Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Requests’

Words I hate

Posted in Grammar, etc., tagged , , , , , , on April 21, 2010| 25 Comments »

Some students in my classes have asked for a list of words I hate. Here are the ones that are always at the top:

Currently

If there is a verb in the sentence, then you don’t need that adverb. It is redundant.

Incorrect: Beth is currently a writing professor. “Is” means it is happening right now. “Currently” is overkill.

Correct: I can’t think of an occasion where you would need it.

Hopefully

This is one of the most misused words in the English language. People use it to mean “I hope.” If that is what you mean, then use, “I hope,” for Pete’s sake! It is an adverb, which means it needs to modify a verb.

Incorrect: Hopefully, the envelope contains a bonus check. How is the envelope behaving in a hopeful manner?

Correct: She looked hopefully at the envelope, convinced that it contained a bonus check.

Utilize

I’ve mentioned it before, but it bears repeating: There is nothing wrong with the word “use.”

Incorrect: Utilize your knowledge of grammar to start a blog.

Correct: Use your knowledge of grammar to start a blog. See? “Use” is a perfectly good word.

Nauseous

People use this word to mean “I am sick to my stomach.” But what they should say is “nauseated” because that is what they are. If they are nauseous, then they cause nausea in others.

Incorrect: “I’m nauseous now,” said Eddie after riding The Flying Critter at the fair.

Correct: “The Flying Critter made me nauseated,” he said.

Partner

This is a noun, not a verb. Stop trying to “partner” with people, and just team up, join them or just combine completely in the sentence.

Incorrect: The SCAD writing department is partnering with the graduate studies department to present a lecture by Rebecca Skloot.

Correct: The writing and graduate studies departments are sponsoring the lecture.

There’s more, but this list has made me nauseated, and I need to lie down.

Read Full Post »

Add homonym

Posted in Grammar, etc., tagged , , , , on April 2, 2010| 4 Comments »

I just read a newsletter that featured the word “complementary” (an accompaniment) when the writer really meant “complimentary” (free or offering praise). Many people have a problem with those words, and other homonyms. So let me explain.

Homonym: umbrella category for words that sound the same or are spelled the same.

Fuzzy Wuzzy (Wuz a Bear)Homograph: words that are spelled the same and sometimes sound the same, but have different meanings

Examples: bear (to carry)/bear (Fuzzy Wuzzy)  and wind (air)/wind (crank)

Homophone: words that sound the same, may be spelled the same, but have different meanings

Examples: they’re/their/there and you’re/your and bear/bear from above. Bear/bear is a homophone and a homograph.

Easy way to remember:

HOMO (same) + PHONE (sound) and HOMO (same) + GRAPH (writing)

OK, now it might get confusing. Also under the homonym umbrella are heteronym and heterograph.

Heteronym: words that are spelled the same, but have different pronunciations and meanings. Notice this is the same definition as “homograph.” “Heteronym” is a subset of “homograph,” which is a subset of “homonym.” Heteronyms are always pronounced differently.

Example: wind (air)/wind (crank) — this is both a homograph and a heteronym

Heterograph: pronounced the same, but spelled differently. Notice this is the same definition as “homophone.””Heterograph” is a subset of “homophone,” which is a subset of “homonym.” Heterographs always have different spellings and meanings.

Example: you (gentle reader)/ewe (lady sheep) and bare (nekkid)/bear (aforementioned Fuzzy).

Luckily, there is no such thing as a heterophone to confuse the matter any further.

Here’s a Venn diagram of the above for you visual folks.

Venn diagram by Will Heltsley

The only problem is that the diagram makes it look like homonyms are only words that are both homophones and homographs. Homonyms are really the whole shebang.

And that’s different from “ad hominem,” which is a logical fallacy that is an argument against a person.

Sigh.

Read Full Post »

Beach bums (and fronts, ears, eyes, etc.)

Posted in Random, tagged , , , , , on March 29, 2010| 3 Comments »

Today was the first day of beach season for us. So begins a summer of sand-filled crevices.

In honor of the water-loving that is beginning everywhere, I’m sharing this sign I’ve been saving (thank you, Carrie):

Read Full Post »

“Heart procedures” for $200

Posted in Random, tagged , on March 23, 2010| 1 Comment »

Being a “frequent flier” in Memorial’s heart wing has its perks. I was able to be in the room with Eddie while they prepped him for his ablation, and even take pictures.

Here he is in what he refers to as “The Matrix Room” with his new buddies, Robb and Cynthia.

Robb and Cynthia shooed me out right before the procedure began, and I hung out in the special waiting area. In a couple of hours, his doctor appeared to let me know the ablation was over, and was a success. They found the rogue spot quickly and zapped it. Then he said he poked around in there to see if he could get something else going. He did, and took care of that spot too. This should be it. Operative word: “should.”

Eddie is now resting comfortably to the sounds of the Braves vs. the Mets. You can see he doesn’t want anyone to take away his remote:

He might even get to go home by the time the game is over.

Read Full Post »

I’ll take “heart procedures” for $100, Alex

Posted in Random, tagged , , , , on March 23, 2010| 1 Comment »

Memorial Health University Medical Center has Wi-Fi, which is quite nice. You would think all hospitals would have it, but you’d be wrong. Because of my mom, dad and Eddie, I’ve sampled many hospitals.

Anyway, thanks to Memorial’s Wi-Fi, I’m able to write and upload this post. Eddie is having his third, and last (I hope), cardiac ablation today.

What’s that? Well, it is a procedure where a cardiologist (as opposed to a dermatologist, or someone who stayed at a Holiday Inn) threads a catheter into the heart and burns the crap out of the part of the heart that is causing it to beat irregularly. Read this for a more technical overview.

Eddie has had this procedure twice already, so I don’t know how much non-scarred tissue there is left. After each ablation, the doctor has said, “That should do it.” And it hasn’t. Yes, we got a second opinion. The second doctor just wanted to keep shocking Eddie’s heart back into rhythm, all “ER” style.

Anyway, here we are, at Memorial again, and hoping for the best.

Read Full Post »

Web writing deserves copy editing too

Posted in Grammar, etc., tagged , , , , , on March 17, 2010| 4 Comments »

I know I just wrote a new post, but then Caila, SCAD Radio‘s general manager, shared this with me:

Full link here.

Forget that the writer clearly doesn’t know AP Style. She has bigger issues. Evidence: the very first sentence. I’m guessing she meant “descend” not “decent.”

But wait, there’s more. Gaze upon this section:

So let’s help her out on the big ones:

  • “dies” should be “dyes”
  • “chanel” should be “channel”
  • “affect” should be “effect”

I love the “rumor vs. reality” theme, and I like her voice. What I don’t like, of course, is that it is riddled with mistakes she should have caught. And I’m guessing Savannah Morning News writers post directly to the Web without benefit of a copy editor’s glance.

SIGH.

Read Full Post »

Support the troops. Here’s what.

Posted in Random, tagged , , , , , , on February 21, 2010| Leave a Comment »

My niece, Nina, created a list of things soldiers need. For most of us in our comfortable homes in our comfortable lives, it is hard to image that the troops need such simple things. Get ye to Walgreens (I hear they give you a discount on purchases for soldiers)!

  • Robitussin (single dose, box of 10)
  • Hot hands (hand warmers)
  • Wisps (disposable tooth brushes)
  • Charmin travel rolls
  • Small compact mirror (for shaving)
  • Cough drops (with Vitamin C)
  • Protein bars (meal replacement)
  • Granola bars
  • Pop-Tarts
  • Mini bagels
  • Travel packs of tissue
s
  • Tuna in foil packaging (not canned)
  • SpaghettiOs, ravioli, etc., in pull-top containers
  • Instant mac and cheese
  • Ground coffee (Dunkin’ Donuts)
  • Pepto Bismol
  • Alka Seltzer
  • BC powder
  • Aleve
  • Immodium
  • Carmex lip balm
  • Medicated foot powder
  • Candy and gum
  • Ziploc bags
  • Salt and pepper
  • Sewing kits
  • Bengay
  • Beef jerky and summer sausage
  • Dried fruit
  • Gatorade or Propel (singles)
  • Instant drink mix
  • Eye drops
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Antibacterial wipes
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Trail mix
  • Deodorant
  • Mouthwash
  • Dental floss
  • Nail clippers
  • Socks
  • Dog food pouches (there are lots of stray dogs around)
  • Books and magazines

Remember: Happy and healthy troops can make progress and get home soon!

Lt. Mark Greenlief tries to make friends with the locals

Read Full Post »

Broadway thread addendum

Posted in Grammar, etc., tagged , , on February 4, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Perhaps I wasn’t clear in my last post. At least, I wasn’t clear enough for new people visiting my blog from the Broadway discussion board. And for that, I apologize.

As “jmi” points out: “She didn’t really say anything in the blog other than that her friend found this thread. What’s interesting about that? We all found this thread too. ;-)”

Yes, indeed.

Here is why I posted the link to the thread on my blog:

1. Because I love it when people have in-depth discussions about grammar, punctuation and style

2. Because “gusto” posted (with gusto) that he/she had the only correct answer (“These are the rules”), when he/she was quite wrong according to a number of stylebooks. My favorite, the AP Stylebook, allows only quotation marks for composition titles.

3. Because Shane Marshall Brown saw the thread and thought of me. I love that people think of me when they see language mistakes or language discussions.

So thank you, “jmi,” for reminding me of the importance of considering my audience.

Read Full Post »

Loving this discussion board thread

Posted in Grammar, etc., tagged , , on February 3, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Today’s post topic comes from my good friend Shane Marshall Brown. (He has one of those names where you just have to say the whole thing — like Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Anthony Michael Hall or Billy Bob Thornton. I’ve never referred to him as “Shane.” That would be weird.)

Anyway, he is a publicist for Broadway and off-Broadway shows, and discovered this thread about the show “ENRON.” My favorite part is the post where “gusto” asserts, “These are the rules.” It is a good thing “FleetStreetBarber” was there, or I would have had an AP canary all over that thread.

It is also a good thing I have this blog as a place to vent.

Read Full Post »

Need a Hen Pal?

Posted in Chickens, tagged , , , , on January 27, 2010| 1 Comment »

Trish the Chicken now has her own Facebook page.

Trish updates her status

Trish is more technologically advanced than any chicken (and many people). Check her out:

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »