Arlene Miller's Blog, page 61
September 10, 2014
Testing, Testing: Try This Word Usage Quiz
This is the last quiz in the series of three quizzes. Previous posts contained a grammar quiz and a punctuation quiz. Today, try your hand at the Word Usage Quiz. The words in this quiz are commonly confused. Scroll down to see the answers. Next week’s posit will talk about when to use each of the words and their partners.
1. (Any one, Anyone) of these dresses would be appropriate for the wedding.
2 They (emigrated, immigrated) to the United States from Italy.
3. Boston is the (capital,capitol) of Massachusetts.
4. The weather really (affects, effects) my mood.
5. I live (farther, further) away from the office than you do.
6. My husband is (disinterested, uninterested) in all sports except baseball.
7. Turn your car (in to, into) the third driveway on the left.
8. Is it (alright, all right) if I borrow your dress for the evening?
9. There are (fewer, less) girls in the class than boys.
10. The tailgate party (precedes, proceeds) the game.
11. (Almost, Most) everyone is ready to go.
12. Please (bring, take) these books back to the library.
13. This blue dress really (complements, compliments) your green eyes.
14. From the look on her face, I (implied, inferred) that she was upset about something.
15. On our way to the movies, we (passed, past) my old coach’s house.
16. He (lead, led) the parade when he was the drum major.
17. Please be (discrete, discreet) when you talk to him tomorrow.
18. Kale is a very (healthful, healthy) food, but I don’t like it.
19. The food at that restaurant tasted (bad, badly).
20 (Lay, lie) that blanket in the sun.
21. My (principal, principle) plan is to leave work early and set up for the surprise party, but I have other plans in case that fails.
22. Can you (lend, loan) me some money until I get paid?
23. He is the (sole, soul) person in the group who isn’t coming with us.
24. I (only) have (only) five dollars to spend at the candy store. Which place is best for “only”?
25. You should come and visit me (some time, sometime).
Here are the answers. Explanations next week.
Scroll down.
More
More
More…
Yes, more!
Here are the answers:
1. Any one
2 immigrated
3. capital
4. affects
5. farther
6. uninterested
7. in to
8. all right
9. fewer
10. precedes
11. Almost
12. take
13. complements
14. inferred
15. passed
16. led
17. discreet
18. healthful
19. bad
20 Lay
21. principal
22. lend
23. sole
24. The second choice – only five dollars
25. sometime
September 3, 2014
Explaining the Answers to the Punctuation Quiz
Last week’s post featured a punctuation quiz and the answers. This week’s post explains why the answers are the correct answers. Here we go:
1. I just baked some brownies, would you like some?
Corrected: I just baked some brownies; would you like some? OR I just baked some brownies. Would you like some?
Why? You cannot separate two complete sentences with a comma! You can use a semicolon if the sentences are closely related. You can also use a period and a capital letter, making two separate sentences. Or, you can keep the comma, but also add a conjunction such as and or but.
2. (letter) Dear Sirs; I am interested in the position of advertising director for your company. (rest of letter)
Corrected: (letter) Dear Sirs: I am interested in the position of advertising director for your company. (rest of letter)
Why? First of all, let me say that I have been corrected. Dear Sirs is no longer very common, especially on a cover letter. Dear Hiring Committee is a better choice. Aside from that, there should be a colon after the greeting of a business letter, not a semicolon.
3. I just went to the store and bought apples, bananas, cherries, strawberries and pineapple for the fruit salad.
Corrected: Correct as is.
Why? You could add the Oxford comma after strawberries, but you don’t have to. The Oxford comma, or the comma before the last item in a series, is optional. However, in a piece of writing, be consistent. Either use it or don’t. The only exception to being consistent is when using it or not using it causes confusion in a particular sentence.
4. Mike Jones, chief of police; Andy Crimson, homicide detective; Mayor Crawford, and Supervisor Kelley attended the meeting.
Corrected: Mike Jones, chief of police; Andy Crimson, homicide detective; Mayor Crawford; and Supervisor Kelley attended the meeting.
Why? This sentence contains a series in which some of the items have commas within them. In this case, to clear up any confusion about what goes with what, use semicolons to separate the items, even the ones without commas in them. The best solution is probably to rewrite the series to avoid the issue, but the semicolon is perfectly fine to use in this case.
5. He tried to ski down the advanced slope, and fell when he was almost at the bottom.
Corrected: He tried to ski down the advanced slope and fell when he was almost at the bottom.
Why? Commas are used in compound sentences. This sentence is not compound because the words on both sides of the conjunction are not complete sentences. Fell when he was almost at the bottom does not have a subject. If the sentence read he fell when he was almost at the bottom, you would use a comma.
6. Why did you wear that old, torn sweater to the party.
Corrected: Why did you wear that old, torn sweater to the party?
Why? The sentence is a question, so we need the question mark at the end. The comma between old and torn is needed. If you have two adjectives in a row, try putting an and between them. It is makes sense with and, you need a comma.
7. Out of all my brothers, my brother, Tom, is the most successful.
Corrected: Out of all my brothers, my brother Tom is the most successful.
Why? Putting the commas around Tom indicates that it is added information and could be taken out without losing meaning. However, we cannot take out Tom, because the sentence says “all my brothers,” indicating there is more than one, so we need to identify which brother we mean.
8. My cousin Tom, he is a doctor, is retiring next year and moving to France.
Corrected: My cousin Tom (he is a doctor) is retiring next year and moving to France.
Why: You can use dashes instead of the parentheses or you can rewrite the sentence, but you cannot leave it this way. The information within the commas is a complete sentence. You cannot enclose a complete sentence within commas.
9. My dog — I have no idea how — she got there was found wandering three streets away.
Corrected: My dog – I have no idea how she got there – was found wandering three streets away.
Why? The dashes are in the wrong place.To check the placement of your dashes, take the information within the dashes out of the sentence. If the rest of the sentence reads correctly without the information within the dashes, the dashes are in the correct place.
10. The book that I read last week is titled “How I Traveled Across Spain in One Week.”
Corrected: The book that I read last week is titled How I Traveled Across Spain in One Week.
Why? Book titles are in italics, not quotes.
11. I haven’t replied to you yet, because I don’t know if I can make it.
Corrected: I haven’t replied to you yet because I don’t know if I can make it.
Why? Although there is a comma after introductory clauses, there is usually no comma if the clause is at the end of the sentence: Because I don’t know if I can make it, I haven’t replied to you yet.
12. The June 12, 1965 issue of that magazine is a collector’s item.
Corrected: The June 12, 1965, issue of that magazine is a collector’s item.
Why? If you use the day (12) in the date, you need a comma after the day. You also need a comma after the year if the date is used in a sentence — even if, as in this sentence, the date actually describes the next word in the sentence.
13. September, 1959 is a month I will always remember.
Corrected: September 1959 is a month I will always remember.
Why: If you use the date without the day, no comma is necessary between the month and year, or after the year.
14. My uncle has worked for the F.B.I. for thirty years.
Corrected: My uncle has worked for the FBI for thirty years.
Why: Abbreviations made of capital letters do not have periods between the letters.
15. I would love to move to California; my husband would prefer to live in Arizona.
Corrected: The sentence is correct as is.
Why? These two sentences are closely related and can be separated with a semicolon. Of course, you can also make it two sentences and use a period between them, or use a comma and a conjunction.
16. Did he ask, “Are we going to Disneyland”?
Corrected: Did he ask, “Are we going to Disneyland?”
Why? In this sentence, both the entire sentence and the quoted portion are questions. However, we don’t use two question marks; we use only one. And the question mark goes inside the quotes.
17. In his speech Mayor Smith said, ” It (the new shopping center complex) will help the economy of the city.”
Corrected: In his speech Mayor Smith said, ” It [the new shopping center complex] will help the economy of the city.”
Why? Parentheses are used for additional information in a sentence. Brackets [] are used in quoted materials to explain something that may not be clear from the quote. Perhaps, in this case, the reader didn’t hear the speech, but just read about it in the newspaper. The reporter will add the information in brackets to make clear what the mayor was talking about. The information in brackets is not part of the quote.
18. Although he is a famous author, (of seven bestsellers) he has lost all his money.
Corrected: Although he is a famous author (of seven bestsellers), he has lost all his money.
Why? Yes, it is true that you probably don’t need parentheses at all in this sentence. However, the sentence shows that the comma would go after the parentheses, not before it. The comma is not related to the parentheses. If you took the information in parentheses out of the sentence, there would still be a comma in the same place, following the dependent clause.
19. He said, “My favorite song of all time is “Yesterday.”
Corrected: He said, “My favorite song of all time is ‘Yesterday.’”
Why? Songs should be in quotation marks. The song title should be in single quotes because it is inside a quote. Quotes inside of quotes are single quotes. And there should be three quotes at the end: A single quote belongs at the end of the song title. Double quotes belong as the ending quotes of the spoken words. That makes three quotes total at the end of the sentence, and the period goes inside the quotes.
20. He said “I am going to the movies with Jean and Theo”.
Corrected: He said, “I am going to the movies with Jean and Theo.”
Why? A comma is used between the rest of the sentence and the quote. And, in American English, the period always goes inside the quotes (as do commas as well). However, in British English, it is the opposite.
21. I am bringing: salad, bread, cheese, and wine.
Corrected: I am bringing salad, bread, cheese, and wine.
Why? Using a colon breaks up the sentence. Do not use a colon after a verb in a sentence with a series. Here is a sentence where the colon would be correct: I am bringing these items: salad, bread, cheese, and wine. Of course, the Oxford comma after cheese is optional.
Next Week: A Word Usage Quiz
August 29, 2014
Testing, Testing: Try This Punctuation Quiz!
Punctuation!
As promised, here is the punctuation quiz. Some of the sentences may be correct, but the rest have punctuation errors. Correct them, and then scroll down to see the answers. (Remember that I am traditional!) Stay tuned for explanations for the answers and the rules in next week’s blog post!
1. I just baked some brownies, would you like some?
2. (letter) Dear Sirs; I am interested in the position of advertising director for your company. (rest of letter)
3. I just went to the store and bought apples, bananas, cherries, strawberries and pineapple for the fruit salad.
4. Mike Jones, chief of police; Andy Crimson, homicide detective; Mayor Crawford, and Supervisor Kelley attended the meeting.
5. He tried to ski down the advanced slope, and fell when he was almost at the bottom.
6. Why did you wear that old, torn sweater to the party.
7. Out of all my brothers, my brother, Tom, is the most successful.
8. My cousin Tom, he is a doctor, is retiring next year and moving to France.
9. My dog — I have no idea how – she got there was found wandering three streets away.
10. The book that I read last week is titled “How I Traveled Across Spain in One Week.”
11. I haven’t replied to you yet, because I don’t know if I can make it.
12. The June 12, 1965 issue of that magazine is a collector’s item.
13. September, 1959 is a month I will always remember.
14. My uncle has worked for the F.B.I. for thirty years.
15. I would love to move to California; my husband would prefer to live in Arizona.
16. Did he ask, “Are we going to Disneyland”?
17. In his speech the Mayor Smith said, ” It (the new shopping center complex) will help the economy of the city.”
18. Although he is a famous author, (of seven bestsellers) he has lost all his money.
19. He said, “My favorite song of all time is “Yesterday.”
20. He said “I am going to the movies with Jean and Theo”.
21. I am bringing: salad, bread, cheese, and wine.
Scroll down for the answers….
More….
More….
Keep scrolling……
More….
Almost there….
Oh, OK!
The sentences punctuated correctly:
1. I just baked some brownies; would you like some? OR I just baked some brownies. Would you like some?
2. (letter) Dear Sirs: I am interested in the position of advertising director for your company. (rest of letter)
3. I just went to the store and bought apples, bananas, cherries, strawberries and pineapple for the fruit salad. Correct as is. You could add the Oxford comma after strawberries, but you don’t have to.
4. Mike Jones, chief of police; Andy Crimson, homicide detective; Mayor Crawford; and Supervisor Kelley attended the meeting.
5. He tried to ski down the advanced slope and fell when he was almost at the bottom.
6. Why did you wear that old, torn sweater to the party?
7. Out of all my brothers, my brother Tom is the most successful.
8. My cousin Tom (he is a doctor) is retiring next year and moving to France. You can also use dashes instead of the parentheses.
9. My dog – I have no idea how she got there – was found wandering three streets away.
10. The book that I read last week is titled How I Traveled Across Spain in One Week.
11. I haven’t replied to you yet because I don’t know if I can make it.
12. The June 12, 1965, issue of that magazine is a collector’s item.
13. September 1959 is a month I will always remember.
14. My uncle has worked for the FBI for thirty years.
15. I would love to move to California; my husband would prefer to live in Arizona. Correct as is.
16. Did he ask, ” Are we going to Disneyland?”
17. In his speech the Mayor Smith said, ” It [the new shopping center complex] will help the economy of the city.”
18. Although he is a famous author (of seven bestsellers), he has lost all his money.
19. He said, “My favorite song of all time is ‘Yesterday.‘”
20. He said “I am going to the movies with Jean and Theo.”
21. I am bringing salad, bread, cheese, and wine.
Next Week: Why the answers are the answers….
August 21, 2014
Explaining the Answers to the Grammar Quiz
Last week, I posted a grammar quiz….and the answers. In today’s post, I will explain the correct answers further. Here we go. . .
1. Maddie is the taller of the triplets, and Andy is the taller of the twins.
Answer: Maddie is the tallest of the triplets, and Andy is the taller of the twins.
Explanation: Use the -est(superlative) form of the adjective when comparing more than two!
2. Jeannie wished she were a princess, and she often acted as if she was!
Answer: Jeanie wished she were a princess, and she often acted as if she were!
Explanation: Use the
subjunctive form of the verb for wishes and things that aren’t true. Click for more info.
3. Every boy on the team brought their track uniform.
Answer: Every boy on the team brought his track uniform.
Explanation: Every is singular, so the pronoun representing it later in the sentence should also be singular. In this case we know we are talking about only boys, so we can easily use his. Click for more info.
4. Who are you talking about?
Answer: Whom are you talking about?
Explanation: Who is used for the subject of a sentence. Whom is used for an object. In this sentence, it is the object of the preposition about. You could also say, “About whom are you talking.” Click here for more info.
5. There are 103 boys in the club, but there are only six girls!
Answer: There are 103 boys in the club, but there are only 6 girls!
Explanation: I received a lot of flack about this one! Yes, it is standard to spell out numbers under 10, and in humanities writing, all numbers under 100. However, if you have two numbers in a sentence, and they both refer to similar or the same things, you should write them in the same way.
6. When Steve drove by Doug, he waved at him.
Answer: When Steve drove by Doug, Doug waved at him. There are other answers as well.
Explanation: We don’t know who waved. Did Steve wave? Or did Doug wave? Somehow you need to rewrite the sentence to make it clear who waved.
7. Either Jane or Susan will perform her original composition.
Answer: Correct as is.
Explanation: Either…or takes a singular verb and singular pronoun. We know they are both female, so we say her.
8. He gave cookies to her and I.
Answer: He gave cookies to her and me.
Explanation: Take out her. He gave cookies to me. You wouldn’t say he gave cookies to I, would you? Click for more info.
9. It is they who donated all the money anonymously.
Answer: Correct as is.
Explanation: After the verb is, we use the pronoun that would be used as a subject, for example, it is they, it is she, etc.
10. I swam in the school pool every evening this week.
Answer: I have swum in the school pool every evening this week.
Explanation: The correct answer has put the verb in the present perfect tense (have swum) rather than the simple past tense. Why? The present perfect is used for something that happened in the past and is likely continuing. The simple past is used for something that is finished.
11. I feel really bad about the accident.
Answer: Correct as is.
Explanation: Bad is an adjective; badly is an adverb. After a verb of emotion (rather than an action verb), we use an adjective.
12. While I was at the library, I read about the Aztecs in the garden.
Answer: While I was in the garden at the library, I read about the Aztecs.
Explanation: The prepositional phrase about the Aztecs is misplaced. It should go near the word or words it describes. It is probably not the Aztecs who were in the garden; you were in the garden at the library.
13. He is taller than me, but shorter than her.
Answer: He is taller than I, but shorter than she.
Explanation: Put in the missing words to find the correct answer. He is taller than I (am), but shorter than she (is).
14. I have drunk all the milk, so we need more.
Answer: Correct as is.
Explanation: It is have drunk and not have drank.
15. I saw the boy whom they said got the touchdown.
Answer: I saw the boy who they said got the touchdown.
Explanation: Use who because it is the subject of got. Whom is used for objects, not subjects. You can see the answer by switching the sentence around: They said he got the touchdown. If you would use he in the sentence, you would use who. Click for more info.
16. Written by one of my favorite authors, I enjoyed every page of that book.
Answer: Written by one of my favorite authors, every page of that book was enjoyable. Or
I enjoyed every page of that book, which was written by one of my favorite authors.
Explanation: The participial phrase at the beginning of the sentence needs to describe the word that comes right after it. Written by one of my favorite authors does not describe I. Click for more info.
17. She looks like she saw a ghost.
Answer: She looks as if she saw a ghost.
Explanation: Use like for a simple comparison where like is followed by a noun. Use as if or as though when both a subject and verb follow. Click for more info.
18. He chose my brother and myself to be on the hiring committee.
Answer: He chose my brother and me to be on the hiring committee.
Explanation: You cannot use myself unless the subject of the sentence is I. Click for more info.
19. These are my favorite type of apples.
Answer: These are my favorite types of apples OR This is my favorite type of apple.
Explanation: These is plural and type is singular. They must both be either singular or both plural.
20. Either my cousins or my uncle are coming with us.
Answer: Either my cousins or my uncle is coming with us.
Explanation: When you have or and on one side there is a plural noun (cousins) and on the other side is a singular noun (uncle), the verb agrees with the closer noun, in this case uncle, singular. So the verb is singular (is coming).
Next Week: The Punctuation Quiz!
August 14, 2014
Testing, Testing: Try This Grammar Quiz!
Take the Grammar Quiz!
How much do you know about the most common issues in grammar? Probably a lot if you have been following this blog! So try this grammar quiz. Keep in mind that this quiz is for grammar only. There are no punctuation or word confusion (homonyms, for example) errors on this quiz….those quizzes are coming! Sorry, the quiz isn’t interactive, but you can check the answers if you scroll down (no cheating!). Check the blog next week for explanations of the answers.
Instructions: Here are 20 sentences. Some of them may be correct (but I’m not telling!), and others have grammar mistakes. Correct the sentences with the grammar mistakes.
1. Maddie is the taller of the triplets, and Andy is the taller of the twins.
2. Jeannie wished she were a princess, and she often acted as if she was!
3. Every boy on the team brought their track uniform.
4. Who are you talking about?
5. There are 103 boys in the club, but there are only six girls!
6. When Steve drove by Doug, he waved at him.
7. Either Jane or Susan will perform her original composition.
8. He gave cookies to her and I.
9. It is they who donated all the money anonymously.
10. I swam in the school pool every evening this week.
11. I feel really bad about the accident.
12. While I was at the library, I read about the Aztecs in the garden.
13. He is taller than me, but shorter than her.
14. I have drunk all the milk, so we need more.
15. I saw the boy whom they said got the touchdown.
16. Written by one of my favorite authors, I enjoyed
every page of that book.
17. She looks like she saw a ghost.
18. He chose my brother and myself to be on the hiring committee.
19. These are my favorite type of apples.
20. Either my cousins or my uncle are coming with us.
Scroll down for answers……
Keep scrolling…..
Keep scrolling…..
And scrolling……
And scrolling…..
Almost there…..
Almost……
A little further
Getting really close…
OK!!!
Here are the answers:
1.Maddie is the tallest of the triplets, and Andy is the taller of the twins.
2. Jeannie wished she were a princess, and she often acted as if she were!
3. Every boy on the team brought his track uniform. (Their is acceptable, but why not be correct????)
4. Whom are you talking about?
5. There are 103 boys in the club, but there are only 6 girls!
6. When Steve drove by Doug, Doug waved at him. (or Steve waved at him. Whichever , but it needs to be made clear.)
7. Either Jane or Susan will perform her original composition.This one is correct.
8. He gave cookies to her and me.
9. It is they who donated all the money anonymously. This one is correct.
10. I have swum in the school pool every evening this week.
11. I feel really bad about the accident. This one is correct.
12. While I was in the garden at the library, I read about the Aztecs.
13. He is taller than I, but shorter than she.
14. I have drunk all the milk, so we need more. This one is correct.
15. I saw the boy who they said got the touchdown.
16. I enjoyed every page of that book, which was written by one of my favorite authors,
17. She looks as if she saw a ghost.
18. He chose my brother and me to be on the hiring committee.
19.This is my favorite type of apple.
20. Either my cousins or my uncle is coming with us.
How did you do? Check the blog next week for an explanation of the answers.
August 7, 2014
What Do Editors Do, Anyway?
One of the hats I wear is that of copyeditor. Sometimes people think I am a proofreader. There is nothing wrong with being a proofreader, but
proofreaders and copyeditors are not the same thing — and I must admit that with my master’s degree and teaching and school administration credentials (not to mention my grammar books), I get insulted when I am called a proofreader. A true proofreader performs rather mechanical tasks. Part of the misunderstanding is that the role of proofreader has become muddied since the advent of technology and print-on-demand.
There are actually several types of editors: substantive, technical, content, developmental, line, copy, tempo, and proofreaders. And there is certainly some overlap among them.
When I was a technical writer, we had substantive, technical, and copy edits:
The substantive editor saw the manuscript first and commented on the content and presentation, not so much the nitty gritty of grammar, punctuation, etc.
In technical writing, we had editors who made sure that the technical content was correct, since they were tech people and we were, for the most part, writers.
The copyeditor did the final edit of grammar, punctuation, typos, word usage, consistency, clarity….and a good copyeditor can usual find some technical inaccuracies as well.
Now, I am involved in writing books and self-publishing. The main types of editors we hear about now are developmental and copy.
A developmental editor works with the writer to develop the book. I have never used one and was always under the impression that novelists used them more than nonfiction writers. Developmental editors deal with early drafts of novels and help the writer with content, flow, superfluous information, and the elements of fiction such as back story, point of view, etc.
The copyeditor then sees the book when it is in good shape and performs the same tasks as copyeditors have always performed: grammar, punctuation, typos, word usage errors, capitalization, consistency, clarity, and any inaccuracies they can find or question.
So what are those other types of editors? And what does a proofreader do?
A content editor is a substantive or developmental editor. They are all concerned with the book as a whole.
A line editor is a copyeditor. They primarily look at the manuscript line by line, although they really do look at the book as a whole as well.
I have now heard of a tempo editor, a new one for me. A tempo editor works with the author on the flow and pacing of a story.
Now, what does a proofreader do? Many people think a proofreader is the same as a copyeditor, looking for typos, misspellings, grammatical and punctuation problems. Not really.
A proofreader does exactly what the name implies. However, with digital publishing, there really aren’t proofs anymore. Manuscripts used to be typeset, and the printer would send proofs – otherwise known as galleys or blues (they were blue) — back to the author or publisher. Enter the proofreader. The job of the proofreader was to compare the final manuscript, before printing, to the now-typeset manuscript to make sure nothing happened in the process of typesetting. For example, words may have been left out, or a line might be missing, or a word could look fuzzy…..in other words, errors made by the printer. In fact, it was not really the time to catch typos and punctuation errors because fixing anything once it was typeset was costly. If it was a printer error (marked by the proofreader as PE), the printer would fix it at no change. However, if it was a typo or other type of author error (marked as AE), the printer’s client (author, publisher, newspaper, company, etc.) would bear the cost of author error. Often it was decided to fix problems, but it would cost the client.
Because of technology, we don’t really have many problems in proofs any longer. However, even in print-on-demand and self-publishing, authors are encouraged to get a proof, which is generally just a copy of the book, to make sure everything is okay. In converting to e-book from print book, it is also wise to check a proof, since things can definitely happen in the conversion.
Since there are no real proofs today, authors often think copyeditors and proofreaders are pretty much alike, but in truth they used to be separate functions. Now, an author himself or herself will generally check a proof if he or she is self-published.
Note: I have never been traditionally published, so most of what I say is based on my experience as a self-publisher. And no offense to proofreaders, who these days usually do just about the same work as copyeditors!
Remember: Back to School sale for Kindle copies of my grammar books. $5 instead of $8.99. Now through August 15.
August 4, 2014
Grammar Book Back-to-School Sale!
I don’t know how the summer went by so fast, but it is August, and the first day of school is quickly approaching!
Just wanted to let you know that two of my grammar books are on sale today through August 15 in the Kindle Editions.
Instead of their regular Kindle price of $8.99, each book is now $5.00! (Recommended for ages 11-adult.)
Click here to purchase on Amazon/Kindle
“A user-friendly, practical, and immensely helpful book on grammar and usage. This volume should have a place on every writer’s shelf. Highly recommended.” Sheldon Siegel, New York Times bestselling author.
“Arlene Miller gives us the fastest, easiest keys to grammar. Without her help, I wouldn’t know whether I was laying or lying down the law — and I wouldn’t even try to compose a novel.” Ransom Stephens, author of The God Patent.
You can also purchase these books, as well as my other books, in PDF format.
And as always, these books are available from Amazon and all online booksellers in paperback!
August 1, 2014
“Whom” Cares?
Descriptivist or Prescriptivist?
I am a member of some grammar groups on LinkedIn, where there are some fascinating — and long – discussions of what some people would call grammatical minutiae. However, this week, I saw a discussion that I found a little surprising. The question posed was “Should we continue to teach who and whom to our students?” Obviously, this meant should we continue to teach the difference between them and when to use each.
In last week’s post I talked about the difference between linguistic and grammatical prescriptivism and descriptivism.
Prescriptivists (the camp that I lean toward) think that the rules are there and they should be followed.
Descriptivists believe that language evolves as new usages come into play.
Well, if we followed a purely prescriptivist viewpoint, we would still be using the language of centuries ago – thank you, Chaucer.
But what would happen if we followed a purely descriptivist viewpoint? How does language change, anyway?
Let’s look at an example: I have always used the idiomatic prepositional phrase by accident. The younger generation seems to be using on accident instead. Is it wrong? Which is right? Should we adopt what the younger generation is now using? Is there a reason that by should be used rather than on? Why did anyone start saying it that way in the first place? Is it because we say its opposite as on purpose?
I don’t know the answer to any of those questions. And to me, something like who and whom is a little different, anyway. People use who and whom — or should I say, people tend to avoid using whom at all — incorrectly because they don’t know or understand the rule. Should we say, “Oh, let’s just forget trying. It’s just too difficult to teach or understand”? Should we dumb down the language?
Taking who and whom specifically — since I have heard more than once that people would like to do away with the distinction — there is a reason that who is correct sometimes and whom is correct other times. And most people studying a foreign language will run across the same thing in that language. Who and whom are different pronoun cases. Latin has five cases. German, I think, has seven or eight. English has three….and we can’t even figure that out?
The distinction between who and whom is the same as the distinction between I and me. So, are we now going to say that “Me and him went to the movies” is okay too? Many people say it that way, so will that become the standard now too?
Then, there is the issue of conversation versus formal writing. Let’s say you are writing a cover letter, or maybe a college entrance essay. Are you going to distinguish between who and whom? All the grammar books I know of make that distinction, at least as of now. I would recommend that anyone writing anything formal use the rules until they are “formally” changed.
The evolution of language is nothing new. And I won’t pretend to know much about it. I am not a linguist, although I wish I were, and I find the subject fascinating. I do know that there needs to be a mix of descriptivism and prescriptivism, as there always has been; otherwise, the language would never have changed throughout the centuries. But where do we draw the line?
But who and whom? That’s where I draw the line!
By the way, here is the difference between who and whom:
There are three cases for pronouns in the English language: Nominative, Objective, and Possessive.
The nominative case is used for subjects of sentences (and predicate nominatives, but we won’t go there today).
The objective case is used for direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions, the three types of objects.
The possessive case is used for ownership.
Let’s take the pronoun I: nominative is I; objective is me; possessive is my or mine.
I am going to the movies.
He took me to the movies.
He is mine.
Now let’s take the pronoun who: nominative is who; objective is whom; possessive is whose.
Who is going to the movies? (Who is the subject of the verb is going.)
Whom did you invite to the movies? (Whom is the direct object of the verb invite.)
To whom did you give the movie tickets? (Whom is the object of the preposition to.)
Whose tickets are they, anyway?
One thing is for sure. I will be teaching my students the difference between who and whom!
Yikes! School starts really soon! Where did the summer go? Do you know
anyone who might need a really friendly and easy-to-use grammar book?
July 25, 2014
Word Crimes by Weird Al: An Analysis
Word Crimes
For the past week or so, the Internet (and even television) has been abuzz with Weird AL Yankovic’s new parody, “Word Crimes,” a grammar takeoff on Robin Thicke’s twerkable hit, “Blurred Lines.”
If you haven’t heard it, click here!
I love it! I think it is funny—and Weird Al’s grammar is right on. However, not all people in the “grammar world” agree with me. There seem to be two objections to the video:
1. It is insulting. It puts down those who may not be good at grammar for whatever reason.
2. It is full of grammar rules, which it claims is “the right way to do things.” Now that is fine for us prescriptivists, but not okay with descriptivists. Huh?
Prescriptivists are those who believe there are rules, those rules should be followed, and that correct grammar occurs when one follows those rules.
Descriptivists believe that language is a living thing (okay, true, or we would still all speak like Shakespeare), that there are standard grammatical forms and those that are less standard (but not wrong), and that if something becomes commonly used, it becomes part of the language.
I personally lean more toward prescriptivism, but I certainly see the role of descriptivism as well. But that is another whole blog post.
I have gone through the song with a fine-toothed comb and have found about 11 insults, 14 grammar rules, and two slight errors on Al’s part. (Oh, yes, I think that was another criticism of the song: it isn’t accurate.)
So let’s begin:
Everybody shut up - insult right at the start of the song.
If you can’t write in the proper way. . . you flunked that class – another insult
People mock you online - another insult
He’ll try to educate us in the nomenclature - that is a set of rules and terminology that belongs to a certain field of study, such as grammar
Lesser and fewer – a lesson: he shows us the correct way: fewer is used for countable items and less for “mass” nouns.
People raised in a sewer – insult
I could care less, versus I couldn’t care less - another lesson: if you say I could care less, you must care at least a little, so that probably isn’t what you mean.
Don’t be a MORAN – insult, but kinda funny
Use the right pronoun; show the word you’re no clown - another insult
It’s versus its – lesson: it’s is a contraction, and its is possessive
There’s no X in espresso – lesson: true, it is often misspelled and mispronounced
I don’t want no drama; leave out that Oxford comma- lesson: yes, you can leave out the Oxford comma (that comma before the and at the end of a series)
Don’t write words as letters (CU) – comment on texting, I guess
Don’t write words as numbers (Me2) – another comment on texting
Unless you’re 7 - insult, but what 7-year-old is going to take offense?
Or your name is Prince - well, that was really a symbol, not a letter or number. And Prince won’t care.
Dum mouth-breather - OK, this might be offensive and isn’t quite politically correct. According to the Urban Dictionary, a mouth breather is someone who is so stupid he or she doesn’t have the ability to breathe out of his or her nose.
Find a cunning linguist - you gotta give that one to Al for cleverness!
Learn your homophones - lesson: lightning versus lighting; your versus you’re;to, two and too; and a whole bunch more
Diagram sentences - a good idea, but hardly anyone does it anymore. It is, however, an excellent way to figure out the structure of sentences and what’s what.
Always say to whom and never to who – lesson: he is correct there!
Never use quotes for emphasis – lesson: pretty much true. Many writers now use the structure of their writing to show emphasis, but sometimes italics are used.
Good and well: doing good versus doing well (correct) – lesson: a common error
Irony is not the same as coincidence – lesson: he is right there; they are totally different. Irony is when you die of thirst while floating in the ocean. Coincidence is finding your long-lost-cousin, whom you haven’t seen in 12 years, also floating in the ocean.
Don’t confuse figurative and literal! If you literally cannot get out of bed, that means, for example, you are tied down.
It makes me want to stick a crowbar through your head - insult? oh, maybe
In e-mail your grammar’s errant – insult
In your blog, you write like a spastic – insult
Your prose is dopey - insult
You should only write in Emoticons – Al’s mistake. Should be You should write only in Emoticons (misplacement of only).
You’re a lost cause - insult
Go back to preschool - insult
Get out of the gene pool - Ouch! But c’mon, people take Weird Al for what he is – Fun!
Try your best to not drool – That’s pretty insulting and probably not PC. Also, Al has split his infinitive: Try your best not to drool.
Never mind I give up – insult: just a teeny one
Weird Al has a big Dic-tionary….another clever one
Go away - the final insult at the very end.
Weird Al – Ya gotta love him! I have actually seen him in concert, not once but twice! Years ago. Pretty funny.
July 18, 2014
Social Media and The Grammar Diva
Social Media
I decided to write a post about social media and me, since I have been thinking about it quite a bit this week. Why? Well LinkedIn says it is monitoring my posts and comments across my groups (about 50 of them) because something I posted was either too irrelevant or too promotional for some group or groups. (No, they don’t tell you which one).
I use social media a lot. A lot! I use it mostly for my business, although obviously I use Facebook for my other life. I love social media. Social media has given an introvert like me a way to market myself while hiding at home behind my computer!
One of my best friends (Frances Caballo) is a social media expert. I spend a great deal of time on social media for both personal and business use. Does it help sell my books? I actually don’t know, but I assume so, since that is about the extent of my current marketing plan.
There are new social media sites popping up every day….but I stick with the popular ones: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest, probably because those are the buttons my web designer (Gil Namur) put on my page. But I must tell you about some issues I have had with social media. . . .
Facebook was my first try at social media. I originally went on to follow my daughter’s travels and to see her photos. Above five or six years later, I have over 1000 friends on my personal page and over 500 likes (probably not enough work there) on my business page. I am on Facebook a lot, but I don’t pay much attention to my business page, unfortunately, although I do always post these blog entries there. A while ago I was banned from making friend requests because Facebook thought I didn’t actually know the people I was trying to “friend.” Do you really think that those people with 5,000 friends personally know all these people? In any case, I am now more careful about whom I ask to “friend.”
I noticed something very interesting (and slightly scary) very recently. You know how Facebook sprinkles ads in your newsfeed and on the side of the page — and they are usually things you recently looked for? Well, I started getting ads for Fiat 500 automobiles. Coincidentally, I had just met a man who owned a Fiat 500. It took me a while to figure out the connection. I had looked at his website a couple of times. In his exceedingly long bio, he mentioned Fiat once. That is all it took. I experimented to see if it was the viewing of the website, and it apparently was. Facebook is watching us! Very carefully! The man is gone, but Fiat is forever!
I love LinkedIn, and I think it is the best site for me and my particular business. I belong to lots of groups and, although I don’t know if it has resulted in book sales, I get lots of good comments on my blog posts. However, I already told you I am being watched there too for promoting instead of discussing. I am presenting information, but because it goes to my website, it is considered promoting. So, I spent most of the day yesterday straightening out my groups and figuring out which ones I could post to!
Google+
I can’t figure out Google+. I have about three accounts — I don’t know why. I don’t know which is which. I can’t delete one of them that is empty because it is apparently connected to my YouTube channel (no, I haven’t gotten around to using that one yet). I hear Google+ has a big learning curve. I post my blog entries there, and that is about all I can deal with. A pubic relations expert told me that Google+ is the most important social media site to use. I don’t think I have time for the learning curve.
I have also been told that Twitter is the best social media site for me to use. I have been told to get as many followers as possible without buying them (yes, you can buy them). I started to do this, and I gave up. To me, Twitter is just a huge bunch of stuff. There is so much on there, how can you manage it? There are zillions of apps to help you, but…..and I don’t get hashtags and sharing, and the rest of it. Yes, I use Twitter. But I don’t know why. And I really don’t know how.
Social Media
Nice pictures. Not quite sure about the business value, though. I have a board with my blog posts. I have some other boards where I collect hairstyles I like and mother-of-the-bride dresses I like. And I actually do use Pinterest for something else, which I won’t mention….I am not sure if I should be…..
Oh, here’s the good one. I had never been on Instagram….ever! I knew a little bit about it….like it was mostly pictures and mostly young people (as opposed to Facebook ,which is mostly old people like me). So, one day, I am talking to my 7th grade class about something on Facebook, and a student thought I said Instagram. I told them I had never used Instagram and had never been on the site. Imagine my surprise when a student showed me on his phone that I had an account, complete with a photo, followers, comments, and people that I followed! I had my daughter get into my Instagram account, since she is a member. I saw that it was all my students from the year before who were my followers and commenters. And the photo was the same one that is on my homework site. Hmmmm……..there were no negative comments on there, but it is still illegal to impersonate someone and create an account pretending to be them. So, I gave my school administration all the kids’ names. The culprit was never found, but I have my suspicions. I reported it to Instagram, but they needed a subpoena to track down the IP address it was created from. Whoever created the account took it down when they got wind that I knew about it.
Hey, whatever happened to MySpace, anyway?????????
By now, you have probably seen the new Weird Al video “Word Crimes,” a grammar parody of Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines.” It is fabulous and is putting grammar on the map. Even CNN is talking about it and showing it. If you have’t seen it yet:
Word Crimes by Weird Al
