Posts Tagged ‘word usage’
Friday, September 16th, 2011
Fall and Football are finally back in the air in Alabama, and none too soon after a stifling summer. Max's Delicatessen makes great sandwiches, but the subject line of the email they sent out to customers this week was not so great. It read this way:
Tailgate Specials To Good To Pass Up!
Whoops! When TOO means OVERLY or ALSO as it does in this subject line, it should be spelled with two O's, as in TOO STRONG or TOO WEAK.
Spelled with one O, TO is a preposition, as in TO THE MOVIES or TO THE DOOR, or it is part of an infinitive, as in TO DRIVE or TO SING. The subject line should read this way:
Tailgate Specials Too Good To Pass Up!
Good luck this weekend to my three favorite teams: the OMHS Eagles, the Auburn Tigers, and the OSU Buckeyes!
Tags: spelling, word usage
Posted in Grammar, spelling, word usage | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, September 14th, 2011
Here is a Glitch I haven't seen before: Using QUE when it should be CUE. The sentence appeared in a column called "Ask a Landscaper" in Sunday's The Birmingham News. Brian Bell was writing about how a tree or shrub spends its life:
It (the tree or shrub) takes its hints and ques from nature, as the seasons roll through.
To my knowledge, the word QUE, which means WHAT in Spanish, does not exist in English. There is the very British QUEUE, which refers to a group of people waiting in what Americans call "a line," and there is CUE, which means a signal, as in someone whispering a hint to an actor who has forgotten his lines. The word CUE can also refer to the stick used in playing the game of pool, but I believe the columnist wanted the first meaning, which is similar to HINT. The sentence should have been written this way:
It (the tree or shrub) takes its hints and cues from nature, as the seasons roll through.
Brian Bell had some good advice for gardeners: Opposite to what we would suppose, the best time to plant trees and shrubs is in the fall (not the spring) so they can grow strong roots underground during the colder months before they have to put out the showy leaves and blooms in the warmer months. Now that he has explained it, that makes sense to me!
Tags: The Birmingham News, word usage
Posted in Grammar, word usage | No Comments »
Friday, September 2nd, 2011
The US National Cowboy Fast Draw Championship is being held this weekend in Pendleton, Oregon. More than 100 gunfighters from all over the country will compete. I didn't know we still had any of those–even out west–and under age to boot! 
A press release for this event contains two apostrophe problems. Here is the first:
The competitor's ages range from 8 or 9 years old to 80.
Whoops #1: AGES is plural, so it is logical to conclude that COMPETITORS should also be plural. The process is to make the word plural first (COMPETITORS), and then add the apostrophe to show that the AGES belong to the COMPETITORS. The sentence should read this way:
The competitors' ages range from 8 or 9 years old to 80.
Here is the second apostrophe problem:
Thursday kicks off with a practice match that let's the gunfighters get in a warm up on the range….
Whoops #2: LET'S is a contraction of LET US. In this sentence, all the press release writer needs is the plain old 3rd person singular verb LETS. I don't really know what a WARM UP is–an UP that's been out in the sun maybe? When used as a noun, it should be WARMUP. The sentence should read this way:
Thursday kicks off with a practice match that lets the gunfighters get in a warmup on the range….
BONUS GLITCH FOR THE LABOR DAY WEEKEND: Here is a usage glitch I've never seen before, one I think I'll share with Tammy Gross who did the list of commonly misused words for LinkedIn. (See August 23 post.)
I like this site its a master peace !
Where do I begin? First of all, it is a run-on sentence. (See yesterday's post on those.) There should be a period between SITE and ITS. Second, IT'S needs the apostrophe because it is a contraction of IT and IS. Finally, PEACE is a homonym for PIECE, which is the correct choice here, and it should be a compound word with MASTER–MASTERPIECE. The sentence should read this way:
I like this site. It's a masterpiece !
I do thank the writer for liking this site, and I hope he or she will come back often in spite of (or because of) my comments on the statement. Thanks!
Tags: apostrophe, sentence structure, word usage
Posted in apostrophe, Grammar, sentence structure, word usage | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011
The Editors and Proofreaders Group on LinkedIn currently carries an interesting discussion. Florida proofreader, musician, and writer Tammy Gross started the discussion by sharing her list of the commonly misused words she searches for in text before she even starts reading a project.
Then she asked the question, "Do you have anything to add?" The responses have been numerous and are still coming in. They clearly indicate that editors and proofreaders have a tough job weeding out all the mistakes writers make with vocabulary.
With her permission, I've shared Tammy's basic list in the box below. I'm sure many of you will find it useful. My regular readers will notice that a number of these have been covered in posts on Grammar Glitch Central.
Commonly Misused Words
it's/its there/their/they're you're/your than/then
lay/lie (laying/lying/laid/lied) blond/blonde brake/break
are/our let's/lets aisle/isle past/passed
accept/except affect/effect altar/alter Yeah/yea/ya/yah
where/we're/wear/ware waist/waste lose/loose
- If you'd like to see my previous posts on any of these confusing pairs, simply type one of the words into the "Search" box at bottom right on the Home page, and the posts will come up.
- If you'd like to share your own examples of commonly misused words, please send them in a Comment. I'll be happy to pass them along to the Editors and Proofreaders Group discussion.
ONE MORE NOTE: I'm about to reach another milestone–the 400th Grammar Glitch Central blog post. If you'd like to offer a topic suggestion for that post, please send it in a Comment, and I will consider it.
Tags: word usage
Posted in Grammar, word usage | No Comments »
Friday, August 19th, 2011
An online headline for New York Daily News caught my eye on Tuesday. Here it is:
Whoops! IT'S with an apostrophe is always the contraction of IT + IS or IT + HAS. The copy editor should have corrected to ITS without the apostrophe to show that the 'wealthy economy' belongs to the U.S. (Or so we continue to hope!) This headline should read as follows:
Fitch Ratings: U. S. and its 'wealthy economy' still AAA.
FOOTNOTE: To the credit of New York Daily News, when I searched for this article again this morning, the headline had been corrected.
My sincere thanks to Michelle Baker for her two guest posts last week, which I'm sure you enjoyed.
Tags: apostrophe, pronoun, word usage
Posted in apostrophe, Grammar, pronoun/antecedent agreement, word usage | 1 Comment »
Thursday, August 4th, 2011
In the ongoing LinkedIn debate about whether spelling and usage errors matter, a number of people have commented that being correct isn't so important these days. I disagree with that attitude, especially when an error in usage totally distorts the meaning of a sentence, as it does here:
Employers need to have a solid understanding of Alabama's tough new immigration law because lawsuits challenging it aren't likely to strike down the portions that will most directly effect business, a panel of lawyers told concerned business owners and managers Wednesday.
Whoops! When the word EFFECT is used as a verb, as it is in this sentence, it means TO BRING ABOUT. When EFFECT is used as a noun (as it usually is), it means the RESULT or CONSEQUENCE (noun) that is brought about. I doubt seriously that News staff writer Stan Diel intended to suggest that Alabama's tough new immigration law would bring about business in the state. On the contrary, as the rest of the sentence suggests, business owners are concerned that the exact opposite will happen!
The writer should have used the verb AFFECT (have an influence on OR bring about change in). His other choice would have been to use the verb HAVE with the noun EFFECT. The two options for a correct statement are given below:
Employers need to have a solid understanding of Alabama's tough new immigration law because lawsuits challenging it aren't likely to strike down the portions that will most directly affect business, a panel of lawyers told concerned business owners and managers Wednesday.
Employers need to have a solid understanding of Alabama's tough new immigration law because lawsuits challenging it aren't likely to strike down the portions that will have the most direct effect on business, a panel of lawyers told concerned business owners and managers Wednesday.
Tags: The Birmingham News, word usage
Posted in Grammar, word usage | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011
The heated debate about the importance of good spelling continues on LinkedIn (see previous blog post). When I opened my local newspaper yesterday morning, page 8A carried a perfect example of the kind of poor advertisement that can detract from a company's professional image. Today's ad for Patillo Balance and Hearing Center, a respected business in Birmingham, contains not one but SEVEN spelling and usage errors in ONE ad! I believe that is a record in my collection, and I cannot imagine how it got past proofreaders at Patillo and at The Birmingham News. Yoo-hoo, anybody in that capacity on duty?
 Whoops #1–Although PREFORM is a word, it is not the one needed here. It should be PERFORM, which is what you would want your hearing aid to do when you want to hear. PREFORM means to shape something ahead of time.
Whoops #2–THROUGH is a word, but it is not the one needed here. You don't want a THROUGH computerized hearing test, you want one that is comprehensive (THOROUGH).
Whoops #3 and #4–POWERFULL is simply misspelled. It should have only one L at the end (POWERFUL), and a quick spell check (if someone had bothered) would have caught that one. The same is true with DESCREET, which is not a word at all. You want your hearing aid to be DISCREET (not standing out like a sore thumb).
Whoops #5–MANUFACTURERS refers to the producers of the hearing aids, so possession should be indicated with an apostrophe. This coupon entry should read: FREE CLEANING AND INSPECTION OF ANY MANUFACTURER'S HEARING AIDS.
Whoops #6 and #7–The word CLEARER is a comparative adjective, as in CLEARER hearing or CLEARER sound. CLEARER describes a noun. In this sentence, the writer is referring to the word HEAR, which is a verb. Therefore, the comparative adverb MORE CLEARLY is needed. This is followed by the phrase ON THE PHOTO. I read that three or four times before I figured out that it should have been PHONE, not PHOTO. That sentence should read as follows:
- Hear more clearly on the phone, in the car, even outside.
Tags: adjectives and adverbs, apostrophe, spelling, The Birmingham News, word usage
Posted in apostrophe, Grammar, spelling, word usage | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, July 19th, 2011
A dangling participle was the supreme no-no in Mrs. Wagner's English class. It may not get as much attention today, but it still creates confused writing. Consider this sentence from an article in a recent issue of 280 Living:
Suffering from depression, financial concerns, marital problems and mourning the loss of his mother a year earlier, (this woman) believes her father was actually dealing with undiagnosed bipolar disorder.
THIS WOMAN (the daughter) is the subject of this sentence. An ING phrase set in front of that subject should describe the subject, but in reality, it is the FATHER who has had all these difficult experiences. The writer needs to find a way to have the SUFFERING and MOURNING describe the father. Here is my suggestion for a rewrite:
This woman believes her father, who suffered from depression, financial concerns and marital problems while mourning the loss of his mother a year earlier, was actually dealing with undiagnosed bipolar disorder.
TODAY'S BONUS GRAMMAR GLITCH: This one appeared in a comment on the Grammar Glitch Central blog.
I get exactly where your coming from. Whoops! YOUR is a possessive adjective used to describe a noun, as in IT IS YOUR FAULT….or YOUR GRAMMAR GLITCH IS SHOWING.
What this writer wants is the contraction of YOU + ARE. The sentence should read: I get exactly where you're coming from.
Tags: verbs, word usage
Posted in Grammar, sentence structure, verbs, wording | No Comments »
Sunday, July 17th, 2011
None of my readers took me up on the edit challenge for the following lengthy and confusing sentence:
While saying there has been nothing to show where the contaminants came from its plant, Walter coke, the largest company still operating in the area that has had many heavy industrial operations, is voluntarily paying for some soil testing in the area, as well as soil replacement at Hudson K-8 and 23 surrounding properties.
I do not mean to suggest that a 54-word sentence is always incorrect, but this one, with its strings of phrases, is extremely difficult to follow. First, TO SHOW WHERE is very casual English and adds confusion here. INDICATE would be a better verb choice than the expression SHOW WHERE.
I think this information is clearer if the sentence is separated into two sentences. Here is my suggested rewrite:
The area in question has had many heavy industrial operations, but Walter Coke is the largest company still operating there. While saying that nothing indicates the contaminants came from its plant, Walter Coke is voluntarily paying for some soil testing in the area as well as soil replacement at Hudson K-8 and 23 surrounding properties.
WEEKEND BONUS GLITCH:Here is a sentence I came across yesterday in a blog post by someone who owns a writing and social media marketing agency:
I write everything under the son.
Hm-mmm. I'm wondering what is underneath this person's son (male child) that could so interesting to write about. "Everything under the sun (that huge star that shines down on the entire earth)" is the expression this writer is looking for. I hope he has hired a good proofreader for his business. The sentence should read this way:
I write everything under the sun.
Tags: word usage, wordiness
Posted in Grammar, sentence structure, word usage, wording | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, July 5th, 2011
Sunday's The Birmingham News carried a front page article about the "parade of onlookers" who continue to stop their cars in a parking lot off U. S. 78 so they can view tornado damage in one of many area neighborhoods. Fortunately, much of this debris is finally being cleared away.
News staff writer Kent Faulk included this sentence in his coverage:
Five of (the woman's) grandchildren scrambled out of the car to view the Smithfield Estates neighborhood that lays in a shallow valley behind the destroyed business.
Once again, as I've pointed out before, LAY is a verb that takes an object and refers to putting or placing something in a location, as in "The sleepy child LAYS his head on the pillow." or "The men are LAYING carpet in the hallway."
LIE is a verb that means to recline or rest, or be located in a spot, as in "The truth LIES somewhere in her story." or " The largest marble deposit LIES just south of Sylacauga." It should be the choice for this sentence:
Five of (the woman's) grandchildren scrambled out of the car to view the Smithfield Estates neighborhood that lies in a shallow valley behind the destroyed business.
Tags: The Birmingham News, word usage
Posted in Grammar, word usage | No Comments »
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