Arlene Miller's Blog, page 65

Some Quotes on Words, Grammar, and Such

Carol Burnett has said: “Words, once they are printed, have a life of their own.” 

In the words of Lily Tomlin, “Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain.”

For a change of pace, I thought you might like to read some quotes about grammar, language, writing, and the English language. Some are thought provoking, others instructional, yet others humorous.

About Words - 

We have too many high sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them. – Abigail Adams

He can compress the most words into the smallest ideas of any man I ever met. – Abraham Lincoln

A man thinks that by mouthing hard words he understands hard things. – Herman Melville

When ideas fail, words come in very handy. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Words have a longer life than deeds. – Pindar

Drawing on my fine command of the English language, I said nothing. – Robert Benchley

About Writing - 

The best way to become acquainted  with a subject is to write a book about it. – Benjamin Disraeli

I have made this [letter] longer, because I have not had the time to make it shorter. – Blaise Pascal

Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say ‘infinitely’ when you mean ‘very’; otherwise you’ll have no  word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. –  C.S. Lewis

 An author is a fool who, not content with boring those he lives with, insists on boring future generations. - Charles de Montesquieu

 Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self. – Cyril Connolly

Writing gives you the illusion of control, and then you realize it’s just an illusion, that people are going to bring their own stuff into it. – David Sedaris  (interview in Louisville Courier-Journal, June 5, 2005) 

A classic is classic not because it confirms to certain structural rules, or fits certain definitions (of which its author had quite probably never heard). It is classic because of a certain eternal and irrepressible freshness. – Edith Wharton

The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think. – Edwin Schlossberg
 
A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: 1. What am I trying to say? 2. What words will express it? 3. What image or idiom will make it clearer? 4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect? – George Orwell  (“Politics and the English Language”) 
 
The cure for writer’s cramp is writer’s block. – Inigo DeLeon
 
About the English Language - 
 
Even if you do learn how to speak correct English, whom are you going to speak it to? – Clarence Darrow
 
The English language was carefully, carefully cobbled together by three blind dudes and a German dictionary. – Dave Kellett
 
About Grammar -
 
My spelling is Wobbly. It’s good spelling but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places. – A. A. Milne
 
When I split an infinitive, god damn it, I split it so it stays split. – Raymond Chandler
 
 Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson: you find the present tense, but the past perfect! – Owens Lee Pomeroy
 
Man 1: Where are you from?
Man 2: From a place where we do not end sentences with prepositions.
Man 1: Okay, where are you from, jackass?
-Author unknown
 
Do not be surprised when those who ignore the rules of grammar also ignore the law. After all, the law is just so much grammar. - Robert Brault
 
And my favorite……
 
Only in grammar can you be more than perfect. – William Safire
 
 
I would like to give credit to the following websites for these quotes. Please check them out if you need a quote on any topic!
 
The Quotations Page
 
The Quote Garden
 
 

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Oops!….I Did It Again: Redundancy in Writing

Redundancy in Writing

It is important to avoid redundancy, or unnecessary repetition, when we write. Redundancy can make writing overly wordy and often awkward. Read the following paragraph, and see if you can spot the ten examples of redundancy.

I woke up early because I had a meeting at 7 a.m. this morning. It is a good thing I live in close proximity to my office, so I didn’t have to leave too early. I stopped at Starbucks, which is in the immediate vicinity of where I work.  I am missed if I don’t show up at a meeting, since the company is small in size. This meeting was about our latest project. We made a decision to collaborate together on it for the purpose of getting a variety of different ideas. The creativity of this company is the reason why I took the job. It is a great job, but at this point in time I haven’t gotten a raise as yet.

Did you find them? Here is the same paragraph with the redundancy eliminated.

I woke up early because I had a meeting at 7 a.m. It is a good thing I live close to my office, so I didn’t have to leave too early. I stopped at Starbucks, which is near where I work.  I am missed if I don’t show up at a meeting, since the company is small. This meeting was about our latest project. We decided to collaborate on it to get a variety of ideas. The creativity of this company is the reason I took the job. It is a great job, but I haven’t gotten a raise yet.

Here are the redundancies that were in the first example:

1. 7 a.m. is the morning, so we don’t need to also write this morning.

2. Close proximity? Close is enough.

3. Immediate vicinity means near.

4. We know small refers to size, so we don’t need to use small in size.

5. Made a decision can be replaced by decided. This redundancy is called a “nominalization,” which means turning a verb into a noun, thus adding more words.

6. You cannot collaborate unless you work together, so together is redundant with collaborate.

7. Variety implies that the ideas will be different, so we don’t need both words.

8. We can use is the reason or we can use is why, but we don’t need to use is the reason why.

9. At this point in time is not necessary at all. You are obviously referring to the present.

10. You don’t need as yet. Yet is enough.

It is easy to let these redundancies slip into our writing. The best way to avoid them is to be familiar with them and proofread your work (or have someone else proofread it) to tighten it up.

Here are some other common redundancies and their “fixes.”

due to the fact that - because

I would appreciate it if you would –  please

 

with regard to - about or regarding 

completely unanimous – unanimous

each and every –  each or every, not both

end result –  result

exactly the same – the same

basic essentials – essentials

refer back – refer

personal opinion – opinion

summarize briefly – summarize

past history - history

very unique – unique

and also – and or also, but not both

filled to capacity – filled

difficult dilemma – dilemma (they are all difficult!)

final outcome – outcome

postpone until later – postpone

invited guests – guests (guests are generally invited)

plan ahead – plan

protest against – protest

repeat again -  repeat

revert back – revert

spell out in detail – spell out

unexpected surprise – surprise

Yes, it is just another thing to think about when you write, but avoiding redundancy and unnecessary words will tighten up your writing and make your readers much happier!

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Weird and Wonderful Words (Part 3: I, J, K)

It’s Mr. Jocko!

Ready to increase your vocabulary with some words you won’t hear every day? I’ve got some good ones for you — all beginning with I, J, and K.

I

iatrarchy – noun – You have heard of matriarchy, hierarchy,  and monarchy. Well, iatrarchy is a government run by physicians. Good idea or no?? Don’t get this one confused with kakistrocracy, which is a “government run by the worst people.” I guess you need to figure out for yourself who those people are.

iceblink – noun – Glare in the sky caused by light reflected off the ice. There really is a word for that!

iconomania – noun – Obsession with icons. Stay away from that computer desktop!

idempotent – noun – A quantity that doesn’t change when squared. Now, I’m no mathematician, but I think the number 1 falls into this category.

illutation – noun- Mud bath. Try that one next time you go to the spa!

 infucate – verb – To apply cosmetics. I do it every morning! Doesn’t sound very pretty, though, does it?

interciliary – adj. – Between the brows. Guess those with a unibrow don’t have any interciliary space!

ishies - noun – What a cute word for hip joints! If your ishies  hurt, you might need them replaced!

izzard – noun – Archaic name for the letter Z.

J

jackanapes – noun – I remember this one from a Shakespeare Insult Sheet I hand out to my students after we finish reading Julius Caesar, so I assume this word was coined by the Bard himself. It means an impudent child or conceited fellow.

janitrix – noun – Well, as it would appear to be, it is a female janitor (related to dominatrix??)

jark – noun – A seal or insignia on a counterfeit document. Who would have thought there would even be a name for that!

jawhole – noun – A sewer entrance. Makes sense, I guess.

jazzetry – noun – What a nice-sounding word! It is poetry read to a jazz accompaniment.

jocko – noun – A chimpanzee.

jugulate – verb – To slit the throat. I guess you do this after you defenestrate!

K

kakidrosis – noun – Well,  you have heard of halitosis! This one is the same, but the whole body! 

kalon – noun – Beauty that is more than skin deep. And we all want that!

kalopsiathe – noun –  The delusion that things are more beautiful than they really are. Kalo must be a root that means beauty.

kalology – noun – The study of (logy), guess what? You got it! 

keister – noun – A burglar’s took kit… Hmmmm… I thought it meant something else!

kenophobia – noun – Fear of empty spaces.

(empty space)

kephalonomancy – noun –  Ready? Divination using a baked ass’s head. Hey, I didn’t make it up!

kickie-wickie – noun – Another of Shakespeare’s originals.  It means wife, and is apparently not a valid word in Scrabble! Careful! Don’t get it confused with the next word!!

kickshaws – noun – A cheap worthless article, trinket.

kumiss – noun – fermented mare’s milk (yummy)

kyriolexy – noun – The use of literal expressions.

Feeling smarter now???

 

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etc., e.g., i.e. — What’s Up with Those?

Most people know what etc. means, but sometimes i.e. and e.g. can be confusing. They are all Latin phrases, and here are the translations:

etc. –  et cetera – means and others

e.g. - exempli gratia – means for example

i.e. - id est – means that is

1. etc. –  Used at the end of a list in text:

The wedding had an Italian menu, which consisted of pasta, pizza, lasagna, cannelloni, etc.

Etc. is often best avoided, especially in text. It is fine in a table or chart. Alternatives are to just say and others  or and more, or just to list everything. Sometimes you can even use  for example instead:

The wedding had an Italian menu, for example, pasta, pizza, lasagna, and cannelloni.

2. e.g.  - used instead of for example

Once again e.g. is best avoided, particularly in formal writing, although it is fine in charts and tables. Why not just say for example? If you want to use e.g., make sure you put periods after both letters, and commas before and after the expression. Do not put e.g. in italics or bold or quotes. (I am doing so because I am using it as itself here, and I also want it to stand out.) If you are putting a complete sentence after e.g. or for example, you can put a semicolon between the sentences.  You can also put e.g. in parentheses. All the following examples are correct.

The wedding had an Italian theme, e.g., the menu was completely Italian. (You could also use a semicolon before e.g. or for example. When a complete sentence follows e.g., using either a comma or semicolon before it is acceptable.)

The wedding had an Italian theme, for example, all Italian food.

The wedding had an Italian theme; for example, all the food was Italian.

The wedding had an Italian theme (e.g., the menu was completely Italian).

3. i.e. – used instead of that is

The exact same punctuation rules apply to i.e. and e.g. Use a period after each letter and a comma before and after the expression. If a complete sentence follows the expression, you can use a semicolon rather than a comma before it. Of course, you could use a period instead of the semicolon, but you aren’t afraid of semicolons, right? You can also spell it out instead of using i.e., and you can put it in parentheses. However, i.e. doesn’t mean the same thing as e.g., and they are not interchangeable  – usually. (Sometimes they are pretty close.)

I am taking two languages this year, i.e., Spanish and Italian.

In the above sentence, e.g. would be incorrect. You are not using Spanish and Italian as examples. Instead, you are explaining that you are taking two languages by telling what they are. Notice that i.e. is really an equal sign (the two languages equal Spanish and Italian).

I am proud that my son is the drum major for the band; i.e., he is leading the marching band.

In the above sentence you are explaining what you mean by drum major. Once again, you see that  i.e. is an equal sign, saying that drum major equals the person who leads the marching band.

Simple?

 
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The Grammar Diva on Big-Time Radio!

OMG! I got this exact radio for my 9th birthday! Listened to it all the time!

On December 16th, I was a guest on the Ronn Owens show on KGO radio! It was definitely one of the highlights of my career as an author and Grammar Diva. In case you aren’t familiar with the show, KGO is probably the biggest station in San Francisco (810 AM), and Ronn Owens is one of their most popular hosts. He has been doing his show for 35 years — and I might add that I was the very first grammar person to be a guest on the show. 

How did this happen? Although I have been meaning to contact media about appearing to talk about my books (for three years), I have never really gotten around to it. Aside from a very half-hearted attempt at KSRO in Santa Rosa, I have done nothing — nada.

I listen to talk radio while I drive sometimes — if I have gotten tired of listening to my CD mix. This particular day, a couple of months ago, I switched on KGO and started listening to Ronn’s show. He began talking about words and what they mean and how they are used. Then, he took some calls.  I found it interesting, of course, and thought the discussion would be a good topic for a blog post. I wrote that post on November 15:

http://bigwords101.com/2013/blog/its-all-about-the/ 

In the post, I mentioned that I was inspired by the Ronn Owens show, and I e-mailed Ronn a copy of the blog post. He e-mailed back thanking me and said he would read the post. I replied that if he ever wanted a grammar person on the show to let me know. I was joking (a little).  A few weeks later, his producer called and asked if I would be on the show! Done! 

Shlepping into San Francisco is not my favorite thing to do; I don’t know my way around at all, and I don’t know where to park. I asked them about parking, and they said not to worry. They gave me directions to the parking garage, and they told me to call them a few minutes before I would reach the garage and they would send someone down to get me in. 

Then, I never heard from them….I thought that maybe this was a joke! What? No prep?  I had been on Blog Talk radio (does anyone listen to that?) and on public radio recently, and there had been communication before the taping of each show. And this was going to be live!

I finally e-mailed to see if there was anything I was supposed to do to prepare. The producer said, “No, your expertise will be enough.”

OK. So the biggest problem was finding my way. I had no idea when I would be almost at the parking garage, so I decided it was safer to aim toward the radio station itself. I printed out the directions and found it —  no problem.  A little narrow street, South of Market. So, I arrived — an hour earlier — still thinking maybe there was some prep. They didn’t tell me what time to arrive. I pulled over illegally (of course) in front of the building, stressed by the San Francisco drivers, and called them. Turns out I was right at the parking garage. However, a truck came and said I had to move, so I inched forward onto the sidewalk and a tree. A passing woman asked if I needed help; I said I was OK (I always park wedged near a tree).  Turned out OK. Someone from the station came down and led me into the parking space and up to the waiting area of the station.

I waited. I was supposed to be on the 11 a.m. half hour segment. No prep. Had never seen Ronn. Finally, at about 11:05 (near the end of the news), they took me into the freezer — I mean, the studio. Ronn came in, introduced myself, shook my hand, sat down, and said,”Don’t be nervous. My job is to make you feel good.” Then we were rolling on live radio. When I was led in, I was told Ronn probably wouldn’t take calls, but the headphones were there just in case. Well, of course, he took calls!  Or, rather, I did! I was proud when I answered a “who and whom” question “more clearly than anyone ever had before.”

I must confess that Ronn asked me one question from my website to which I really had no answer. “Pro” that I am, I sides-swept a bit and answered something related. Did anyone notice? Politicians and beauty pageant contestants do it all the time! 

And then my segment was over…..it was fun, and I walked out of there wanting my own radio show — or at least a permanent spot on Ronn’s show, maybe on grammar days. Ronn was very nice! And his show is always interesting, whether or not they are talking grammar!

So I got out of the garage and proceeded to take an unintended tour of much of San Francisco, as I tried to find my way to the Golden Gate Bridge. 

In case you missed the show, here is the podcast….enjoy!

http://bigwords101.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/December_16__11AM-1387228401.mp3

 

Arlene, The Grammar Diva

 

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A Toast to the Semicolon!

 Some people never use the semicolon; others use it often.  The only thing worse than never using it is using it incorrectly! Once you read this blog post, you will never do that.

You can get by in your writing without ever using a semicolon. There is always a way around it. If you write, you will eventually have to use a period. And if you know what’s good for you, you will put some commas in there too. Question marks are sometimes necessary as well. And quotation marks. And colons are often called for. But semicolons? They can be totally avoided by alternatives and rewriting. But they are so nice to use sometimes for variety—and necessity.

The first thing to do is to disassociate the semicolon from the colon. They don’t have much in common at all and are definitely NOT ever interchangeable.  The semicolon has much more in common with the comma, and is kind of a supercomma, if you will. Colons generally announce that something is coming: they introduce lists, either vertical or horizontal, or maybe a long quote. Semicolons don’t do that.

So enough beating around the bush, you say. What do I use the semicolon for? 

The semicolon really has only two uses:

1. It is used to separate two (or more) closely related sentences.

2. It is used where a comma would be used (to separate items in a series, or to connect two sentences where there is a conjunction like and) if there are already too many commas, and things are hard to read.

The first use is easy. You have two sentences. You can separate them with a period. Or, you can separate them with a comma IF YOU ARE USING A CONJUNCTION. Or, if they are closely related, you can use a semicolon.

Examples:

I am taking the train to New York. My brother is flying.

I am taking the train to New York, but my brother is flying.

I am taking the train to New York; my brother is flying.

See? Easy! Just remember to use a lowercase letter to begin the sentence after the semicolon, and don’t use a conjunction.

If the sentences are not closely related, stick to a period.

The second use for a semicolon can be worked around by rewriting if you want to avoid using semicolons.  Here are a couple of samples of using semicolons as “super commas.” The first is in a series. Generally, you separate the items in a series with commas, but if some or all of the items already have commas, your sentence can be confusing:

I went to New York with my brother, Jim, Alice, my cousin, Beth, my mother, and my grandmother.

Well, that is a little confusing. It is impossible to tell who is who and how many people are going with you. Here is the same sentence cleared up with semicolons:

I went to New York with my brother; Jim; Alice, my cousin; Beth, my mother; and my grandmother.

Now you know there are five people going with you. Jim and your brother are not the same person. However, Alice is your cousin, and Beth is your mother. So you are separating the big items (yes, even before the last item) with semicolons because the individual items already have commas in them. 

Here is an example of a complicated compound sentence that could use semicolons:

My company’s offices are in Bangor, Maine,  Manchester, New Hampshire, and Queens, New York, and the other company’s offices are in Hoboken, New Jersey, Boston, Massachusetts, and Baltimore, Maryland.

Understandable if you know some geography,  but so many commas!

My company’s offices are in Bangor, Maine;  Manchester, New Hampshire; and Queens, New York; and the other company’s offices are in Hoboken,  New Jersey; Boston, Massachusetts; and Baltimore, Maryland. (In this case, you can leave the conjunction and, or you can leave it out.)

One more example to sell you on the use of semicolons:

I packed the following items: two pair of pants, brown and blue, three shirts, three pair of black shoes, gray, black, and brown socks, and striped pajamas. (Forget the fact that nothing matches!)

Let’s use semicolons:

I packed the following items: two pair of pants, brown and blue; three shirts; three pair of black shoes; gray, black, and brown socks; and striped pajamas.

You can hear the story of the semicolon on YouTube

 

 

 

The Grammarians’ New Years Resolutions for 2014

Happy New Year to all! Ready to start the diet? Or go to the gym more often? Ready to write that book? Be a more patient driver? Better mother? Harder worker? Got those resolutions forming in your mind? Or have you given up the idea of making the same resolutions every year? Well, I thought you might want to make some of the grammarians’ resolutions for 2014….

1. I resolve never to correct anyone’s grammar—even on Facebook—unless I am asked.  If they want to embarrass themselves, well, that is their business. 

2. I resolve to proofread all my e-mails and texts, and especially to watch out for autocorrect. Last week I texted a G, and it turned into God bless you.

3. I resolve to let no sentence be ended before its time—with either a period, semicolon, or colon—and therefore become a fragment; and to let no sentence continue past its natural life, thus becoming a run on.

4. I resolve to give up my fear of the semicolon. The semicolon is quite harmless and has only a couple of uses. I will not be afraid to use one between two related sentences. However, I will also not confuse the semicolon with its distant cousin, the colon.

5. I resolve to have tolerance for both grammar hawks and grammar doves—hawks insisting on every grammar rule, outdated or not, and doves ready to disregard any  rule in favor of a life of literary chaos. 

6. I resolve never to utter any of the following words or phrases: have went; me and him went; between you and I; irregardless; could of, should of, or would of; haven’t hardly; I could care less; or he and myself.

7. I resolve that I will never put an apostrophe in a plain old plural unless not using the apostrophe would be confusing. This is very rare indeed.

8. I resolve not to misplace my modifiers, thus humiliating myself. While reading by the window, my dog did not jump into my lap because dogs usually don’t read. While walking under the shelves , the box did not fall on my head, because boxes don’t walk under shelves. While howling at the moon, a car did not stop to watch me because cars don’t howl at the moon, although I may.

9. I resolve not to make up words or abuse real words by pronouncing  them incorrectly. These words do not exist: mischevious, nucular, jewlery, and realator.

10. I resolve to understand that good grammar improves my communication skills and the image I project to others. However, it isn’t everything. And when I am thinking about my New Year resolutions,  I will remember that The Golden Rule trumps every grammar rule.

 

Happy  2014 from bigwords 101!

 

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Weird and Wonderful Words (Part 2 E–H)

For the love of words…

Some weeks ago, I began a series on weird words. Remember defenestrate (to throw someone out the window)? Here is part 2, words beginning in e through h:

 Epeolatry –  Of course, I especially like this one, which means the worship of words. It comes from epos, which means word in Greek, and was apparently coined in 1860 by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. The word can be applied to philologists, linguists, or lexicographers. 
The term also has satirical value and is sometimes used to denigrate popular religions or belief systems. For example, one could call Christianity an epeolatric religion because the majority of its teachings hinge on the words of the Hebrew Bible. However, you are unlikely to see the word in any form because it remains obscure.

Energumen – One who is possessed by a demonic entity.

Eructation - Belching; or, the discharge of a volcano!

Floccinaucinihilipilification – The categorizing of something as worthless. (Do not ask me how to pronounce this one.)

Funambulists -  Tightrope walkers. (I get the ambulist part, but the fun??!!)

Gleek -  To joke or jest.

Gorbellied - Corpulent. 

Gound – The gunk that collects in the corners of the eyes during sleep. (Who knew?)

Gowpent – Two hands placed together to form a bowl shape; also, the amount that can be contained in a pair of cupped hands. (Really? There is actually a word for this?)

Grimthorpe – To remodel or restore an old building without proper grounding or knowledge of its authentic character or without exercising care to remain faithful to its original quality and uniqueness; after Baron Grimthorpe, English lawyer and architect, restorer of St. Alban’s cathedral.

Hallux - The big toe.

Hircine – Goat-like; also, lustful. (You’ve heard of canine, feline, equine, porcine – I guess this is the goat one!)

Hoydena – Boisterous, carefree girl; a tomboy. (Kind of like a hyena??)

(Thanks to the Urban Dictionary for the words. )

And – speaking of words, here is a link to help you say Merry Christmas in 150 languages!

Have a joyous holiday and be careful not to get gorbellied!

 

Need a last minute gift?

Who Needs Grammar and Punctuation Rules? An Editorial

 

“The Times They Are a-Changin’” The times are always changing, and the longer you have been on this planet, the more change you see. The changes I have seen lean toward more tolerance, less rigidity, and,  you might even say, less “correctness.” 

When I was in Brownies, many eons ago, we learned how to set a table correctly. How many of us care about that now? Yet, when we have a dinner party, most of us probably do try to put the fork(s) on the right and the knife on the left. 

I have seen the acceptance of gay marriage, a wider acceptance of what a “nuclear” family is, less strict dress codes in school and in the office, fewer people writing “thank you” notes (or even saying “thank you”), much more leniency in schools,and . . . well, much less concern about correct grammar, which kind of goes along with the trend.

Some people say we don’t need grammar rules, as long as we can be understood. Well, can I then come to your dinner party and eat the steak and salad with my hands, as long as it gets into my mouth? Is there no need for “correctness” or “the right way to do things.” One might even call it a state of “grace.”

In grammar, opinions run the gamut. There are those who say “Why have rules at all? Rules are meant to be broken.” They may be the same people who preach getting rid of kids learning the multiplication tables because we now have calculators.  (And dare we even speak about the demise of “cursive” writing?) Some want to get rid of the differentiation between who and whom because it is too hard for people to figure out. Come on, people, remember when we used to walk to school, five miles uphill, both ways . . . in the snow?

Then there are those who stick to the old rules. They are becoming a minority, it seems. I used to be one of them. I am giving way just a little, tiny bit. Sometimes!

Let’s get specific. It used to be “wrong” to split infinitives or end a sentence with a preposition. These “rules” are long gone. They made no sense, and it improved the flow of the sentence to break them:

I want to bravely fight for my country. (I still prefer “to fight bravely.”)

Whom are you baking the cake for? (For whom are you baking the cake? does sound a little stilted.) However, you can’t take that one too far: Where are you at?  is still not a wise choice!

Here are two of the rules in transition now: First, there seems to be some discussion about whether you can begin a sentence with a conjunction (and, so but, etc.). Fiction writers and other creative writers have always done so, but they do have leeway; creative writing isn’t the same as business writing. Some people say there has never even been a rule discouraging this. Most people now think it is fine, and often conveys more precise meaning, to begin a sentence with and or so or but.

Example: She went away for three months, leaving her family behind. And, she didn’t even tell them she was going! (Yes, you could indeed just have put a comma after behind and made it a compound sentence. I didn’t say I was in favor of this!)

The second rule in transition has actually been pretty much changed by now. Even Webster says it is okay. The English language has run into problems because it has no “gender-nonspecific” word for third person singular. We have he for males, she for females, and it for nonhumans. When we use a singular pronoun such as everybody, no one, anyone, etc. (and those are all singular) we run into the clunky “him or her” issue. 

Example: Everyone needs to sit in his or her seat now.  Solutions range from he/she (yuck) to always using he (yuck), to alternating between he and she (nonsensical), or just rewriting the sentence (best solution).

Now it is perfectly acceptable to use their as a singular. Most would say, anyway. 

Example: Everyone needs to sit in their seats now. 

The fact that there is no “gender-nonspecific” word for third person singular has recently become an issue on college campuses for a little different reason: transgender students. Some new words are being invented as third person singular. I joked to my 7th class last year that we should invent such a word, perhaps shis.

Now it has become a reality.

As for me, I follow the “cover letter” rule: If I am writing a resume, a cover letter, or anything where impressions of good education and grammar count, I am NOT going to start a sentence with a conjunction and I am NOT going to use they as a singular. The person to whom I am writing might be a stickler for those rules. He or she might not know that I know the difference, but choose to write the way I am writing.

But that’s just me.

Listen to The Grammar Diva live on KGO 810 a.m. San Francisco tomorrow (Monday) at 11 a.m.

And remember that books make great holiday gifts!

Where Does the Word “Yule” Come from, Anyway?

The origins of some holiday words

In the spirit of the holiday season, I thought you might like to know where some of the common holiday words come from.  Here are the etymologies (origins) of some common holiday words:

 
Christmas (noun or adjective) – From the late Old English Cristes maesse, Christ and mass. Christmas was written as one word beginning in the mid 1300s.  Christmas cards were first designed in 1843 and became popular by the 1860s. 
Hanukkah (noun) - also spelled Chanukah and Hanukah (and other less common ways), it is from the Hebrew meaning to dedicate or consecrate.
Advent (noun) – Means important arrival, first used in 1742 to indicate an extended  ”season before Christmas” (Old English), from the Latin advent (a coming, approach, arrival).
Carol (noun) – Used from  around 1300, carol means “a joyful song”and also to “dance in a ring” from the Old French carole. It is perhaps also related to the Latin choraula, meaning a dance to the flute. Before that, from the Greek Khoraules, the flute player who accompanies the choral dance. Khoraules is from khoros (chorus) and aulein (to play the flute).
Dreidel (noun)  - The four-sided top bearing the Hebrew letters nun, gimel, he,  and shin, one on each side, is from the Yiddish dreydl. In Middle High German, drey means “to rotate or turn.”
Grinch (noun) - Meaning ”spoilsport,” all uses of this word trace to Dr. Seuss’s 1957 book How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Latke (noun) - The pancakes, traditionally eaten on Chanukah and generally made from potatoes, have  their origins from the East Slavic latka, a dialectical from of aladka, which is a kind of pancake. It goes further back to the Old Russian oladiya, a derivative of the Greek word for oil. If you have ever eaten latkes, you will understand the reference to oil!
Mistletoe (noun)  - From the Old English mistiltan, from mistel  and tan (“twig)”  Also from the Old Norse mistilteinn, Norwegian misteltein, and Danish mistelten. Venerated by the Druids, the custom of hanging it at Christmas and kissing under it is mentioned by Washington Irving.
Noel (noun) - From the late 14th century nowel (feast of Christmas), from Old French noel (the Christmas season), a variant of nael, from Latin natalis (birth).  As a masculine proper name, from Old French, probably literally “of or born on Christmas.”
Scrooge (noun) - Generic for miser, 1940, from the character in Dicken’s 1843 story A Christmas Carol.  It does not appear to be a genuine English surname.
Wassail - Mid 12th century  Old Norse ves heill (be healthy) a salutation, from ves, (to be) and heill (healthy). Use as a drinking phrase appears to have arisen among Danes in England and spread to native inhabitants. A similar formation appears in Old English (wes þu hal), but this is not recorded as a drinking salutation. The meaning extended in the 13th century to “liquor in which healths were drunk,” especially spiced ale used in Christmas Eve celebrations. Used to mean “a carousal, reveling” first around the 16th century.Wassailing as the “custom of going caroling house to house at Christmas time” is recorded from 1742.
Yule (noun or adjective ) - From Old English geol, geola (Christmas Day, Christmastide) from Old Norse jul  (a heathen feast), later taken over by Christianity, of unknown origin. The Old English cognate giuli was the Anglo-Saxons’ name for a two-month midwinter season corresponding to Roman December and January, a time of important feasts but not itself a festival. After conversion to Christianity, it narrowed to mean “the 12-day feast of the Nativity” (which began Dec. 25), but was replaced by Christmas by the 11th century, except in the northeast (areas of Danish settlement), where it remained the usual word. It was revived in the 19th century by writers to mean “the Christmas of ‘Merrie England.’ The first direct reference to the Yule log is in the 17th century. Old Norse jol seems to have been borrowed from Old French asjolif, hence Modern French joli, meaning “pretty, nice,” and originally “festive.” 





So whether you go wassailing, carrying Yuletide carols to all the neighbors, or you have been called Scrooge or Grinch, enjoy your holiday season—-and eat lots of latkes!









 
Books make great gifts!

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