Editor's Corner

Today’s tip is another excerpt from The Grammar Devotional: Daily Tips for Successful Writing from Grammar Girl™, by Mignon Fogarty (p. 19).

Abbreviated Endings

When you end a sentence with an abbreviation, you don’t need an extra period.

Apple Computer, Inc. became Apple, Inc.. (wrong)

The period that ends the abbreviation also ends the sentence. Think of it as an environmentally friendly rule—one dot of ink serves two purposes.

However, such sentences can confuse readers because it may not be obvious that you’ve started a new sentence. Try to rewrite the sentence so the abbreviation doesn’t come at the end or write out the abbreviated word.

The story is different when the sentence is a question or exclamation—then you need both punctuation marks:

Why did they choose Apple, Inc.?

I adore their name—Apple, Inc.!

Kara Church

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It’s April Fools’ Day, one of my least favorite days of the year. My husband, however, regards this as a great opportunity to play dead, pretend to turn around his politics, and last year he decided to post that I was having a miracle baby. Don’t be fooled!

Yesterday we focused on “that’s” and “whiches,” and I received a follow-up question asking about “whiches” and “whats.” “Editrix,” the woman wrote, “Can you please explain when to use which and what in questions?”

But of course! I will do the best I can.

Generally, if there are an unknown or infinite number of possible answers, you would use the open-ended what to ask a question. Examples:

· What time are you going to dinner?

· What is your favorite color?

· What are you going to do this weekend?

Use which for a limited, finite set of answers.

· Which do you prefer, the red one or the blue one?

· Which finger did you break?

· Which showing are you going to?

Occasionally, either one is a possibility. It depends how much the “asker” knows about the options and what kind of assumptions he or she is making.

· What bus should I take? (Maybe I have no idea if there are two buses or two hundred buses that leave from the depot.)

· Which bus should I take to the rave? (I am assuming there are a limited number of options.)

Kara Church

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This week, I think I’m going to share some random excerpts from The Grammar Devotional: Daily Tips for Successful Writing from Grammar Girl™, by Mignon Fogarty (p. 22).

Scram, Whiches: Which Versus That

I like to make choices simple: use that before a restrictive clause and which before everything else.

A restrictive clause can’t be eliminated; it restricts the noun.

Dogs that howl make me crazy.

That howl restricts the kind of dogs I mean. Without it, I’d be saying all dogs make me crazy, which isn’t true.

A nonrestrictive clause can be dropped without changing the meaning of the sentence.

Dogs, which have four legs, run fast.

All dogs run fast, so leaving out the words which have four legs doesn’t change the meaning of the sentence.

A tip (with apologies to Wiccans and Hermione Granger) is that you can always throw out the “whiches” and no harm will be done. If it would change the meaning to throw out the clause, you need a that.

Kara Church

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So, a few of you asked what the difference between an eggcorn and a malapropism is. Here’s a quick answer from Wikipedia:

In linguistics, an eggcorn is an idiosyncratic substitution of a word or phrase for a word or words that sound similar or identical in the speaker’s dialect (sometimes called oronyms). The new phrase introduces a meaning that is different from the original, but plausible in the same context, such as "old-timers’ disease" for "Alzheimer’s disease". This is as opposed to a malapropism, where the substitution creates a nonsensical phrase. Classical malapropisms generally derive their comic effect from the fault of the user, while eggcorns are errors that exhibit creativity or logic. Eggcorns often involve replacing an unfamiliar, archaic, or obscure word with a more common or modern word ("baited breath" for "bated breath").

For those of you who want a quicker answer, here’s Merriam-Webster’s definition:

malapropism: a usually humorous misapplication of a word or phrase; specifically : a blundering use of a word that sounds somewhat like the one intended but is ludicrously wrong in the context

Martin Toseland, the author of The Ants Are My Friends (and the supplier of last week’s eggcorn definition), defines malapropisms as a term “provoked when a character or person is under pressure and the words they utter reveal what they think as opposed to what they meant to say.” So they know the correct word, but make a sort of Freudian slip and reveal their feelings.

The following are a few malapropisms from his book:

· I don’t want to cast asparagus at my opponents. (aspersions)

· Waste of time. They’re all a load of belladonnas. (prima donnas)

· (From Dan Quayle) “Republicans understand the importance of bondage between a mother and child.” (the bond)

· It’s a proven fact that Capital Punishment is a detergent for crime. (deterrent)

· Don’t ever wear yellow, dear. It makes your skin look shallow and emancipated. (emaciated)

Here are some other articles I’ve written on the two topics over the last few years:

· Malapropisms

· https://episystechpubs.com/2012/06/08/editors-corner-eggcorns/

· https://episystechpubs.com/2014/02/27/editors-corner-eggcorns-2/

· https://episystechpubs.com/2014/01/17/editors-corner-spoonerisms-for-the-3-day-weekend/

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

Symitar Documentation Services

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Correction:

· That man is a real charmer; a regular Don Coyote. (Don Quixote)

My apologies to Miguel de Cervantes and Mr. Rogers (for his Donkey Hodie in the Land of Make-Believe).

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

www.symitar.com

From: Kara Church
Sent: Friday, March 27, 2015 6:41 AM
To: Kara Church
Subject: Editor’s Corner: More Eggcorns for Foghorn Leghorn

Let’s start the weekend off with a few more eggcorns!

From the Editor’s Corner readers:

Everything is Crisco clear now that you have explained it. (crystal clear)

The lawyer flea bargained the case down to a misdemeanor. (plea bargained)

From The Ants Are My Friends, by Martin Toseland (again, with British spelling and punctuation):

· We will be revisiting this topic shortly, as it is the crutch of the matter. (crux)

· She called the turnout at the clinic ‘just awesome’, but added, ‘It’s still disturbing to see the cars pulling in…it just curdles my hair”. (curdles my blood)

· (They) …paid a curtsey call on the President of the Kyrgyz Republic. (courtesy call)

· What gets his dandruff up is the film, ‘Loose Change.’ (dander)

· From Catering magazine, “The coverage provides for protection from claims for libel, slander, and deformation of character”. (defamation of character)

· The true matter is: it’s a doggy-dog world out there, and they’re all in it for the money. (dog-eat-dog world)

· That man is a real charmer; a regular Don Coyote. (Don Juan)

· These deals allow cardholders to pay off their credit card debt over a long period of time without accruing more debt due to exuberant interest rates. (exorbitant)

· This is an exercise in fertility. (futility)

Monday: What’s the difference between eggcorns and malapropisms?

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

www.symitar.com

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Let’s start the weekend off with a few more eggcorns!

From the Editor’s Corner readers:

Everything is Crisco clear now that you have explained it. (crystal clear)

The lawyer flea bargained the case down to a misdemeanor. (plea bargained)

From The Ants Are My Friends, by Martin Toseland (again, with British spelling and punctuation):

· We will be revisiting this topic shortly, as it is the crutch of the matter. (crux)

· She called the turnout at the clinic ‘just awesome’, but added, ‘It’s still disturbing to see the cars pulling in…it just curdles my hair”. (curdles my blood)

· (They) …paid a curtsey call on the President of the Kyrgyz Republic. (courtesy call)

· What gets his dandruff up is the film, ‘Loose Change.’ (dander)

· From Catering magazine, “The coverage provides for protection from claims for libel, slander, and deformation of character”. (defamation of character)

· The true matter is: it’s a doggy-dog world out there, and they’re all in it for the money. (dog-eat-dog world)

· That man is a real charmer; a regular Don Coyote. (Don Juan)

· These deals allow cardholders to pay off their credit card debt over a long period of time without accruing more debt due to exuberant interest rates. (exorbitant)

· This is an exercise in fertility. (futility)

Monday: What’s the difference between eggcorns and malapropisms?

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

www.symitar.com

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The other day, my dear co-worker Javier reminded me of a fun topic to discuss: eggcorns. What is an eggcorn? Here is an explanation and examples for you from The Ants Are My Friends, by Martin Toseland. [Note: I have preserved the British spelling and punctuation in the quoted material.]

‘Eggcorn’ is the name for a particular kind of misheard word. It was coined by linguist Mark Lieberman who came across someone who had heard ‘eggcorn’ in the phrase ‘great oaks from little acorns grow’. Lieberman thought that ‘eggcorn’ was an excellent word and was just as suggestive, if not more so, than ‘acorn’. From that point on, more and more of these creations appeared and a pattern of sorts emerged. The misheard word (the one being replaced) was often archaic or only used in a phrase or expression; our natural tendency is to use what is familiar to us when faced with something that is unfamiliar or unrecognisable. So, we grasp for a word we know that sounds like one we don’t know, rather than hazard a guess as to what the original might have been. Hence, we get ‘chestfallen’ for ‘crestfallen’ and ‘damp squid’ for ‘damp squib’. (pp. 9-10)

Now, let’s get to some examples! The eggcorns are bolded in the quotes; the correct word follows in parentheses.

· When asked how he could shoot baskets so well, Cozell McQueen responded, “It could be because I’m amphibious.” (ambidextrous)

· “That’s why I developed the appendix on the historical shortcomings of the thesis in Mystery of Romans. Let me share with you antidotal evidence for the need to provide the appendix.” (anecdotal)

· “The cookbook is being compiled. Please submit your favourite recipe and a short antidote concerning it.” (anecdote)

· From the Aussie Pythons and Snakes herpetology chat room: “If he was in the US, no one would even batter an eyelid at what he says because they are all like that over there.” (bat an eyelid)

· When asked what the future held for him, Mike Tyson responded, “I guess I’m going to fade into Bolivian.” (oblivion)

· Wes Westrum, a US baseball player and manager, describes a game as “a real cliff-dweller.” (cliff-hanger)

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

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www.symitar.com

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Good morning folks. I would like to take a minute to thank all of you for the attention you pay to improving your grammar, punctuation, and conversation skills. Almost every day I get great ideas, questions, suggestions, and kind notes, and I appreciate you for that.

Today’s little blurb is about a term I use out loud, but I avoid in writing because I wasn’t sure how to use it correctly! I stumbled on this article last night at the Grammarist, and thought I’d share it with you. (Click the link if you want to see their examples, too.)

Heads Up!

Heads upis an interjection used when you need to warn someone to look out. A heads-up is the actual warning you gave the individual. This is commonly used in the phrase giving someone a heads-up. While the correct spelling includes the hyphen, actual usage suggests that it will become obsolete some day.

Heads-up can also be used as an adjective to describe a person as being cautious or aware of surroundings. Keeping one’s head up means to be watchful.

Be aware that the verb head can also mean to lead, so to say, “She heads up the project” means that she directs the project.

A head-up display is a gauge or reading which does not require the pilot or driver to lower his or her eyes. It can also be called a heads-up display.

A related term is head up which is used in sailing to mean steer into the wind.

And while I don’t condone tormenting dogs or feeding them people food, I have to say that Fritz here could use a lesson on what “Heads Up!” means: Fritz – The World’s Least Deadly Catch.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Good morning and the happiest of Mondays to you. Today I have the final few misused phrases for you, from 20 Common Phrases Even the Smartest People Misuse.

One in the Same

“One in the same” would literally mean that the “one” is inside the same thing as itself, which makes no sense at all. The proper phrase is “one and the same,” meaning the same thing or the same person. For example, “When Melissa was home schooled, her teacher and her mother were one and the same.”

Make Due

When something is due, it is owed. To “make due” would mean to “make owed,” but the phrase to “make do” is short for “to make something do well” or “to make something sufficient.” When life gives you lemons, you make do and make lemonade. [KC – Also not to be confused with “Make Dude” which is similar to being knighted, but it happens here on the beaches of California and it isn’t reserved for the elite.]

By in Large

The phrase “by and large” was first used in 1706 to mean “in general.” It was a nautical phrase derived from the sailing terms “by” and “large.” While it doesn’t have a literal meaning that makes sense, “by and large” is the correct version of this phrase.

Do Diligence

While it may be easy to surmise that “do diligence” translates to doing something diligently, it does not. “Due diligence” is a business and legal term that means you will investigate a person or business before signing a contract with them or before formally engaging in a business deal together. You should do your due diligence and investigate business deals fully before committing to them.

Peaked My Interest

To “pique” means to arouse, so the correct phrase here is “piqued my interest,” meaning that my interest was awakened. To say that something “peaked my interest” might suggest that my interest was taken to the highest possible level, but this is not what the idiom is meant to convey.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

www.symitar.com

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Today’s list is the continuation of 20 Common Phrases Even the Smartest People Misuse.

· Emigrated To

With this one there is no debate. The verb “emigrate” is always used with the preposition “from,” whereas immigrate is always used with the preposition “to.” To emigrate is to come from somewhere, and to immigrate is to go to somewhere. “Jimmy emigrated from Ireland to the United States” means the same thing as “Jimmy immigrated to the United States from Ireland.” It’s just a matter of what you’re emphasizing—the coming or the going.

· Slight of Hand

“Sleight of hand” is a common phrase in the world of magic and illusion, because “sleight” means dexterity or cunning, usually to deceive. On the other hand, as a noun, a “slight” is an insult.

· Honed In

First, it’s important to note that this particular expression is hotly debated. Many references now consider “hone in” a proper alternate version of “home in.” That said, it is still generally accepted that “home in” is the more correct phrase. To home in on something means to move toward a goal, such as “The missile homed in on its target.” To “hone” means to sharpen. You would say, “I honed my résumé writing skills.” But you would likely not say, “The missile honed in on its target.” When followed by the preposition “in,” the word “hone” just doesn’t make sense.

· Baited Breath

The term “bated” is an adjective meaning suspense. It originated from the verb “abate,” meaning to stop or lessen. Therefore, “to wait with bated breath” essentially means to hold your breath with anticipation. The verb “bait,” on the other hand, means to taunt, often to taunt a predator with its prey. A fisherman baits his line in hopes of a big catch. Considering the meaning of the two words, it’s clear which is correct, but the word “bated” is mostly obsolete today, leading to ever-increasing mistakes in this expression.

· Piece of Mind

This should be “peace” of mind, meaning calmness and tranquility. The expression “piece of mind” actually would suggest doling out sections of brain.

· Wet Your Appetite

This expression is more often used incorrectly than correctly—56% of the time it appears online, it’s wrong. The correct idiom is “whet your appetite.” “Whet” means to sharpen or stimulate, so to “whet your appetite” means to awaken your desire for something.

· For All Intensive Purposes

The correct phrase is “for all intents and purposes.” It originates from English law dating back to the 1500s, which used the phrase “to all intents, constructions, and purposes” to mean “officially” or “effectively.”

From: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/sneak_peek

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory