Editor's Corner

Good morning, folks!

Today we’re going to get into some grammar. I know, I know. It’s not as fun as idioms and games and new words, but I’ve received some questions on conditional and subjunctive moods, so let’s go through these and the other three moods. I’ll cover them over several days to (hopefully) avoid any meltdowns.

First, a preview. What is a grammatical mood? Mood refers to the different verb forms and how they show the purpose of a sentence. The five main forms we’re talking about in English are:

There are some resources that only refer to three moods (indicative, imperative, and subjunctive) and refer to the other two moods as tenses. We’re going to use all five of these and cover them separately. Let’s start with the indicative mood today!

From GrammarBook.com: The indicative is by far the most common of the moods. It is used whenever you are giving a fact or making an ordinary statement.

The indicative mood generally uses the simple past, simple present, and simple future tense of the verb. Here are a few sentences written in the indicative mood. (The past and future tenses in parentheses.)

Fact:

Joe loves swimming. (loved, will love)

Alabama is in the southern part of the United States. (was, will be)

Sandra drinks Mai-Tais and floats in the pool. (drank/will drink, floated/will float)

Opinion:

She has great taste in business casual clothes. (had, will have)

Dimitri believes his scooter is the fastest. (believed, will believe)

Amy thinks she makes the best apple pie. (thought she made, thinks she will make)

Next time, we’ll have a look at the interrogative mood.

And to make you feel better:

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Technical Publications

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Good day to you all!

I came across a list of words on Dictionary.com that made me smile because they remind me of my mom. She was also a language lover, and when I was very young, she used to make me laugh (and sometimes cringe) with her silly word jokes. For instance, she would often offer me a napple or a norange. Or when I was going out, she might tell me to have an ice time. Who said dads (and CEOs—y’all know who I’m talking about) are the only ones who can tell corny jokes?

The list of words I found came to English from other languages (usually French), but they were misheard and eventually had the wrong article (a or an) applied. This most often happens with words that begin with an n or a vowel, as you’ll notice in the following partial list. The word orange is actually on the list, so we’ll start with that one:

Orange: This word is derived from the Arabic word nāranj, which then passed into French through the Romance language of Old Occitan. The n at the beginning of the word nāranj disappeared because the French indefinite articles un and une end with an n sound (just like the English articles a and an)—so une nāranj eventually became une orange in French and an orange in English.

Apron: This word derives from Middle French (14th century) but the sound of the French word, naperon, caused confusion in English—again because of the articles a and an. English speakers began referring to this protective article of clothing as an apron rather than a naperon.

Notch: This is another Middle French word. It came to us as oche from France in the 16th century. It meant “an incision made to keep a record.” But it was misheard and misspelled, or maybe some silly jester like my mom got ahold of it and changed an oche to a notch.

Nickname: This word comes from Middle English, not French. The word eke meant also or in addition, and an ekename became our modern English term a nickname. The odd thing about this word is how eke turned into nick, which does not mean also,as eke does.It is simply a misheard sound that stuck.

Newt: This creature was originally known as the ewt (a word that derived from eft, an obsolete word meaning lizard). The same mistake with the articles a and an changed this creature’s name from an ewt to a newt. I don’t think my mom knew that, but she would love it.

Adder: This Old English word was originally nǣdre, but as with all the other words on this list, a nǣdre became a nadder, which became the venomous snake we know today: an adder.

That’s it for today. I’m a little tired and hungry now. I’m going to take an ice little break and eat a napple.

Donna Bradley Burcher |Technical Editor, Advisory | jack henry™

Pronouns she/her/hers

9660 Granite Ridge Drive, San Diego CA 92123

Symitar Documentation Services

About Editor’s Corner

Editor’s Corner keeps your communication skills sharp by providing information on grammar, punctuation, JHA style, and all things English. As editors, we spend our days reading, researching, and revising other people’s writing. We love to spend a few extra minutes to share what we learn with you and keep it fun while we’re doing it.

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G’day, mates!

I had so much fun with Australian slang in one of my June Editor’s Corner articles,

that I wanted to share the latest words I collected from the show City Homicide. Here are some more translations for you.

That’s it for now! We’ll see if I find any good new cop shows to watch on BritBox, and maybe I can give you some more phrases from other English-speaking countries.

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Technical Publications

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

I’m sure you’ve been waiting eagerly for this next set of homonyms! You’ve seen the triplets, now I have larger groups of words that sound the same, but each of them is spelled differently and means something different. You can (but don’t have to) give me grace for those that are from other languages.

As before, definitions are from me and from Merriam-Webster (M-W) where marked.

Quadruplets:

· adds = perform addition; increase

· ads = advertisements; notices or announcements to attract customers

· adz = (M-W) a cutting tool that has a thin arched blade set at right angles to the handle and is used chiefly for shaping wood (less common variant than adze)

· adze = See previous. More common spelling of the tool (adz). [KC – I’d bet that adz is more common for Scrabble players!]

· cinque = Five [KC – If you pronounce this French word like the French would, it’s a homonym for “sank” rather than “sink.”]
(M-W) 1: Five, especially the number five in dice or cards
2: cinques plural: change ringing on 11 bells that are treated as 5 pairs, the tenor bell added after each change

· sink = Submerge

· sync = Synchronize; make happen at the same time

· synch = See previous. Less common spelling of sync

· cite = To refer to another source; to name in a citation

· cyte = A mature germ cell [KC – I’ve only ever
seen this as a suffix, like erythrocyte or leukocyte.]

· sight = Vision. (M-W) Something that is seen; a spectacle

· site = A location, a place

· medal = (M-W) A small usually metal object bearing a religious emblem or picture

· meddle = To interfere (generally with something that is none of your business)

· metal = (M-W) Any of various opaque, fusible, ductile, and typically lustrous substances that are good conductors of electricity and heat, form cations by loss of electrons, and yield basic oxides and hydroxides

· mettle = Stamina; strength; courage

· peak = The top of a mountain; the form of a well-made meringue; the shape is generally wider at the bottom and pointier at the top [KC – And thus you see why I don’t write definitions for
Merriam-Webster.]

· peek = To take a quick look at; (M-W) To peer from a place of concealment

· peke = Nickname or abbreviation for Pekinese (M-W) Any of a Chinese breed of small, short-legged dogs with a broad flat face and a profuse long soft coat

· pique = To arouse interest [KC – I almost always
hear it used with curiosity, for example, “The cryptic message from an old boyfriend piqued his curiosity.”

Quintuplet:

<![if !supportLists]>· seau = (M-W) A pottery pail that forms a part of the typical 18th century dinner service

· sew = To fasten something (usually fabric) together with stitches

· so = (M-W)

· soe = A large wooden tub or pail

· sow = To plant seeds

Sextuplet:

· air = The gases we breathe

· are = (M-W) a unit of area equal to 100 square meters.

· e’er = Contraction of “ever”. Means always.

· ere = Before

· err = To make a mistake

· heir = A person who inherits something (usually from a parent or predecessor)

Septuplet:

· raise = To lift up; to stir up (a commotion)

· rays = (M-W) any of the lines of light that appear to radiate from a bright object; a type of marine animal

· rase = erase (archaic)

· raze = To completely demolish; knock a building down to the dirt

· rehs = (Reh, singular) Abbreviation for “rehearing”

· réis = (Plural of real) The unit of currency in Brazil (and formerly Portugal before the Euro)

· res = a particular thing; matter. A mixture of sodium salts found as an efflorescence in India

That’s it for now, my friends. For the full list, see multinyms here.

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Technical Publications

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Good morning to you all!

A year ago, one of my coworkers decided to challenge me by asking me to find sets of three-word or four-word homophones. (Homonyms are two or more words that sound alike, but have different origins, spellings, or meanings, such as carat, carrot, caret, and karat.) He acknowledged that I’d covered some of these, like there, they’re, their and to, two, too, but he wanted more. He wanted four-word homonyms and more.

Well, I waited an entire year, and here I am, ready to serve up some examples on a big ‘ol platter. You should remember that in the old days, before my word nerdom, I played basketball, ran track (oh so poorly), and worked it on swim team for four years. I love a challenge, a race, or a game.

Today I have the first batch for you, the triplets. This is just a partial list, but I’ll provide you with the rest next time. Definitions and examples are from me or with the help of Merriam-Webster (M-W).

Triplets

· aisle = A row between groups of seats

· I’ll = Contraction for “I will”

· isle = An island, often a small island

· bald = Without hair or covering (for example, the black oak tree is bald in the winter)

· balled = Formed into a ball (she balled up the snow and threw it at her brother)

· bawled = Cried (out loud and vigorously)

· censer = A vessel for burning incense

· censor = Someone who reads materials, watches movies, or reviews other materials for objectionable matter.

· sensor = (From M-W) A device that responds to a physical stimulus (such as heat, light, sound, pressure, magnetism, or a particular motion) and transmits a resulting impulse (as for measurement or operating a control)

· cent = (America) A penny. 1/100 of a U.S. dollar

· scent = A smell; an odor. (From M-W) An odor left by an animal on a surface passed over, or a characteristic or particular odor especially one that is agreeable.

· Sent = Past tense of “to send.” (From M-W) To cause to go; propel; throw in a particular direction; drive; to dispatch by means of communication.

· ewes = Female sheep

· use = To put into service; expend; consume

· yews = Type of evergreen trees

· gild = To cover with gold

· gilled = To entangle in a gill net (From M-W) Gill net: a flat net suspended vertically in the water with meshes that allow the head of a fish to pass but entangle the gills upon withdrawal.

· guild =Association of people with similar interests (From M-W) Especially: a medieval association of merchants or craft makers.

• knot = (From M-W)a: an interlacement of the parts of one or more flexible bodies forming a lump or knob (as for fastening or tying together)

b: the lump or knob so formed

c: a tight constriction or the sense of constriction

• naught = nothing

· not = used as a function word to make negative a group of words or a word

• taught = Past tense of to teach. To convey information to others; to help others learn.
• taut = Tight; without slack; (skin) not loose or flabby

· tot = A small child

Next time I’ll give you the quadruplets and more!

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It’s another beautiful day—a perfect day to talk about plain language.

What is plain language? It is a style of writing, most often used in professional settings to communicate something as briefly and clearly as possible. It is written with a simple structure. Typically, the sentences and paragraphs are short: they are written in active voice, they use clear, universal vocabulary, and they avoid filler (unnecessary) words. This kind of writing gets right to the point and provides only the details that are needed to help a reader understand; it is intended to make the job of reading as easy as possible. It is the kind of writing we strive for in all our documentation and client correspondence.

Plain writing is not a dumbing down of material. In fact, it is often used in legal documentation, technical documentation, and governmental documentation to ensure that difficult concepts are clearly communicated and easily digested. To make it accessible to the widest range of people, the Grammarly blog says, “It avoids jargon, complex sentence structure, and any potentially confusing vocabulary. This includes figurative language like metaphor and allusion, which may include references that readers with different backgrounds find difficult to understand.” Grammarly provides these clean, crisp examples:

Example 1

The enrollment period for international students begins on November 14 and ends on December 5. Please submit all of your documents to the International Education office on or before December 5. You will receive your course schedule by January 11.

Example 2

All driving tests are administered by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Please arrive for your test with two forms of identification (a passport, student ID, or government-issued ID is acceptable). Wait in the designated waiting area until you are called to the desk. The receptionist will then bring you to the testing area.

I know that a lot of you write creatively as a hobby or a side job. And for that kind of writing, an expanded vocabulary, imagery, symbolism, repetition, and other figurative language makes the writing and the reading more fun. When writing professionally, however, your readers expect the efficiency of plain language. Give them what they want. Always review and revise your writing to make sure it is clear and concise. And all of you Jack Henry associates can use this link to send your editing to a JH editor who will check it for plain language and other One Company JH standards.

Here’s hoping your day is anything but plain.

Donna Bradley Burcher |Technical Editor, Advisory | jack henry™

Pronouns she/her/hers

9660 Granite Ridge Drive, San Diego CA 92123

Symitar Documentation Services

About Editor’s Corner

Editor’s Corner keeps your communication skills sharp by providing information on grammar, punctuation, JHA style, and all things English. As editors, we spend our days reading, researching, and revising other people’s writing. We love to spend a few extra minutes to share what we learn with you and keep it fun while we’re doing it.

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About a year ago, I provided you with phrases about body parts in Editor’s Corner. One of you, my former manager Shawn, said he didn’t think “foot the bill” made sense. Well, sometimes it takes me a while to get back to things. Today, I’ll finally provide you with a short, but sweet answer about feet (or foots).

Here is an explanation of where the idiom “foot the bill” comes from, from our heroes at The Grammarist:

Foot the bill is an idiom that has been in use since the 1800s.

Foot the bill means to pay for something, to be financially responsible for goods or services, especially when the amount owed is a large one. Often, the term foot the bill is used when someone is being generous or taking responsibility for an enormous debt. The idiom foot the bill is derived from an earlier idiom first used in the 1500s: foot up. This phrase meant to add up the figures on a document and come to a total at the foot of the bill. By the early 1800s, the phrase had morphed into today’s form, foot the bill, meaning to pay the total at the foot of the bill. Related phrases are foots the bill and footing the bill.

I hope that makes more sense now. We don’t say “foot up” these days, but you might hear “tally up” the bill. I love it when someone else foots the bill, unless that means they are just using their toes to pass the bill to me under the table.

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Technical Publications

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Hello campers! It’s summertime, and the livin’ is easy…at least that’s what Ella’s told me. But many of you have asked me for something different than sunshine and lollipops, something actually related to work. Recently, I’ve had several requests for tips on writing professional email. I am here for you, so, let’s have a look at what Grammarly.com says. It’s a lengthy article, so I’m going to pick and choose pieces of their message, but you can go to their web site if you want to read the entire thing without my smart aleck remarks.

Let’s get right into it.

What should a professional email include?

• A professional tone [KC – Really? I mean, you really had to say that?]
• An appropriate greeting [KC – For more information see the article I wrote called “Hello,”
  and no, Lionel Ritchie, it’s not me you’re looking for.]
• A clear subject line
• A concise message
• An appropriate closing, explaining any action items
• An appropriate sign-off [KC – For more information see the article I wrote called “Yours
  Truly.” You’ll need to scroll down on the page.

Include the topic in the Subject line.

The first thing your recipient sees in their inbox is your email’s subject line. (T)he subject line can make the difference between the recipient opening it and deleting it. Your subject line needs
to be concise, attention-grabbing, and relevant.

State exactly what your email is about in the subject line. This way, the recipient knows what to expect from your email. The recipient will appreciate a clear subject line that helps them read
and respond to your email efficiently.

Keep it focused.

A professional email should cover one topic. It could be a question, a request, an answer, or an explanation. Whatever it is, the email’s body should be focused on this topic. Keep your email concise
but don’t leave out key information. Concise means “only as long as it needs to be.”

Proofread.

Before you click
Send, proofread your email. Do a quick read-through to make sure it doesn’t contain any typos, spelling mistakes, or grammatical mistakes. Email
mistakes can undermine your entire message and make you look unprofessional.
[KC – Use the error-checker that comes with Outlook. See these instructions to set it up:
Enabling Microsoft® Proofreading Tools in Outlook®.]

Avoid a casual tone.

In most cases, this means not using emojis. [KC – Don’t hate on me. I’m only delivering a message and advising you to think twice about the recipients. In Knowledge Enablement, we’re pretty free with our emojis among each other for
the sake of fun, but sometimes you have to put fun in your pocket and take it out later. Consider your audience.]

A professional email should be written in a professional tone. Avoid slang, colloquialisms, and anything else that feels casual enough to be a text message. Similarly, steer clear of cliché phrases like “just circling back” when following up.

Watch your words.

Remember, anybody can forward your email to anybody else. Similarly, anybody can download, print, or screenshot your email. An email is a written record of a conversation, so if you don’t want a written record of something, don’t say it in an email.

Make your directions clear.

Don’t assume the recipient knows where a specific file is located or which sources you used to support your position in a recent essay. Spell out everything you mention and include links when applicable so your recipient knows exactly what you’re talking about—and can access it easily.

Those are the basic messages from the article. I provided some links to introductions and closing words (above), but if you want to know why you should include your signature or see some sample emails, again, feel free to read the whole article at Grammarly.com.

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Technical Publications

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/

Good morning. It’s Fun with Words Day today. Dictionary.com recently sent a wonderful article about the longest English words in various categories. I found it fascinating, so I decided to share some of them with you. Most of the content below is directly from their website.

· methionylthreonylthreonylglutaminylarginyl…

This is the longest word of all. It’s a chemical name with over 180,000 letters. If you tried to say it out loud, it would take you over three hours to get it out! “Its absurd length is due to the fact that proteins get their scientific names by combining the names of all of their joined amino acids together.” It does not appear in the dictionary.

· pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

At 45 letters long, this is the longest word you’ll find in an English dictionary. “According to many sources, it was coined around 1935 by Everett Smith, who at the time was the president of the National Puzzlers’ League. The word, which was basically engineered for its length, refers to a lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust.”

· antidisestablishmentarianism

I remember my little sister learning how to spell this word in elementary school. Although it’s a real word, it is rarely used except to show off that you know how to say and spell a very long word. It refers to “to opposition to withdrawing support from the Anglican Church as the state church of 19th-century England.”

· honorificabilitudinitatibus

I decided to share this word because of my love of Shakespeare. He used it in his play Love’s Labour’s Lost. It means “capable of receiving honor,” and one really interesting thing about this word is that it’s the longest English word in which the consonants and vowels alternate back and forth. How cool is that?

· uncharacteristically

Why is this word included, you ask? It’s because this is often said to be the longest word the average English speaker commonly see or uses in everyday life. This adverb describes something “as not being typical or acting in a characteristic way.”

· uncopyrightables

While most of us don’t actually use this word, it is pretty easy to figure out what it means—unlike the long scientific words. Dictionary.com included it in their list because it’s an isogram, which means that no letter is repeated. Now, I’ve got you, right? This is pretty cool stuff!

· rhythms

I bet you’re already trying to figure out why this word is included. And I bet you got it. This is thought to be the longest English word that does not include one of the five main vowels.

· squirreled

And this is my favorite. Can you figure out why it’s included? I’ll give you a hint. It has to do with pronunciation. In some regions of the U.S., this word rhymes with curled, which makes it the longest one-syllable word in the English language. I love the way my spouse says the word squirrel. With his British accent, it definitely has two syllables, and sounds like this.

Enjoy the day. Squirrel away some time to have fun.

Donna Bradley Burcher |Technical Editor, Advisory | jack henry™

Pronouns she/her/hers

9660 Granite Ridge Drive, San Diego CA 92123

Symitar Documentation Services

About Editor’s Corner

Editor’s Corner keeps your communication skills sharp by providing information on grammar, punctuation, JHA style, and all things English. As editors, we spend our days reading, researching, and revising other people’s writing. We love to spend a few extra minutes to share what we learn with you and keep it fun while we’re doing it.

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Don’t want to get Editor’s Corner anymore? Click here to unsubscribe.

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Since the Writers Guild of America is on strike and I had a few days to sit around and recover from some surgeries last month, I needed something to watch as I recovered. Something soothing, sweet, and relaxing—and I found it in Australia’s show, City Homicide.

As my body healed, I watched some of this series and kept a list by my side. Here are some of the phrases that I have learned so far. Here’s what I’ve found in seasons one and two.

That’s what I’ve gathered so far! I find it interesting that contact sports, headbutts, face-slicing, and motorcycle gang members all sound so cute: footy, kisses, smiles, and bikies. Australia might be a difficult place to figure out if you don’t do some research first. 😊

Enjoy your day!

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Technical Publications

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/