Monday, July 7, 2003
There Was No Cavalry at Calvary
At least, not a cavalry as we know it. A cavalry, pronounced / kav ul ree/, is a group of mounted soldiers. Calvary, pronounced / kal vuh ree/, is the place where Jesus was crucified, on Mount Golgotha, just outside the gates of Jerusalem. While there were soldiers present at the Crucifixion, they... Sign in to see full entry.
posted by editormum at 5:17 PM Comments (1) (link)
Friday, July 4, 2003
Who is the man with whom you were laughing?
The who/whom explanation, reposted by special request. Who is the subjective or nominative case of the word; in plain English, who acts as a subject or predicate nominative...most of the time. I don't know who you are. Who steals my purse steals trash. Whom is objective case; that is, it must be an... Sign in to see full entry.
posted by editormum at 12:00 PM Comments (1) (link)
Focusing on Double or Nothing...And No Bussing, Please!
The word focus is, like so many words, "a puzzlement" when it comes to adding suffixes. According to Fowler, the proper inflections are focus, focused, focuses, focusing. Fowler notes, however, that many printers and publishers use the "-ss-" form instead. It is not, apparently, solely a British... Sign in to see full entry.
posted by editormum at 9:48 AM Comments (2) (link)
Wednesday, July 2, 2003
Don't Flaunt Your Tendency to Flout the Rules....
it might make you look silly. Here are a couple of words that are oh-so-frequently interchanged----incorrectly. Flaunt (pronounced "flawnt") means to ostentatiously display your behaviour, to show off. The little girl who has just gotten a new dress will show off, strutting about and making it... Sign in to see full entry.
posted by editormum at 8:22 PM Comments (2) (link)
Tuesday, July 1, 2003
Double or Nothing?
"How do I know when to double the last letter when I want to add -ing to a word?" A query from a confused blogger, who didn't identify him- or herself. Actually, this is a lot simpler than you might think. It all depends on the vowel preceding that last consonant.(usually. Remember that English is... Sign in to see full entry.
posted by editormum at 7:49 AM Comments (2) (link)
Friday, June 20, 2003
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 8:33 PM Comments (2) (link)
Wednesday, May 28, 2003
Now What's That Word Again?
Here's a few obscure but very useful words for writers looking for a unique descriptive or "that exactly correct" word. Did you ever wonder what that large flap, or apron, of flesh that hangs down from an obese person's tummy? Yeah, yeah, a small, beginning one is called a "beer belly" or, for those... Sign in to see full entry.
posted by editormum at 8:46 PM Comments (0) (link)
Monday, May 26, 2003
Two Quickies
Who is the man with whom you were laughing? Who is the subjective or nominative case of the word; in plain English, who acts as a subject or predicate nominative...most of the time. I don't know who you are. Who steals my purse steals trash. Whom is objective case; that is, it must be an object. It... Sign in to see full entry.
posted by editormum at 3:51 PM Comments (1) (link)
Monday, April 21, 2003
Toward? Towards? The British Bug Bites Again
An urgent request for help has just been received at Grammar Grotto, and the Guru is ready to help. The question is "I've written a poem, and one of the lines is...'she is floating toward him.' Is it toward or towards?" And the definitive answer is {drum roll, please} either one! That's really... Sign in to see full entry.
posted by editormum at 5:17 PM Comments (4) (link)
Sunday, April 20, 2003
The Care and Feeding of Weird Plurals
There are a number of words in English that do not follow the general rule for creating the plural. They are useful, common words, and the only problem with them is the uniqueness of their plural form. You see, misusing the words makes you sound less than the professional, intelligent, well-informed... Sign in to see full entry.
posted by editormum at 11:31 AM Comments (2) (link)
|
November 2009
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Sep | Newest | Dec |
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!
If you would like to express your appreciation of this blog by leaving a "tip," please click on the donation link below.
Links
Main Donate
|
