Arlene Miller's Blog, page 55

What’s in a Name?

What’s in a Name?

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” So said Shakespeare. And it is true . . . or is it?

Well, if we called a rose by the name manure, and we knew what manure was, we probably wouldn’t get close enough to even see that the rose still smelled as sweet. We form opinions based on the names of things, of course.

What about people? I think we all know that we can tell something about people from their names . . . and mostly in this post, I am talking about first names, rather than last names. Last names tell us a lot too. Often, but not always, they give us clues to the owner’s nationality or race. Goldberg? Probably Jewish. O’Connor? Probably Irish.  Himmelblau. Probably German. Rosetta. Probably Italian. Garcia. Probably Hispanic. Wong. Probably Chinese. Johnson. Maybe African-American. 

A recent study found that people discriminate against others based on their names. This is not surprising. People discriminate against others based on all kinds of things: gender, sexual orientation, height, weight, accent, grammar (of course!), educational background, social status, job . . . and the list goes on.

I was listening to the radio a few weeks ago and heard the story about Raven-Symoné, one of the co-hosts of the television show The View. After the program played a YouTube video poking fun at inner city African-American names, she said she wouldn’t hire anyone with a “ghetto” name.

This remark obviously made the news. So, I started thinking about names and how certain things about our names do reveal things about us and help to create an impression of us, whether true or not.

First of all, what is a ghetto name? Generally, they are inner city African-American names. Here are some common so called “ghetto” names:

Latifah
Shaniqua
Laquisha
Tay Tay
De’Lanice
Sha’Londria
Mo’Nique

Ghetto names aside, what else can we say about first names?

You get two resumes, virtually alike in terms of experience and education. One applicant’s first name is Mary; the other’s is Trixie. Who might you lean toward without even meeting them if you are hiring someone to work in your insurance agency? How about your strip club? (My apologies to anyone named Trixie.)

Many celebrities have either completely changed or altered their names. Why? Probably for a variety of reasons. They want a name with more star quality. They want a name easier to pronounce and remember. They want a name without a religion or nationality connected to it. Here are just a few of the celebrities who have changed their names:

 Eric Marlon Bishop –  Jamie Foxx 

Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O’Connor – Lorde 

Carlos Irwin Estevez – Charlie Sheen

Onika Tanya Maraj – Nicki Minaj

Peter Gene Bayot Hernandez – Bruno Mars

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta – Lady Gaga

Mark Vincent – Vin Diesel

Ilyena Vasilievna Mironoff – Helen Mirren (I wonder why she changed that one!)

Norma Jean Mortenson – Marilyn Monroe

Stevland Hardaway Judkins – Stevie Wonder

Terry  Gene Bottea  – Hulk Hogan

Robert Allen Zimmerman – Bob Dylan

Louis Szekely –  Louis C.K

Cornelius Crane Chase – Chevy Chase

Lawrence Harvey Zeiger – Larry King

Frederick Austerlitz – Fred Astaire

Melvin Kaminsky – Mel Brooks

Krishna Pandit Bhanji – Ben Kingsley

Diane Hall – Diane Keaton (I don’t quite get this one, but now we know where Annie Hall came from!)

In addition to celebrities changing their names, immigrants have often changed their names (both first and last) whether to save their lives, avoid discrimination, or  fit into their new lives better.

And then there are authors. Authors often use pseudonyms for a variety of reasons:

When Susan Eloise Hinton wrote her book about gangs in the Midwest, it was the 1960s and she was only 16 years old. Her publishing company didn’t think anyone would buy a book abut gangs written by a 16-year-old girl in those days. So she hid her gender by using the pseudonym S. E. Hinton for The Outsiders. It seemed to work.
It is decades later, but perhaps J.K. Rowling did the same thing. 
Often authors write in two very different genres and like to use two different names. For example, I write as myself when I write grammar books, but when I write chick novels, I use JoJo Baker. 
Some writers want to conceal their identity. For example, I wrote Trashy Novel using the pseudonym JoJo Baker because I didn’t want to reveal the book to my 7th graders!

Here are some interesting thoughts about names:

Men named Dave make the best husbands.
Strippers and showgirls often change their names to girlie names like Daphne, Honey, Trixie, and Lulu.
Prudence, Mary, and Joanne wouldn’t make it as pole dancers.
We often dislike someone at first because they have the same name as someone we disliked in our past.
Teachers often fall into the last category, having students with the same name as a problem student of another year.
Some people can get by with only one name: Madonna, Rhianna, Cher, Adele, Ringo.

Names also give us an idea of someone’s age. For example, let’s take my name. Hardly anyone names a baby Arlene these days (actually, hardly anyone ever named a baby Arlene!). But those people who are named Arlene are generally from my generation. And I grew up with Lindas and Debbies. Hardly anyone names her baby Linda or Debbie now. We know that a Bertha or a Gertrude is not going to belong to a young child these days. These names were popular even before Linda and Debbie.  

Here are some popular names by decade:

1900 – John and Mary
1910 – Add William and Helen, Margaret, and James to those
1920 – Add Betty
1930 – Add Richard, Barbara, and Shirley.
1940 – Add Carol and Patricia (Boy’s names stayed more stable)
1950 – Add Susan, Deborah, Linda, Michael, and David
1960 – Add Lisa and Kimberly
1970 – Add Christopher, Jason, Kimberly, Amy, and Melissa
1980 – Add Jessica, Jennifer, Matthew, and Joshua
1990 – Add Samantha, Sarah,  and Ashley
2000 – Emma, Hannah, Olivia, Madison, Andrew

Here are some popular names of 2015:

Chloe, Emily, Aaliyah, Emma, Jennifer, Olivia, Hannah, Jessica, Sarah, and Lily
Jacob, Muhammad, Shawn, Aaron, Daniel, Jonah, Alex, Michael, James, and Ryan

A couple of other things about names I would like to mention. 

Celebrities like to give weird names to their kids: Scout, North, Suri . . .I guess they can get away with it, and their kids probably won’t be bullied because of it!

When you run into a child named Rainbow, Sunshine, Happiness, or Wednesday, you can be almost sure his or her parents were hippies!

Tune in next week for the Halloween post — and then back to our comma series.

New Car Sign! Watch out for me!      New Business Cards!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commas Part 3: Compound Sentences

 

Parts 1 and 2 of the comma posts talked about the series, or Oxford, comma. A series is a listing of three or more words, phrases, clauses, or sentences. This post talks about using commas with compound sentences.

A compound sentence consists of two sentences joined together with either a semicolon or with a comma and a conjunction.

You can join two sentences together with a semicolon if the two sentences are closely related to each other. That is a decision for you to make. (You never have to use the semicolon to join sentences, though.) For example

I am moving to Southern California; my sister lives in Northern California.

If you have been listening to me or reading my books , you probably know that you cannot join two sentences with a comma unless you also use a coordinating conjunction. The most common of these is and. However, there are six more of these conjunctions, and together they spell FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. Here are examples of compound sentences using each of the FANBOYS. They are not interchangeable, and which one you use depends on the sentence.

I am moving to Southern California, and I am taking my three dogs with me.
I am moving to Southern California, for I don’t like the cold weather of Chicago.
I do not like the snow, nor do I like the cold weather.
I am moving to Southern California, but the rest of my family is staying in Chicago.
I am moving to Southern California, or I am going to freeze to death!
I don’t like the cold weather, yet I love the culture of Chicago.
I don’t want to shovel any more snow, so I am moving to Southern California.

Notice that there is no T in the word FANBOYS; therefore the word then is NOT a conjunction:

I am moving to Southern California, then I am throwing my snow shovel away! WRONG
I am moving to Southern California, and then I am throwing my snow shovel away! RIGHT

Of course these coordinating conjunctions are used to connect words, phrases, and clauses too; they are not just used in compound sentences.  For example

Jack and Jill went up the hill. (connecting two words – no comma with two words)
Do you want fish or chicken? (connecting two words)
Did he go into the garage or across the street? (connecting two phrases – no comma with two phrases)
She didn’t talk to me either before the movie started or after our friends left. (connecting two clauses – no comma)

So generally you do not use a comma when there are just two words, phrases, or clauses. However, sometimes with but or yet you can, because the two things are opposites. But that is another blog post!

She was tiny, yet fierce.
The movie was good, but violent.

Let’s get back to the comma in compound sentences . . . here are two things to remember:

If the compound sentence is really short, you do not need a comma. The comma is mainly for ease of reading.

I came home and I went to bed.
She sang and she danced.

Make sure your sentence is really compound before you use the comma. That is, the text before the conjunction and the text after the conjunction are both complete sentences with subjects and verbs. If the text after the conjunction is not a complete sentence, there is no comma.

I went to college in Florida, and I attended graduate school in California. (compound)
I went to college in Florida and attended graduate school in California. (not compound – no subject after the and)
Are you going to vacation in Europe this year, or are you going to stay home?
Are you going to vacation in Europe this year or just stay home?

NEWS:

You might be interested in the news release The Grammar Diva put out this week.

NEXT WEEK:

Why, a Halloween post, of course!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commas Part 2: More About the Oxford (Series) Comma

The Oxford Comma

Let’s go back to last week’s post about the Oxford comma. The Oxford comma is, of course, the comma used — or not used — before the last item in a series.

I believe all the examples given in that last post were series of words. However, not all series are made of just single words. We can have a series of phrases, a series of dependent clauses, or even a series of sentences. Here are some examples:

Series of Phrases (a phrase is a small group of related words) :

The small boy ran out of the house, across the street, and to the neighbor’s house. (The Oxford comma is used before the and.)

Series of Dependent Clauses (a dependent clause is a group of words that has a subject and a verb but is not a complete sentence):

Nothing looked as beautiful and peaceful as our neighborhood after the storm was over, before the street was plowed, and when the moon came up. (Oxford comma is used before the and.)

Series of Sentences. You may not do it often, but there are times when you may want to connect a group of sentences.

I graduated from The University of California at Santa Barbara, my brother graduated from UCLA, and my sister is currently a student at the University of Arizona.  

 If you look at the last example, you will see that there are three complete sentences in that one sentence. To me, the Oxford comma really makes all the above examples sentence clearer. But remember, even with these other types of series, the final comma before the conjunction — the Oxford comma —  is not required. 

If you are going to string a few sentences together into one longer sentence, it is easier if each sentence is pretty simple, like the ones in the above example. If you have more complicated sentences, perhaps with commas already within them, you will want an alternative to stringing them together with commas. You will need to use semicolons, perhaps, or rewrite — but that is another blog post.

What if you have a vertical list? You have the option to set up a vertical list the same way you set up a sentence (horizontal list, or series), with or without the Oxford comma –or you can do it another way, without commas. Let’s take a look at a vertical list.

1. The ingredients are

3 eggs, 
2 cups of milk,
1 tablespoon of butter, and
2 ounces of chocolate.

You can, or course, eliminate the Oxford comma, as in the following example.

2. The ingredients are

3 eggs,
2 cups of milk,
1 tablespoon of butter and
2 ounces of chocolate.

And of course, you can eliminate the commas and the conjunction and altogether.

3. The ingredients are

3 eggs
2 cups of milk
1 tablespoon of butter
2 ounces of chocolate

In the first two list examples, I used a period at the very end because the whole list is really a sentence if you read through it. If you are going to write it with the commas and the conjunction, you should also include the period at the end. In the third example, I used no punctuation. You could put a period after each item in example 3 because each item completes the sentence, “The ingredients are . . .” But no,  you don’t have to.

So a series in a sentence is actually a list, but a horizontal list rather than a vertical one. And a series doesn’t have to be just single words. A series can be made up of phrases, clauses, or complete sentences too. The Oxford comma is used the same way in these types of series. And again, it is optional, but I prefer to use it.

Oh, wait. You want to put a colon after “The ingredients are”? Technically it isn’t correct because the sentence doesn’t end there, so you don’t want to put a full stop there with a colon. The list items complete that thought. Can you use a colon? I have seen it done. People like to introduce

lists with colons. If the introduction is a complete sentence, then you do use a colon. For example, if the introduction had said, “The ingredients are as follows,” you would use a colon (or a period). 

The ingredients are as follows:

But we digress . . .

Stay tuned for Commas Part 3: What About Compound Sentences? next week.

Grammar Police Don’t Carry Guns – An Editorial

The Grammar Police

People who like to follow grammar rules are often called The Grammar Police or Grammar Nazis. I don’t know why such militant names have been assigned to us, but I will let you chew on that . . .

This week’s post is not about grammar. I notice that whenever I deviate from writing about grammar — for example when I interview an author or other colleague — subscribers seem upset. A few unsubscribe; comments decrease. On the other hand, blogging experts say bloggers should not be pigeonholed into always writing about their area of expertise and should be able to express themselves, as their readers want to get to know them better.

Whatever the case may be, I have decided to write another type of post this week. Grammar will return next week with Part 2 of the Comma Series. 

This has been a disappointing week for social liberals. As many “old” people do, I  listen to talk radio, I watch CNN when there is a big story (since they do go on and on about it), and I only very occasionally call in to talk radio although I am often tempted to. Although I have been on talk radio (Ronn Owens, KGO), I still always feel cut short when I call, so I tend not to. I also post my opinions on Facebook, which maybe I shouldn’t do. My mother, who was not often complimentary to me, said that I was quiet and never talked, but when I did talk, I talked at the wrong time. Sometimes I feel that her words are true and that I should keep my mouth shut on social media. But I digress . . 

As I said, this has been a disappointing week for social liberals. First there was the threat of unfunding Planned Parenthood, which leads to the abortion issue once again. Then there was the Pope and all the publicity he received, the end of which was his talk with Kim Davis, which brought up the gay marriage issue. Then, finally, there was the umpteenth mass shooting, which brought up the issue of gun control.  

I never considered myself a political person. I generally don’t follow world events , or even national news, that closely. I do usually vote, always for President, and in some other elections as well. But I do have some strong feelings about some social issues, namely, choice, gun control, and the separation of church and state.

If you don’t want to hear my opinions, you can stop reading here. But these are just my opinions and you certainly don’t have to agree. 

Choice: I am pro-choice. No two ways about it. I am also pro-Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood is a women’s health service. Among its services are abortions. It does other things, and  abortions are not funded by our taxes. 
Check out this video by Bill Nye to see how, scientifically, the anti-choice argument doesn’t make sense.
What constitutes a viable human being is often a question of religion. Since we have freedom of religion, you can’t impose your religious beliefs on me or anyone else. Separation of church and state.
A man will never go through an unwanted pregnancy. I mean REALLY go through it. So, in my opinion, men really don’t have a whole lot of say in this. And they have NO say at all unless they are involved in a specific situation with a specific pregnant woman.
I am tired of hearing how everyone who goes through a pregnancy termination is forever regretful and traumatized. This is just not true. 
Children who are born to women who cannot afford them and are in no position to raise them are expensive for taxpayers if you want to talk about finances. They often also have traumatic lives.
In my opinion, there is probably a huge overlap of people who are anti-choice and those who oppose gun control. So . . .terminating a pregnancy is murder , but mass shootings aren’t?
Abortion is legal. It has been legal since Roe v. Wade in 1973.

Separation of church and state: I have a firm belief in the separation of church and state.

I do identify with a religion, although I wouldn’t consider myself extremely religious.
The United States is a democracy — a government run by the people and for the people. It is not a theocracy, a government run by religion. So says the Constitution.
To me, the Pope is a religious figure. He is the head of the Catholic church. He is not a politician. 
I questioned why the Papal visit was so highly publicized. I don’t believe the main religion in this country is even Catholicism. However, it did no harm, I guess. Until . . .
Most law-abiding Americans did not get 15 minutes with the Pope during his visit to America. Yet, Kim Davis, who has broken the law in her clerk position, did. I don’t personality care what her views on gay marriage are. Her job is to process marriage licenses. Her personal religious views cannot rule her job performance. She did not do her job.  Apparently, she was appointed to her position, so she cannot be fired.  Why can’t she be fired? And more important, who appointed her? And why is the Pope cheering her on, if that is indeed what he did, although the Vatican apparently now denies that. The Pope, great Pope as he may be, should not be influencing social issues in this country that are LAWS! 

Gun control: Not too difficult to figure out how I feel about this one!

At one point in my life, there were guns in my house. They were not mine, and I did not like them there.  I did even shoot targets one or twice at a shooting range. It was an experience I  probably could have lived without.
I don’t understand hunting, but if you want a hunting gun, fine. However, you probably don’t need an arsenal of them. And one idea is renting hunting rifles when you need one to hunt. (I don’t think there have been many hunters who then became mass murderers.)
I don’t understand target shooting either, but you want to go to a shooting range, fine. You don’t need an arsenal, or a semiautomatic for this either. And you could always rent a gun at the range. 
Having a gun by the bedside to protect yourself is not effective, as is borne out by the evidence. More people shoot family members or other innocent people than ever actually save themselves from intruders with guns.  However, if you insist, have a gun by the bed. One gun.
We can put chips in credit cards and in dogs. If we put a chip inside guns we could track them. 
Why does anyone need a semiautomatic? For hunting? For target practice? Get rid of them. 
Why does anyone need six or ten or fifteen guns? Unless they collect guns, there is no good use for an arsenal of weapons. Limit the number of guns someone buys. 
How about background checks? How about the videotaping all gun purchase transactions? How about not selling guns online? How about background checks at gun shows? How about people actually doing the required checks?
Yes, I know. There’s the black market. Gun laws will result in only the lawless having guns. If everyone had a gun, those mass shooters would be killed before they could do harm. I know the arguments. However, countries with stricter gun laws have fewer shooting deaths.
Yes, I do think it is something more than the gun laws. It is something with our society that glorifies violence. There is something about our society that is very different from the society, say, in Japan, where there are barely any gun fatalities. 
Yes, there needs to be something done about mental health issues. But, in my opinion, it is easier to tighten gun laws that to fix the mental health issues. That takes time and is much more complex than tightening gun laws.
Oh, yes, there is that second amendment right to “bear arms.” I guess 230 years ago, you may have needed a rifle to defend yourself. Things are a little different now. Maybe we just shouldn’t have that right any longer. And did “bear arms” mean to own an arsenal of 15 weapons, including  semiautomatics?

If everyone could carry a gun around, things would be a lot more peaceful. Someone would have shot that guy who ran onto the campus in a bulletproof shirt and carrying four guns. Not only is that probably not true, but I don’t want to live in a world like that. Do you?

If no one had a gun, police wouldn’t need guns either. Not even the Grammar Police.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commas Part 1: Why You Should Use the Oxford Comma

Ah . . .the Oxford comma — one of grammar’s most enduring battles. What is it, and why should you use it?

The Oxford comma is also known as the series comma. It is the comma that some people put before the conjunction (usually and) that introduces the final item in a series. It was first used by the Oxford University Press. However, its use goes in and out of style . . . some writers use it, while others abhor it and find that it clutters the text. Here is an example of both using and omitting the Oxford comma:

The students included Tom, Luisa, Mike, Jimmy, Stacy, and Elizabeth. Oxford comma used.
The students included Tom, Luisa, Mike, Jimmy, Stacy and Elizabeth. Oxford comma not used.

The above sentence is clear either way. Only an idiot would not be able to figure out that Stacy and Elizabeth are separate people.

But such is not always the case.

Recently, a Texas high school teacher made the news when he used this example (complete with drawings) to illustrate the importance of the Oxford comma to his class of sophomores:

We invited the strippers, JFK and Stalin.

The teacher has apologized and has faced no undue punishment, since it was an isolated incident.

I think you can see the misunderstanding that can develop in some cases when the final series comma is not used. Are the strippers JFK and Stalin? Or are we talking about three separate people? This is much clearer:

We invited the strippers, JFK, and Stalin. No room for misunderstanding here!

I actually used this example with my 7th graders, but I did change the wording! But not much! I think I said something along the lines of

At the party were the supermodels, President Obama and Michelle Obama. Hmmm….

How about this sentence?

I went out to lunch with my boss, the company CEO and a close friend.

Well, if I have used the Oxford comma in the rest of what I am writing, the reader would probably understand that it does not belong here, and I am talking about just one person, my boss, who is also the company CEO and a close friend of mine.

If I never use the Oxford comma, the reader might be confused. Am I talking about three people or just one? Did I really mean

I went out to lunch with my boss, the company CEO, and a close friend.

In this case, I went out with three people. But if I never use the comma in my writing, a reader might be confused. If you don’t like the Oxford comma and you don’t use it, you do have to use it in this particular case if you do mean three people. Otherwise, your reader won’t know what you mean. That is why I think it is best to always use the Oxford to separate all items in the series. Then, when you don’t use it, that means the items are not separate. 

Which brings us to the topic of consistency in your writing. Either use the Oxford or don’t in any one particular piece of writing. You can’t go back and forth. It might be confusing, and it will not look good. I personally  like the Oxford (can you tell?), so when I am copyediting someone’s work, I consistently use it if they have been inconsistent. However, I don’t make them use it if it is clear they don’t want to. Obviously, I will put it in when it is necessary to avoid confusion.

Here are some examples where the Oxford comma would have really cleared things up!

The reporter interviewed George Clooney’s two ex-girlfriends, Brad Pitt and John Hamm.
I dedicated my new CD to my parents, John Lennon and God.
Highlights of my recent trip included meeting the Prime Minister, a 102-year-old artist and a dildo collector.
For dinner I ate chicken, potatoes and milk.
Top news stories: world leaders meeting in Geneva, Obama-Castro handshake and same-sex marriage date set
I was practicing my twerking with my cousins, Miley Cyrus and Louis CK.
I traveled cross-country last summer with my boyfriend, a single father and a pole dancer.

Use the Oxford comma! It just makes sense!

Coming soon, fall/winter 2015!

What Are YOU Afraid Of?

Phobia. We all know what it means: fear. 

Yes, It’s For Real!

When I taught 7th grade English, I taught Greek and Latin roots, and phobia was among those roots. The class would make all the words they could think of with the root. The most common phobia words that most of us know are claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), arachnophobia (fear of spiders),  agoraphobia (fear of the marketplace: fear of going out in public), and hydrophobia (fear of water).

However, there are thousands of phobias for all things imaginable and other things unimaginable (a later post!). Here are some phobias for those of you afraid of  creep, crawly things and animals: 

acrophobia  —  insects that cause itching

agrizoophobia —  wild animals

ailurophobia — cats (there are at least three other words for this fear including felinophobia, of course)    

alektorophobia — chickens

apiphobia — bees (there are other words for this phobia)

bufonophobia — toads

chiroptophobia — bats

cynophobia — dogs

doraphobia — animal fur or skin

entomophobia — insects

equinophobia — horses

herpetophobia — reptiles

ichthyophobia — fish

isopterophobia — termites

katsaridaphobia — cockroaches

lutraphobia — otters

mottephobia — moths

musophobia — mice (there are a few other names too )

myrmecophobia — ants

ophidiophobia — snakes (also snakephobia!)

ornithophobia — birds

ostraconophobia — shellfish ( no, not ostriches)

pediculophobia — lice (and ped means child…..hmmmmmm)

ranidaphobia — frogs

scoleciphobia — worms

selachophobia — sharks

spheksophobia — wasps (that’s my phobia!)

teniophobia – tapeworms

taurophobia — bulls

zemmiphobia — the great mole rat

zoophobia — animals

 

As Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” That would be phobophobia!

 

Thanks to phobialist.com!

 

 

Shall We? Will We? Should We?

Is there a difference between shall and will? Both of these words help to make a verb future tense, for example, I go (present) versus I will go (future). So does it matter if you use shall or will?

Shall sounds pretty stilted these days — even to a conservative grammarian like me  — and it is rarely used any longer. It is very formal. However, if you do want to use it, here are the “rules”:

1. Shall is used with first person (I and we):

I shall go to Europe next summer.

2. Will is used with second (you) and third person (he, she, they):

Did you say you will go to Europe next summer? They will go with you.

However, when  determination or threat is implied in the statement or question, the opposite is done:

3. Will is used with first person:

I will go to Europe this summer regardless of how many hours I have to work to make the money!

4. Shall is used with second and third person:

You shall clean your room today! Your sister shall do her chores before she goes out.

5. Although Shall is pretty much outdated for the above uses, it is used for expressions such as Shall we dance? or Shall we go? These expressions imply a suggestion that we do something. You just wouldn’t say Will we dance? or Will we go? to mean the same thing.

6. Should and would are the same as shall and will. However, I would just forget entirely about these usages. We simply don’t talk this way anymore: 

I should like to go to Europe next summer. Uncommon these days.

I would like to go to Europe next summer. Much better.

7. We do — and should– use should when we mean that something is necessary or desirable:

You should do your homework every night (for first, second, and third person).

8. Also use should to imply a condition or something that might happen in an “if clause”:

If I should be lucky enough to win the money, I will go to Europe.

9. Use would to indicate actions that are usual, or customary:

When I was a child, every summer we would go to Europe.

10. Also use would in an “if clause” that implies willingness.

If he would get a job, he could afford to travel more.

It is pretty much instinctive among native English speakers to use the could and should correctly. And don’t worry about using shall. It sounds a bit too formal for this world. Even for me — I say “it is I,” but I still don’t say . . .

I shall sign off now!

I will post a link when my interview is broadcast on public radio. (or I shall??)

 

 

 

 

Manspreading May Cause Butt Dialing

……………….Manspreading!…………………

Manspreading? Butt dialing? These are real words? Well, yes . . . and no.

The Oxford Dictionary has added 1000 new words to its online dictionary in the latest quarterly update.  Many of these words are slang, such as manspreading and butt dialing.  When words become commonly used, the Oxford Dictionary adds them. Although you now may wonder if such words are now considered esoteric and high falutin — after all, we are talking about the Oxford Dictionary —  think again. The Oxford Dictionary adds words that are in common usage in the English language. However, there is also the Oxford English Dictionary, “the definitive record of the English language.” Although that dictionary is also updated with new words, 500 in the latest update, it is the more formal dictionary. However, both dictionaries are published by the Oxford University Press.

The Oxford Dictionary  – Contains informal and slang words that are common enough to be included.

The Oxford English Dictionary  – Contains new words, but not those considered slang.

Here are some of the highlights of new words added to the Oxford Dictionary:

Manspreading – This word was coined by commuters and refers to men on public transportation who sit with their legs wide apart, thus taking up more than one seat so no one can sit in the surrounding seats.

Butt dialing – Accidentally calling someone with your cell phone in a rear pocket (possibly while you are manspreading).

Awesomesauce – Great or wonderful. I have heard this word only on an insurance commercial. I am surprised it is even slang.

Beer o’clock and wine o’clock – No, I didn’t make this up. I think you probably decide what times these really are. 

Cat cafe – I had never heard of this before my daughter happened to tell me about it a few days ago. Imagine a Starbucks combined with a cat shelter. Yes, this is where customers come to play with cats who live at the cafe.

Brain fart – This one had been around a while and is a temporary loss of mental capacity

Bruh – Used to refer to a male friend and often used as a form of address.

Cakeage –  Like corkage for wine, a charge made by a restaurant for serving a cake they have not supplied.

Hangry – Just like it sounds, being irritable and angry because one is hungry.

Fat-shame – To humiliate someone by making fun of their size. (Now, that’s bullying!)

Fur baby – A pet cat, dog, or other furry animal.

Mx – A title used before a person’s name that does not specify gender.

Rage-quit- To become frustrated with some activity, commonly a video game, and quit in anger.

Rando – A person whom one doesn’t know who is likely acting suspicious or weird.

Redditor – A registered user of the website Reddit.

Snackable – Online content that is easily read and digested.

Swatting – Making a hoax call to  emergency services to bring a large number of armed police officers to a particular address.

Weak sauce – Something of poor quality. This must be the opposite of awesome sauce.

I was going to make you wait until next week, but I won’t! Here are some of the 500 new words that have been added to the fancier Oxford English Dictionary in the its recent update:

autotune
Blu-ray
comedogenic
comedy of errors
crowdfunding
declutter
go-for-it (adjective)
half-ass (adjective)
hardwire (adjective)
hot mess
jeggings (jean leggings)
netbook
photobomb
retweet
sexting
staycation
tan line
twerk
-uber (as a prefix)
wuss

 

Grammar Diva News:

Speaking to the Sausalito Rotary next week

Being interviewed onSeptember 4 on KCRB public radio for the show A Novel Idea – don’t know when it will air.

Contributor to this article: Teachers Net Gazette

Oh, and Saturday, September 5 is my birthday. Just saying . . .

Are You a Slasher/Or Not?

The slash (/) did not make an appearance in the grammar book I used when I taught 7th grade English. The slash doesn’t make an appearance in any of the grammar books I have written. The slash does not make an appearance in the books I edit. However, some people apparently do use the slash, whether correctly or not, and whether appropriately or way too much. And the slash has  uses in many different fields, as well as many different names besides slash.

Sometimes the slash in writing means or. The slash should not be used where the word or could not be used in its place. For example

           The pass/fail option was tried at the school last year.

I would prefer to simply use the word or rather than the slash.  The above example is clear, but not all uses of the slash to mean or are quite as straightforward. And after all, or is only two letters!

Some writers use he/she, his/her, and him/her. I do not like that construction and would advise writers to use he or she instead. Better yet, rewrite the sentence to avoid needing the singular pronoun to indicate both genders. Although it is also acceptable to use they as a singular, I don’t like that either.

2. Sometimes the slash is used to replace the word and when joining two nouns. By replacing and with a slash, you suggest that both nouns are equally important. For example
          
          The mother/executive has very little free time. (This sentence means someone who is both a mother  and an executive, and both nouns are equally important.)

Using and instead of the slash here could be misleading and cause the reader to think we are talking about two different people, a mother and an executive (well, except for the use of the singular verb!). However, you can write the sentence without the slash by writing something like, “A mother who is also an executive has very little time.”

Obviously, I wouldn’t use a slash to mean and.

3. Slashes are commonly used in the  phrase and/or, indicating that the two options are not mutually exclusive. For example
          When you come to the potluck, bring a bottle of wine and/or an appetizer.     

I wouldn’t do this either. Why not just write it out? “When you come to the potluck, you can bring a bottle of wine or an appetizer. If you want, you can bring both!”

Notice there is no space between the slash and the letters on either side of it.

Here are some other uses of slashes:

1.Slashes are used in web addresses (URLs): http://www.bigwords101.com/blog

2. Slashes are used to indicate a line break if you are quoting a poem or song lyrics. When using slashes in this way, you do include spaces before and after the slashes. This use of the slash is acceptable and proper in any type of writing.

          Ring around the rosy / Pocketful of posies / Ashes ashes / We all fall down

3. Another use of the slash is to replace a hyphen or  dash to make a connection between words or phrases. For example

          The fantasy/fairy tale genre of books

4. Sometimes a slash is used in a two-letter expression such as w/0, meaning without. Another example is n/a meaning not applicable. Even the one-letter expression with is sometimes written as w/. This use of the slash would not be acceptable in formal writing, but could be used in a memo or in a chart or illustration.

5. This use of the slash may be antiquated, since proofs are not what they used to be before everything was computerized — however,  a proofreader marks changes in the margin and  separates the comments with a slash. 

6. Editors use slashes when marking a manuscript by putting a slash through an uppercase letter that should be lowercase.

7. In math, slashes are used to indicate division; they are also used in fractions, such as 3/4.

8. In bowling a slash is used to indicate a spare.

9. Slashes are used in dates, but not in formal writing. For example, 8-30-15 to indicate August 30th, 2015.

In addition to a multitude of uses, slashes have many other names:

The slash used by the proofreader is called a separatrix.
The slash used when quoting poetry is thinner and is called a virgule.
Fraction bar
Solidus
Stroke (when reading the mark aloud)

For more information about other uses and names for the slash, check out Wikipedia.

To sum up, the slash has very few uses in writing. Something can always be done to avoid using slashes. Some writers never use them. Some writers apparently use them liberally instead of dashes and who-knows-what else! But grammar books rarely talk about them because they really have little use in writing.

Grammar Diva News:

I will next be taking my show on the road to Sausalito to speak to the Rotarians next month.

The ebooks for The Best Little Grammar Book Ever! and Correct Me If I’m Wrong are still on “back-to-school sale” for just $3.99 each on Kindle. Get them before the price goes back up! All my books are also available as PDFs. And if you are interested in using the The Best Little Grammar Workbook Ever for your school or organization, please contact me!

 

Grammar Meets Social Media

This post is a reprint of a guest post I wrote for social media expert and strategist, Frances Caballo. Enjoy and share. . .

“It’s just a Tweet—fewer than 140 characters. Too short to even think about grammar.”

“It’s just Facebook—they’re my friends [all 2749 of them]. They’ll understand what I mean.”

Did you know that the top two things that disqualify a potential date are bad teeth and—yup— bad grammar? And when questioned, people say they would be very reluctant to do business with a company whose website contains typos and incorrect grammar.

How you write and speak are two of the important ways you present yourself to the world. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. And once you make an impression online, it doesn’t get thrown in the trash or shredded. The Internet has a way of being forever.

Do you need to be a grammar pro to use social media? Of course not. But there are several things you should be careful about getting right. They are common mistakes that will stick out like a sore thumb in your social media posts. I mentioned Twitter and Facebook, but if you use LinkedIn, correct writing counts even more, as it is a professional site. And many people, including authors, use all social media for business, even if it crosses over into the personal. Even your personal Facebook page reflects you as a writer or any other type of professional you might be.

Here are some things you really need to get right:

Proofread your posts, no matter how short they are. If your best proofreading is done after you hit Send or Post (like me), you will have to learn to do it a little sooner. We all make silly typing mistakes. I know that proofing your own writing is boring, believe me. I don’t like doing it, but then when I, writing about grammar, send out a post with mistakes in it, imagine how embarrassed I am! It doesn’t take long, so just get in the habit of proofing whatever you Tweet or post.


Don’t confuse its and it’s, whether you have made a grammatical error or a typing one. It’s is a contraction meaning it is . ALL contractions have apostrophes, and it’s is no exception. Its is possessive. No possessive pronouns have apostrophes ( hers, ours, yours, theirs ).


Ditto your and you’re. Use you’re when you mean you are . It is a contraction, and all contractions have apostrophes. Your is possessive.


Be careful with your past participles. These are the verb forms you use with has or have . We have all seen or heard people use have went, have took, have wrote . These are incorrect. It is have gone, have taken , and have written . Also note have brought (not brung) and have swum, rung , and drunk —not have swam , have rang, or have drank . And there are many more of these irregular verbs, so look them up if you are unsure.


If you have two sentences, please put a period between them. If you like semicolons and your sentences are closely related, use a semicolon. If you are using a conjunction like and or but , you can use a comma. What I am telling you is don’t use a comma alone to separate sentences. Here is an example:


Check out this article, I think you will like it. WRONG
Check out this article. I think you will like it. RIGHT
Check out this article; I think you will like it. RIGHT
Check out this article, because I think you will like it. RIGHT


Please don’t use apostrophes in your plain old plural words. You didn’t post photo’s . You posted photos . Apostrophes are for possessives and contractions, not plurals. The only time you need an apostrophe in a plural is when not using one would be confusing: I got all A‘s on my report card (without the apostrophe, the word looks like as ).


Be careful with I versus me , him versus her, and who versus whom (which is tricky). I, he, she, who, we , and they are used for sentence subjects. Me, him, her, whom, us, and them are used for objects, which are generally after the verb or after a preposition like between, to, for , or with . And if there are two people and you are one of them, put yourself last. Here are some examples:


Me and him went out. WRONG
He and I went out. RIGHT
He gave it to him and I. WRONG
He gave it to him and me. (Hint: Take one of the people out and say the sentence: He gave it to him. He gave it to me. ) RIGHT
Between you and I. WRONG
Between you and me. RIGHT
Who are you going with? WRONG
Whom are you going with. RIGHT

Okay, who and whom are tricky. Here are a couple of hints: (1) Answer the question in that last example. Use him or he. If you would use him, you need to use whom: I am going with him. (2) Find the verbs in the sentence. Find the subject of each verb. If your who or whom is not the subject of any of the verbs, use whom. If it is a subject, use who. Or you can refer to a blog post I wrote about who and whom. 

If you pay attention to those seven guidelines, will your posts be grammatically perfect? Maybe, maybe not. But you will be avoiding the most common mistakes that I see online and the ones that will get you noticed—and not in a good way.

So happy posting! The great impression you give through your writing will pay off. And don’t forget to make your website grammatically pleasing too!

Grammar Diva News and Notes:

This past month I spoke at the Cloverdale Rotary, and next month I will be speaking at the Sausalito Rotary. Seems the Rotarians like my  talk! They even told me I could be a stand-up comedian, so I will be working on a grammar comedy routine (maybe).

The Best Grammar Workbook Ever!  has been selling well, likely because school has just started. Thank you to all who have purchased the book. In addition to print copies and PDF copies (which are available on this site), the book is now available on Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Kobo, Smashwords, etc. 

The next book I will be releasing is 50 Shades of Grammar, hopefully by the end of 2015.