Thursday, June 16, 2005
Be Discreet! or Discrete? Which Is It?
These two words are very frequently confused. I suppose that it's due to the fact that their pronunciation is the same and that only two letters change position in the spelling. Discreet is an adjective meaning "unobtrusive" or "in a confidential manner." Example: Please be discreet when you tell... Sign in to see full entry.
posted by editormum at 9:49 AM Comments (0) (link)
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Getting Revenge on Those Who Bombard You With FWDs
If you hate all that forwarded e-mail, you'll love this! Note: I haven't changed the formatting, because that's part of the revenge. > I want to thank all of you who have taken the time and trouble to send me > your chain letters over the past two years. Thank you for making me feel > safe, secure,... Sign in to see full entry.
posted by editormum at 8:47 AM Comments (1) (link)
Monday, May 9, 2005
I just want my readers to know...
that I am still alive. I've had four solid weeks of special projects/disaster at work, and I'm still running on about 5 hours of sleep a night. Once life calms itself, I will be back to posting daily in all of my blogs. Sign in to see full entry.
posted by editormum at 7:45 PM Comments (0) (link)
Monday, May 2, 2005
25 Easy Steps to Gooder Grammar
This came in my e-mail, but it was so wonderful I have to share it. It's not often that you find something that is both amusing and educational. Don't abbrev. Check to see if you any words out. Be carefully to use adjectives and adverbs correct. About sentence fragments. When dangling, don't use... Sign in to see full entry.
posted by editormum at 2:16 PM Comments (0) (link)
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Sheer and Shear May Confuse You!
A simple tip today: don't get these two homophones confused. Sheer is an adjective used to describe something that is nearly transparent (like sheer stockings ) or that is smooth (like a sheer cliff ). It is rarely used as a verb meaning "to move abruptly in a different direction," as in The plane... Sign in to see full entry.
posted by editormum at 9:51 AM Comments (0) (link)
Monday, April 11, 2005
Subject-Verb Agreement With Intervening Prepositional Phrases
A fancy title for a simple concept. Another blogger asked the Grammar Guru, "Will you please teach people about proper subject-verb agreement -- especially in cases where the subject may seem to be plural, but really isn't... as in a flock of seagulls? I am getting quite sick of seeing things such... Sign in to see full entry.
posted by editormum at 9:30 AM Comments (1) (link)
Thursday, April 7, 2005
Y'all Are Making the Grammar Guru Crazy
Okay, look, it's simple. Hear means to use your ears or your hearing aid to listen to something that is being said. If you agree with someone's statement emphatically, you say, "Hear, hear!" Here means in this exact place. So you can say, "I can't hear you because there is a crazed iguana screeching... Sign in to see full entry.
posted by editormum at 6:52 PM Comments (5) (link)
Tuesday, April 5, 2005
Please, Please Learn This Rule!
I Couldn't Care Less....Could You? Contrary to popular usage and belief, the statement is "I couldn't care less," not "I could care less." The reason is simple. If one could not care less, then one is as completely un- or dis-interested in something as it is possible to be. It would not be possible... Sign in to see full entry.
posted by editormum at 8:14 AM Comments (1) (link)
Friday, April 1, 2005
If You Meet a Murderer, Will You Mete Out Justice?
Watch these tricky little sound-alikes, because misusing them can really make you look bad. Both are verbs (well, most commonly used as verbs). Meet means to come face to face with, to come together with. (Example: We will meet in the conference room. ) Mete means to dispense or hand out. (Example:... Sign in to see full entry.
posted by editormum at 9:26 AM Comments (0) (link)
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Blind Carbon Copying --- A Great Security Measure
Blind carbon copying on e-mail or other correspondence means that recipients are not aware that the message is going to anyone else. Using this process safeguards your contacts from unwanted mail from other people. If you send e-mails to many people, you should use this feature whenever you can.... Sign in to see full entry.
posted by editormum at 8:04 AM Comments (1) (link)
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About this Blog
A professional editor, writer, and English tutor answers your questions about the finer points of grammar, word usage, and other technical aspects of the writer's craft. E-mail questions to editormum@usa.com, or use the Comments section of a previous post. Happy Writing!
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