Today we have a third of the words from “30 Archaic Adjectives and Adverbs” by Mark Nichol (DailyWritingTips.com). Try a few of these on for size in Balboa Park the next time the Society for Creative Anachronism is practicing—you’ll gain friends for life or be chased out of the park by a madman in chain mail—either way, an exciting Saturday. [KC]

From Mark Nichol:

The words below are obsolete, archaic, or old-fashioned, and though those in the latter category can still be found in modern writing, use all with caution. Sparing use keeps these words alive and adds a whimsical or quaint note, but too frequent recourse to such antiquities will have you sounding like a Renaissance Faire refugee. (Most are adjectives or adverbs or both; some can function as other parts of speech as well, as indicated.)

1. Anon (adv.): soon, or later (“They will arrive anon”; “I will reveal more anon”)

2. Aright (adv.): correctly (“Did I hear aright?”)

3. Athwart (adj., prep.): across (“The locked chest lay athwart the planks”)

4. Belike (adv.): probably (“Belike we are more similar than you think”)

5. Enow (adj., adv.): enough (“If I had loved enow, I would be a happier man”)

6. Fain (adj., adv.): willing, compelled, inclined, pleased (“Fain am I to hear you sing”)

7. Forsooth (adv.): indeed (“Forsooth, I do believe you envy him”)

8. Forthwith (adv.): immediately (“Carry this message forthwith”)

9. Froward (adj.): contrary, adverse (“His horse was forward [sic], and threw him when he set his spurs”) [KC – Example should also be “froward.”]

10. Heretofore (adv.): up to this time (“Heretofore, I had not believed it possible”)

Kara Church | Senior Technical Editor

Symitar, A Jack Henry Company

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123

Today’s blurb is about gender-specific pronouns. This can be tough when writing because people try to avoid it and end up using “their” as a pronoun to describe one person, even though “their” is plural. For example, “The driver forgot to use their signal.” You may be avoiding “his” or “hers,” but you’re committing a grammar crime to do it. The following information is from the Purdue OWL (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/14/), though it borrows heavily from the American Psychological Association (APA) style guide.

To avoid using gender-specific terms or generic terms (“he,” “his,” “men”) for both sexes:

APA does not recommend replacing "he" with "he or she," "she or he," "he/she," "(s)he," "s/he," or alternating between "he" and "she" because these substitutions are awkward and can distract the reader from the point you are trying to make. The pronouns "he" or "she" inevitably cause the reader to think of only that gender, which may not be what you intend. [KC – Our goal for eDocs is to avoid any of these substitutions, too, by following the advice below.]

To avoid the bias of using gendered pronouns:

· Rephrase the sentence

· Use plural nouns or plural pronouns – this way you can use "they" or "their"

· Replace the pronoun with an article – instead of "his," use "the"

· Drop the pronoun – many sentences sound fine if you just omit the troublesome "his" from the sentence

· Replace the pronoun with a noun such as "person," "individual," "child," "researcher," etc.

· [KC – Use active voice and second person when appropriate. Such as, “Your credit union may require that
you verify this with the administrator.”]

Kara Church | Senior Technical Editor

Symitar, A Jack Henry Company

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123

Some of you who’ve sent things to editing may have noticed that we can be picky about dashes. Why? Well, partly because we are picky, but also because different dashes have different uses and meanings. Today we’ll have a look at the en dash and when, how, and where to use it.

The en dash symbol is used primarily as a connector for numbers. It is approximately the same width as the letter n (depending on the font), and is a little bit longer than a hyphen. When you use the en dash, you should not add space on either side of it.

Note: To insert an en dash in Word or other Microsoft software, go to Insert > Symbol and click the Special Characters tab; or, use the Ctrl+Num – (minus sign) keyboard shortcut.

The remainder of the information is from the Chicago Manual of Style (chapter 6, section 78):

En dash as “to”

The principal use of the en dash is to connect numbers and, less often, words. With continuing numbers—such as dates, times, and page numbers—it signifies up to and including (or through). [KC – Note: The dashes in the previous sentence are em dashes, something different.] For the sake of parallel construction, the word to, never the en dash, should be used if the word from precedes the first element in such a pair; similarly, and, never the en dash, should be used if between precedes the first element.

· The years 1993–2000 were heady ones for the computer literate.

· For documentation and indexing, see chapters 14–16.

· Join us on Thursday, 11:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m., to celebrate the New Year.

· I have blocked out December 2009–March 2010 to complete my manuscript.

but

· She was in college from 1998 to 2002 (not from 1998–2002).

In other contexts, such as with scores and directions, the en dash signifies, more simply, to.

· The London–Paris train leaves at two o’clock.

· On November 20, 1966, Green Bay defeated Chicago, 13–6.

· The legislature voted 101–13 to adopt the resolution.

Kara Church | Senior Technical Editor

Symitar, A Jack Henry Company

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123

Today we have three commonly misheard sayings and some pictures! This is from an article by J. Frater, called 10 Misconceptions About Common Sayings, found here: listverse.com/2009/03/23/10-misconceptions-about-common-sayings.

Note: Australian article, follows British punctuation rules.

Free Reign (Free Rein)

Common Saying: To give someone free reign

This is a spelling error that leads to a misunderstanding – though the meanings remain the same fundamentally. Many people presume this phrase to mean that a person given free reign, has the “royal” power to do anything they want. In fact, the correct phrase is “free rein” and it comes from the days before cars when horses were used as our main mode of transport. When navigating a steep or winding path, one would relax the reins so that the horse could pick the safest path as he was more likely to do a better job than the rider.

Scot Free

Common Saying: To get off scot free

Many people think that this saying refers to Scottish people being tight with money – hence something being free, but in fact the word “scot” is an old Norse word which means “payment” – specifically a payment made to a landlord or sheriff. So this phrase – while meaning what most people think it means, has no connection to the Scottish people – it just means to get off without having to pay.

Wreck Havoc (Wreak Havoc)

Common Saying: To wreck havoc

Havoc means chaos – and to wreck something is to put it into a state of chaos. So why would you make chaos out of chaos? You wouldn’t. What you might do is wreak havoc though – because “to wreak” means “to cause to happen”. The two words are pronounced differently – wreck sounds like “rek” while “wreak” sounds like “reek”. It is a small – but common, error.

Kara Church | Senior Technical Editor

Symitar, A Jack Henry Company

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123

This is the list I was telling some of you about. It’s not in the format I wanted but here it is. (This list is from “Adjective Placement” by Kenneth Beare at http://esl.about.com/od/grammarstructures/a/adjective_order.htm)

Aside from coordinate adjectives, there is actually an acceptable order of adjectives in a series of adjectives. The list starts with the type of adjective that would come first in a list, all the way down to seventh place. All this to explain why today’s answer was “an angry old man” (opinion-age) and not “an old angry man” (age-opinion). Now, the list:

Note: We usually use no more than three adjectives preceding a noun.

1. Opinion

Example: an interesting book, a boring lecture

2. Dimension

Example: a big apple, a thin wallet

3. Age

Example: a new car, a modern building, an ancient ruin

4. Shape

Example: a square box, an oval mask, a round ball

5. Color

Example: a pink hat, a blue book, a black coat

6. Origin

Example: some Italian shoes, a Canadian town, an American car

7. Material

Example: a wooden box, a woolen sweater, a plastic toy

Here are some examples of nouns modified with three adjectives in the correct order based on the list above. Notice that the adjectives are not separated by commas.

· A wonderful old Italian clock. (opinion – age – origin)

· A big square blue box. (dimension – shape – color)

· A disgusting pink plastic ornament. (opinion – color – material)

· Some slim new French trousers. (dimension – age – origin)

Kara Church | Senior Technical Editor

Symitar, A Jack Henry Company

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123

Today’s quiz answers:

ABC – 4

BCA – 2

CCB – 5

BCC – 4

CCA – 81

CAA (Not on the option list, but I love you free thinkers.) – 1

1. Uncle Bluto is really _________________ man.

a. an old angry

b. a angry, old

c. an angry old

2. They grew up on ___________________ houseboat in Gig Harbor

a. a comfortable, little

b. a little, comfortable

c. a comfortable little

3. Tracy wanted to take a course with __________________ professor.

a. That interesting new Danish anthropology

b. That Danish interesting, new anthropology

c. That interesting, new, Danish, anthropology

The following information on using commas with coordinate adjectives (equal and reversible adjectives) is from The Copyeditor’s Handbook, by Amy Einsohn:

In principle, coordinate adjectives are those that equally and independently modify a noun, and their coordinate status is marked by the presence of either the word and or a comma in between them; for example:

a dull and error-filled book or a dull, error-filled book

a cool and humid climate or a cool, humid climate

Conversely, noncoordinate adjectives do not equally and independently modify a noun; instead, the first adjective modifies the unit comprising the second adjective (or even a third adjective) plus the noun:

a thick green book

a battered old canvas fishing hat

There are two “tests” for determining whether a pair of adjectives is coordinate. A pair of adjectives is coordinate if (1) one can place and between the adjectives or (2) one can reverse the order of the adjectives and still have a sensible phrase. The phrase “a long, restful vacation” passes both tests (a long and restful vacation; a restful, long vacation), and therefore the adjectives are coordinate. But “a long summer vacation” fails both tests (a long and summer vacation; a summer long vacation), and therefore the adjectives are not coordinate.

Kara Church | Senior Technical Editor

Symitar, A Jack Henry Company

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123

Select the word or phrase that correctly completes the sentence, and then select the corresponding voting button (if voting buttons are available to you). The correct answers and some information on coordinate adjectives will be published after 12:00 noon.

1. Uncle Bluto is really _________________ man.

a. an old angry

b. a angry, old

c. an angry old

2. They grew up on ___________________ houseboat in Gig Harbor

a. a comfortable, little

b. a little, comfortable

c. a comfortable little

3. Tracy wanted to take a course with __________________ professor.

a. that interesting new Danish anthropology

b. that Danish interesting, new anthropology

c. that interesting, new, Danish, anthropology

Kara Church | Senior Technical Editor

Symitar, A Jack Henry Company

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123

Today is the last day we visit “the final frontier” to talk about celestial adjectives.

Note: I have made slight edits to shorten the content. The original can be found at DailyWritingTips.com in the article "7 Heavenly Bodies as Sources of Adjectives" by Mark Nichol.

Saturn
The Roman god said to have been the father of Jupiter was associated with traits opposite to those of the scion who usurped his rule; a saturnine person is gloomy, sardonic, and surly, as opposed to the jovial type, though the adjective also has the neutral sense of “sluggish” and “serious.” This temperament was said in the Middle Ages to be the influence of the planet farthest from the Sun (or the one believed at the time to be the most remote) and the slowest.

But the god was also identified with justice and strength, as well as with agriculture, and later was celebrated in the weeklong winter-solstice feast known as the Saturnalia, when the rules of moral conduct and social status were suspended. That name, with the initial letter lowercased, now refers to any unrestrained merrymaking.

Venus
A supposed inhabitant of Venus is a Venusian, of course, but another term influenced by the name of the Roman goddess of love and beauty may surprise you. Because of Venus’s association with sex as well as affection and attractiveness, her name was the inspiration for venereal, which means “relating to sexual pleasure or indulgence” but is almost exclusively employed to refer to sexually transmitted infections or diseases. [KC – This use of “venereal” is considered antiquated and politically incorrect—safest just to stay away from it in all senses of the word.]

However, another variation has a more positive association: To venerate is to admire, honor, or respect (the noun form is veneration), and venerable refers to someone or something considered deserving of one of those types of regard. It is also synonymous with sacred and can apply to a person, place, or thing that through age and/or accomplishments earns esteem.

And with a little help from Lisa Reyes and Merriam-Webster (http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com):

Pluto

plu·to·ni·an
1 sometimes capitalized a : of or relating to the lower world : INFERNAL b : resembling the lower world : grim and gloomy : harsh and unpleasing <a plutonian darkness> <such plutonian landscapes>

Kara Church | Senior Technical Editor | Symitar

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619-542-6773 | Extension: 766773

NOTICE: This electronic mail message and any files transmitted with it are intended
exclusively for the individual or entity to which it is addressed. The message,
together with any attachment, may contain confidential and/or privileged information.
Any unauthorized review, use, printing, saving, copying, disclosure or distribution
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please
immediately advise the sender by reply email and delete all copies.

Today we continue with adjectives based on celestial bodies.

Note: I have made slight edits to shorten the content. The original can be found at DailyWritingTips.com in the article "7 Heavenly Bodies as Sources of Adjectives" by Mark Nichol.

Mars
Because of its belligerent-looking red glow, Mars was associated in ancient times with conflict, and the Romans named it after their god of war. The adjective martial (“martial law,” “martial arts,” court-martial) refers to war and fighting. [KC – Not to be confused with
marital, a completely different type of war and fighting.]

Mercury
Someone with an unpredictable or volatile personality is said to be mercurial, thanks to an association with Mercury, the swift messenger of the Latin gods. (The liquid element mercury, also known as quicksilver, was perhaps given that name because of its rapidly free-flowing quality.) But the adjective is also associated with eloquence and ingenuity, as well as larcenous behavior. Why? The god Mercury was considered the protector of thieves, as well as merchants and travelers, who would appeal to the deity to favor them with speed. The planet Mercury was so named because of its fast orbital velocity.

Moon
Like Terra, Luna, the Roman name for the Moon, seems to appear only in science fiction these days. But lunatic, meaning “foolish” or “insane,” is common, albeit mostly in the nonclinical sense. (Lunacy, another word for insanity, and the adjectival form derive from the onetime notion that phases of the Moon affect mental instability.) Lunar, however, is the adjectival form for scientific references to Earth’s natural satellite.

Kara Church | Senior Technical Editor

Symitar, A Jack Henry Company

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123

In honor of the super moon* that displayed on Cinco de Mayo, today we delve into a series of adjectives based on seven heavenly bodies. This information is from an article by Mark Nichol (“7 Heavenly Bodies as Sources of Adjectives”) from http://www.dailywritingtips.com.

Earth
Though in modern usage our planet’s Latin name, Terra, appears only in science fiction, the adjective terrestrial is often employed to refer to phenomena associated with Earth or with land as opposed to water. It is also the root of extraterrestrial, the term for any (so far conjectural) life-form that does not originate on Earth, or for anything existing or occurring beyond the planet.

Terrestrial also refers to the inner planets of the solar system as a category. (See the next entry for the classification for the outer planets.) It can also mean “mundane,” as does terrene, which has the additional sense of “earthly.” (Terrene is also a noun referring to the planet or its terrain — and that word, like terrarium, also stems from the Latin term terrenum.)

Jupiter
Jovial means “jolly, convivial” — not traits associated with a god normally generally depicted with a stern visage. However, this is the word medieval astrologers used to describe those characteristics, which they ascribed to the influence on [sic] the planet on human behavior. The adjectival form for referring to the god or to the category of gas giants typified by the planet Jupiter is Jovian; this is also the term for referring to the planet’s natural satellites in fact and fiction and to fictional inhabitants.

*A super moon is a full moon that is as close to earth as it gets in a year, and therefore is the biggest and brightest moon…that is, if the May gray sky is not obscuring your view.

Kara Church | Senior Technical Editor

Symitar, A Jack Henry Company

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123