possible reasons:

Teachers don’t like to teach grammar and writing.
Students won’t pay attention to grammar “rules.” It’s boring. It’s difficult.
Teachers don’t feel comfortable with their knowledge of grammar.
The standards and the powers-that-be don’t stress grammar.

That last reason isn’t really true, although we might think it is. For example, here are some of the Common Core  language standards for grade 6:
    *Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
    *Ensure that pronouns are in the proper case (subjective, objective, possessive).
    *Use intensive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves).
    *Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.
    *Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents
    *Use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements.*
    *Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
    *Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.
    *Maintain consistency in style and tone
    *Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., audience, auditory, audible).
    *Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
    *Interpret figures of speech (e.g., personification) in context.
    *Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., cause/effect, part/whole, item/category) to better understand each of the words.
    *Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., stingy, scrimping, economical, unwasteful, thrifty).

Pretty sophisticated, huh? Yes, grammar and language are definitely in the standards . . . whether they are actually taught is another question.

I told you last week that I would give you my thoughts on what should be taught as far as language is concerned. 

Some high schools have separate classes for English Literature and English Language. I like that. I don’t know if it is still true, but last I knew, there were separate Advanced Placement Tests in high school for literature and language. There used to be SAT2 subject area tests in both Literature and Language, but apparently now there is no longer Language; there is Hebrew and Chinese and French and Spanish, but no English language. What a pity.

I think English Literature and English language are separate. Many school administrators and teachers believe that grammar and writing should be taught as part of the literature. I have talked about this before: how, to me, it is like hiding grammar in literature because grammar is so distasteful, kind of like hiding the broccoli in the mashed potatoes. And I don’t think language is just about writing and speaking correctly. Knowing about your language is important for its own sake. It is part of our history.

Why not make language interesting? In language classes, and in language arts in elementary school, why not teach the history of our language? The closest we come is to teach Greek and Latin roots, which is important and interesting. But why not teach why we have grammar in the first place, where it came from, where it is going, how many words are continuously added to the dictionaries, where our grammar standards came from, what happens to your writing if you don’t follow some of those standards. Why do students learn more grammar in French or Spanish class than they do in English class? I think we should have separate language classes in junior high or high school, maybe not in every grade, but language is certainly worthy or more attention. And that is my two cents. I would be happy to hear yours!

 

STEM: The “E” Doesn’t Stand for English!

This week I read about the first STEM elementary school in my town. The next town over has a Technology High. I read an article today about people graduating from Code Camp  (that would be computer coding, not Morse code or secret codes) and getting jobs; I am not sure if they were bypassing college. This week, on the radio, I heard about the ten least useful college degrees in terms of getting a job; numbers 1 and 2 were (1) archaeology and (2) radio, TV, and film (my son’s major). 

STEM is definitely IN: Science, Technology, Engineering, Math.

Yet colleges are still complaining that their incoming students cannot write; businesses are saying the same thing and spending training money on remedial writing. I myself teach grammar review classes to corporations and other groups.

I have found that the level of grammar and writing competency among adults really varies. Many corporate employees, especially in the technology industries, speak English as a second language. However,  their grammar and writing knowledge doesn’t seem to lag behind those who speak English as their first and primary language.

For most of us, our grammar education pretty much ends in junior high school. High school English classes are generally more concerned with literature and critical thinking. And some elementary schools and middle schools don’t teach much grammar, so students are never getting much grammar education at all. 

Schools do, however, profess to teach writing. And students continue to write essays. The teaching of writing comprises many skills. Grammar, punctuation, and capitalization issues —  the actual mechanics of writing — are but one aspect. I think, of course, it is an extremely important one.

Students are taught the parts of an essay: introductions and conclusions, body paragraphs, transition words.  Perhaps they are taught some MLA format and how to write citations. They are certainly taught brainstorming, outlining, and those skills that contribute to good organization, which is very important in writing. 

Grammar is taught to varying degrees, although the current Common Core standards include pretty complex grammar. But it doesn’t seem that much of it ends up in the standardized testing. When I was in school, a zillion years ago, one run-on sentence or sentence fragment guaranteed an F on the entire essay. Not true now!

Let us add to this discussion the fact that most of what is learned is lost by the next school year. Therefore, concepts need to be repeated and reviewed each year. And then, once we become adults and may not use these skills any longer, they disappear. 

And are the schools teaching the difference between conversation and formal writing? To write to your audience? To not use slang and idiomatic language in academic writing?Maybe writing skill cannot be taught — or can be taught only to a point. Maybe it is a talent like piano playing. I think it is, but then you need to play piano to be proficient regardless of your innate talent. To be a good writer, it helps to write. Certainly, organization skills can be taught. Grammar, punctuation, and capitalization standards can be taught. Sentence structure can be taught. Yes, some people are better writers than others. Some people are better spellers and better at math too. But education in grammar and writing helps too. Doesn’t it?

So, STEM doesn’t include English . . . or art or music, and we know how important those are to education and our society. The question is, then, How much writing and grammar should  be taught? Why?

I welcome your comments about this. Next week, I will give you my opinion about why, and how much, English should be taught.

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Grammar Diva Announcements!

Do you have any ideas for posts you would like to see on this blog? I am always looking for good ideas! E-mail me!

Do you have something you would like to write about that would fit on this blog?  E-mail me.

I will be teaching a Best Little Grammar Class Ever at Petaluma’s Copperfield’s books on Saturday, August 6 to celebrate the launch of the second edition of the book!

I will be participating in a roundtable discussion on September 11 at the Redwood Writers meeting. I will be talking about editing.

Would a group you belong to or work for like a lunchtime grammar review workshop? Contact me.

 

 

Oh, No! I Think I’ve Misplaced My Modifier!

Misplaced Modifiers

Grammar can be pretty funny. Whoever thought grammar was serious business hasn’t looked at some of the cartoons and memes on Facebook! And they obviously haven’t attended one of my workshops!

One of the more humorous gaffes that occurs in grammar (mostly in written language) is the misplaced (and sometimes dangling) modifier. These are often hard to find and easy to miss — whether you are the writer or the reader — but when you do find them . . . 

Most misplaced modifiers are prepositional or participial phrases that are in the “wrong” place in the sentence, meaning that they are not near the word they modify, but near another word that they appear to be modifying. Let’s review . . .

Modifier – A word or phrase that describes something in the sentence
Prepositional phrase – A short group of words beginning with a preposition: in the house, under the table, across the street, up the stairs, etc.
Participial phrase – A participle is a verb that is now being used as an adjective. A present participle ends in ing. A past participle is formed like the present perfect (with has or have) form of the verb: hopping bunny (present participle), hopping along, the bunny . . . (present participle in a short phrase), frozen pond (past participle), frozen solid, the pond . . . (short participial phrase)
Dangling versus misplaced – When a modifier is misplaced, it is sitting near (and apparently describing) the wrong word in the sentence. When a modifier is dangling, the word it is modifying isn’t even in the sentence!

In the English language, modifiers are generally sitting next to the words they modify. If they are in the incorrect place, humor can ensue . . .

Here are some misplaced prepositional phrases:

I heard about the meeting in the mens room. (the meeting is in the mens room?)
Did you read about the insects in the book? (the insects are in the book?)
The painting caught my eye on the wall. (my eye is on the wall?)
I found a desk for my friend with large drawers. (my friend has large drawers?)
I looked for the dresses that belonged to my grandmother in the attic. (grandma’s in the attic?)

Change the location of the phrase for clearer sentences! For example

In the mens room, I heard about the meeting.
The painting on the wall caught my eye.
In the attic, I looked for the dresses that belonged to my grandmother. Note that if you say “I looked for the dresses in the attic that belonged to my grandmother,” is still doesn’t make sense!

Here are some misplaced participles:

The dog crawled under the fence looking for food. (the fence was looking for food?)
I watched that movie laughing uncontrollably. (the movie was laughing?)
Sitting on a bed of rice, I thought the chicken looked delicious. (I was sitting on a bed of rice?)
Chasing a car down the street, I couldn’t catch my dog. (I was chasing a car down the street?)

Fix them like this: (there are other ways as well)

Looking for food, the dog crawled under the fence.
Laughing uncontrollably, I watched that movie.
Sitting on a bed of rice, the chicken looked delicious, I thought.
I couldn’t catch my dog, as he chased a car down the street.

Here are some dangling modifiers:

While still in diapers, my mother remarried. (Who was in diapers? Mother?)
Walking down the street, the flowers blew in the breeze. (The flowers were walking down the street?)
Freshly painted, I admired my work. (I was freshly painted?)
After sitting in the sun all day, a cool shower felt good. (A cool shower was sitting in the sun?)

Here, we need to put in the word that the phrase is describing:

While I was still in diapers, my mother remarried.
As I was walking down the street, the flowers blew in the breeze.
I admired my work on the freshly painted wall.
After I sat in the sun all day, a cool shower felt good.

The only way to avoid these grammar gremlins is to proofread your work – carefully!

 

Upcoming Grammar Diva Events:

Tuesday, April 19 – Corporate grammar workshop, Santa Clara (private)

Saturday August 6 – The Best Little Grammar Workshop Ever at Copperfield’s Books in Petaluma

Sunday, September 11 – Roundtable speaker (on editing), Redwood Writers, Santa Rosa

Watch for the Second Edition of The Best Little Grammar Book Ever! coming soon 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grammar Goofs from People Who Should Know Better!

Several weeks ago I wrote a post about people on TV and their questionable grammar. I mean, these people get paid to speak, so they should do it pretty well — in my opinion. I have been watching  pretty constant election coverage lately, and I have collected the following goofs. Yes, I know it is easy to make a minor mistake when we talk and we all do it. Nonetheless, there are certain things that make us cringe. Here are some of the goofs I noticed in the past couple of weeks:

Don’t know who said this, but likely someone on MSNBC: Rachel or myself will . . . (should be Rachel or I)
San Francisco radio personality who shall remain unnamed: Someone must have saw it.  (ouch!)
Same person as #2: She had sat it on the shelf. (ouch again!)
Rachel Maddow: Me and my . . .  (as the subject of a sentence — didn’t she go to Stanford or something? And I do love her show.)
Syndicated financial radio show: Always didn’t believe . . . (huh?)
Late Hubert Humphrey: This didn’t work too good either.
Wolf Blitzer: The presidential candidates they will weight in . . .
Bernie Sanders: The differences between Secretary Clinton and myself . . . (should be ME!)
Gary Johnson, libertarian presidential candidate: Belong to you and I.
Some district attorney on the radio: He run over him, and he run away.
Donald Trump:   . . . less votes . . .
Donald Trump: Try and bring in votes. (try TO)
John Kasich: Our parents hoped that us kids would be better off . . .
Donald Trump: Join Melania and I on the show.
Donald Trump: They picked it up accurate.
Democratic pundit on CNN, who I think was kidding: It’s a lot funner to win.
Haley whatever, the sparkly-eyed blonde Trump supporter on CNN:  He is domineering the Eastern states. (Shouldn’t that be dominating?)

I will keep listening and cringing . . . so you don’t have to.

A Tense Conclusion: Common Mistakes

Welcome to Part 4 — the final part — of the series about verb tenses. This post will review some common tense errors. In general we all do pretty well with tenses. However . . .

Ever hear that present tense usage instead of past tense:

So I goes to the mall, and I sees my cousin. OR EVEN
So I go to the mall, and I see my cousin. INSTEAD OF
So I went to the mall, and I saw my cousin.

Sometimes people mix tenses that refer to the same time:

So I went to the mall, and I see my cousin there. OR
So I go to the mall, and I saw my cousin there.

There is a difference between past tense and present perfect:

I have taken a walk. PROBABLY SHOULD BE
I took a walk.
I have taken a walk implies it is repeated action: I have taken a walk every morning this week. (correct)

Past perfect versus simple past causes problems:

By the time I got home she had made dinner. (correct: two different times — use of past perfect)
When I got home she made dinner. (correct: same time — two simple pasts)

Future perfect can cause problems too:

By the time I graduate from high school, I will have been playing piano for twelve years. (yes — future perfect)
By the time I graduate from high school, I will be playing piano for twelve years (no — plain old perfect)

Ever hear this one? It is kind of colloquial:

I have known him since I am little. Blech!
I have known him since I was little. Yes!

Here is a problem with the progressive – present versus present perfect:

It is snowing for the past two days. Nope.
It has been snowing for the past two days. Yup.

When we talk about a movie we saw or a book we read, we generally want to use the past tense, since we already saw it or already read it. However, it is correct to use the present tense. You may have read it in the past, but the events in the book haven’t changed:

This book is about a girl and her brother. They are orphans and are adopted by a big family. Correct.
This book was about? No, because the book is still about the same thing.

One little quirky thing is the difference between might and may as helping verbs:

He may have gotten hurt during the hike up the mountain.
You might have gotten hurt during the hike up the mountain!

Do you see any difference? May in the first sentence implies possibility. You don’t know if he got hurt or not — or even possibly — if he did get hurt — his injury may be due to the hike up the mountain. 

Might in the second sentence implies you didn’t get hurt, but whoever said the sentence thought it was a distinct possibility you would. Ah, the little nuances of the English language!

 

I have been collecting little grammar mistakes that I hear on radio and TV . . . for next week’s post! Meanwhile, If you comment on this week’s post and don’t see it up there for a while, it is because the Grammar Diva is taking a week off and is not taking her passwords with her . . . she thus will not be able to get into any of her websites!

 

 

 

I Brang You an Irregular Verb: Tenses Part 3

I think I have always spoken with pretty good grammar.  However, I do remember when I was a little kid, I thought the past tense of bring was brang, and the present perfect tense (past participle form) was have brung. My parents, who spoke fairly well, told me that it was brought and have brought.

I haven’t heard too many people say brang and brung lately, but I do hear lots of mistakes in the past tense and past participle form (which is used for all the perfect tenses) of many verbs in people’s speech. The past participle form is used for present perfect (I have brought), past perfect (I had brought) and future perfect (I will have brought). Oh, by the way, broughten isn’t correct either — and I think I have heard that one.

Although there is no bring/brang/brung, there is a ring/rang/rung. Many people say have rang, but it is indeed have rung.

When I use the word swum, which I don’t very often, people look at me as if I have made up a word. Yet swum is a word. I swim, I swam,  I have swum. Yup.

Oh, why can’t all the verbs just add -ed for the past tense and part participle forms like walk and talk and all the other regular verbs? That would take some fun out of the English language!

Let’s take took. Took is the past tense of take. The past participle form is have taken. It isn’t have tooken, although I have heard people say it (I know I heard some of my students say it).

Here is a very common one: I have went. Nope. It is I have gone, but I went:  it is go/went/have gone.

I often get questions about hang. What is the past tense of hang? It is hung or hanged? It is both. When there is a noose involved, the past tense is hanged (and have hanged). Without a noose, it is hung (and have hung).

The correct forms of drink are drank and have drunk, not have drank. Shrink is the same. Shrink, shrank, and have shrunk. 

There are some other forms that are often misspoken: 

The past tense of freeze is froze , but it is have frozen , not have froze.
The past tense of write is wrote, but it is have written , not have wrote .
The past tense of begin is began , but it is have begun , not have began .
The past tense of run is ran , but it is have run , not have ran.

Thank goodness for those verbs that don’t change at all, no matter what the tense! 

Cost doesn’t change. There is no costed. It cost, it cost yesterday, and it has always cost .
Burst doesn’t change either. There is no bursted . It burst , it burst yesterday, and it has always burst.
Set stays set too. I set it over there, I set it there yesterday, and I have always set it in the same place.

Sit changes to sat, but stays as have sat, not have sitten!

If I lend you something, I lent it to you yesterday, and I have always lent it to you. Not lended. (or even loaned, because loan is actually to be used only as a noun.)

You wake late, but yesterday you woke late, and all week you have woken late. And then, if you are dragging, you probably dragged yourself into work. You didn’t drug yourself to work, and you have never drug yourself to work.

Oh, do I hear you begging to talk about lie and lay? Those crazy verbs!

Today I lie. Yesterday I lay. All week I have lain.

Today I lay my head down. Yesterday I laid my head down. All week I have laid my head down.

There are many, many irregular verbs in the English language. We haven’t even made a dent! 

Please do take this post to all your friends . . . but do remember to bring it back . . . and remember . . .

If it ain’t broke(n), don’t fix it!