Editor's Corner

Okay folks, get ready. It’s gripe time again. This is not a personal gripe of mine because I have never used the word “ping” to mean “contact me.” It is, however, a huge issue with one of my favorite guys, so I told him I’d write something up about this.

According to Merriam-Webster, the following uses of the word ping are acceptable:

noun

noun: ping; plural noun: pings

a short high-pitched ringing sound, as of a tap on a crystal glass.

"the syncopated ping of steel drums"

a percussive knocking sound, especially in an internal combustion engine.

"if any sign of engine ping occurs"

verb

verb: ping; 3rd person present: pings; past tense: pinged; past participle: pinged; gerund or present participle: pinging

make or cause to make a ping.

"the doorbell pinged"

Computing

query (another computer on a network) to determine whether there is a connection to it.

The use of ping that is unacceptable is a verb to indicate “contact.” So, if you were to say, “Hey, Mr. Smithers, ping me when you get the file,” my buddy would challenge you to a round of fisticuffs. The great thing is that any of the following sentences work, and they make just as much sense:

• Bob, please call me when you receive the flowers.
• Jo-jo, I would love it if you’d send me a text when you get home.
• I think I will send my mom an email to tell her I love her.
• If you contact Zeke before he gets on the boat, he’ll really appreciate it.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

Symitar Documentation Services

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Today, I’m going to discuss a common mistake people make regarding pronoun agreement. Many people use the wrong pronoun when referring to a business or an organization (like the hospital, or the credit union).

Here’s an example:

• The hospital has hired as many nurses as it/they can afford.

The correct pronoun for that sentence is it. Why? Because the hospital is a singular noun, so the pronoun must also be singular.

If you were writing about multiple hospitals, you would use they.

• Hospitals hire as many nurses as they can afford.

Likewise, when you’re dealing with the possessive pronouns its and their, you should use its when referring to a singular business and their when referring to more than one business:

• The credit union treats its members like family.
• Credit unions treat their members like family.

My credit union treats me better than my real family. Case in point, on my recent return from two weeks away, my husband said, “Good thing you’re back. The dogs left you a lot of presents in the back yard.”

Donna Bradley Burcher | Senior Technical Editor | Symitar®

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619.278.0432 | Extension: 765432

Symitar Documentation Services

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Ooh…I just love articles like this! Not only do they tell you a little about words you know, you might learn some words you don’t know or find out about how different words are connected. For whatever reason, the title “Admonitions and Premonitions” had me at “Hello.” Here is the article from Daily Writing Tips:

Admonitions and Premonitions

Admonition and premonition are two members of a small word family based on a root pertaining to scolding or warning. The family is introduced below.

The Latin verb monere, meaning “advise,” “express disapproval,” or “warn,” is the root of admonition and premonition. Admonition and its sister noun admonishment are distinguished by the senses “warning about behavior” and “criticism of behavior,” respectively; the verb form, admonish, applies to both senses. A premonition, meanwhile, is a feeling of forewarning not based on conscious thought; unlike admonition, the noun does not take other forms. Monition itself, meanwhile, is a rare noun meaning “caution” or “warning.”

Summon is also descended from monere, originally in the form of the Latin verb summonere, which means “warn secretly” (the first syllable is a variant of sub-); the English verb means “send for,” with the connotation of an imperative; to summon up is to call forth or evoke, as in the notion of summoning up courage or another emotion. Something that can be summoned is summonable, and one who summons is a summoner. Summons is a noun meaning “an act of summoning,” usually in the form of an order to appear in court; the plural is summonses.

Other words based on monere include monitor, which originally referred to one who admonishes, checks, or reminds and came to mean “guide,” “instructor,” and “overseer.” This word has several other distinct senses: First, the monitor lizards, a genus that includes the Komodo dragon, were supposedly named for a habit some species have of standing on two legs or acting otherwise to check on or warn about the presence of predators. [KC – Apparently these folks haven’t met the San Diego Zoo’s Komodo dragon, Sunny. I don’t think he needs warnings about predators. Last time I saw him he was walking on four feet,
wearing half of a large dead mammal on his head and prancing around with his “party mask” until settling down to eat it.]

Second, a Civil War–era warship armored with iron was dubbed the Monitor with the notion that it would admonish its foes; the name was applied to similar and not-so-similar vessels for the next hundred years. Finally, the use of the word to describe equipment for checking the quality of electronic transmissions led to its employment in reference to display screens for televisions, computers, and other devices.

Then there’s monument, from the sense of monere pertaining to reminding: A monument is a written document, record, or tribute; a structure honoring a person or event or something pertaining to a notable person or thing; or a boundary marker. A national monument is one of a class of places set aside by a country for its historic, scenic, or scientific significance. Because of the associations of structural monuments with grandeur, something great or outstanding is said to be monumental; monumentally is the adverbial form.

Finally, monster derives from a sense of “something that warns”: The word describes an abnormal, strange, or terrifying living thing; something cruel, threatening, or ugly; or something especially large or successful. Monster is employed as an adjective as well in the last sense, while monstrous applies for the other meanings and monstrously serves as an adverb.

“Here he is, your Komodo dragon…” (If you’ve never seen The Freshman, you should.)

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

Symitar Documentation Services

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I sent out a couple of Editor’s Corners with church bulletin bloopers that seemed to go over well with many of you. I found a book called Did You Read That? by Derric Johnson, that contains more of the same sorts of items. Enjoy!

1. Next Sunday is Easter, and Mrs. Anderson will come forward and lay an egg on the altar.

2. On Sunday, a special collection will be taken to help defray the expense of the new carpet. All those wishing to do something on the carpet, come forward and get a piece of paper.

3. A bean supper will be held Saturday evening in the church basement. Music will follow.

4. The church choir will begin practice for the Christmas cantata next Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. We have a special need for men’s voices, but all parts are welcome.

5. The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Saturday morning.

6. The sermon of the morning: GOSSIP…THE SPEAKING OF EVIL. The closing song: I LOVE TO TELL THE STORY.

7. The sermon this morning: PREDESTINATION…WHAT ABOUT HELL? The closing song: I’LL GO WHERE YOU WANT ME TO GO.

8. The third verse of “Blessed Assurance” will be sung without musical accomplishment.

9. Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa, will be speaking tonight at Calvary Memorial Church. Come and hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa.

10. Announcement in the church bulletin for a National Fasting and Prayer Conference… “The cost for attending the Fasting and Prayer Conference includes meals.”

11. This morning, the pastor will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing BREAK FORTH INTO JOY.

12. Miss Charlene Mason sang “I Will Not Pass This Way Again” giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.

13. Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

14. Next Sunday Mrs. Vinson will be soloist for the morning service. The pastor will then speak on IT’S A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE.

15. The choir will meet at the Larsen home for fun and sinning.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

Symitar Documentation Services

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Dear Editrix,

I know what “spot-on” means, but where did it come from?

Thanks,

Interested in Indiana

Dear Interested,

Excellent question! This phrase is British and means “exactly correct,” “exactly right,” or “perfectly correct.” For example, “Your directions to the opera house were spot-on,” or “Bucky’s impression of Captain America is spot-on—even his stance is the same!”

As far as where the phrase comes from, well that seems to be much more difficult to find an answer for. I found one website that says it is a British military term, but then they don’t really explain where it came from, so I say “Pshaw! No explanation, no air time for you!”

Here is something I found on Anglophenia, a website from BBC America. I don’t know how accurate it is, but it sounds like a good story!

Spot On

So, let’s start with a game. Billiards, to be precise, which came from colonial India. Unlike pool, once you’ve potted the red ball, it must be returned to its starting position, which is the spot where the black ball goes in a game of snooker. So, the phrase spot on evolved, as a simple expression of extreme accuracy. This then was applied to other aspects of life, and found to be a fairly decent way to convey delight and support.

Spots On!

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Symitar Documentation Services

Happy Friday!

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article about steps and stairs, and mentioned walking through a neighborhood “pocket park.” Some of you thought I was up to my old shenanigans of creating terms or national holidays that don’t really exist. Others sent me jokes about what pocket parks might be. Well, I’m here to tell you, pocket parks are a real thing!

From Wikipedia:

A pocket park (also known as a parkette, mini-park, vest-pocket park, or vesty park) is a small park accessible to the general public. [KC – Okay, I just have to add that “parkette” and “vesty park” make me want to throw up a little.] Pocket parks are frequently created on a single vacant building lot or on small, irregular pieces of land. They also may be created as a component of the public space requirement of large building projects.

Pocket parks can be urban, suburban, or rural, and can be on public or private land. Although they are too small for physical activities, pocket parks provide greenery, a place to sit outdoors, and sometimes a children’s playground. They may be created around a monument, historic marker, or art project.

In highly urbanized areas, particularly downtowns where land is very expensive, pocket parks are the only option for creating new public spaces without large-scale redevelopment. In inner-city areas, pocket parks are often part of urban regeneration plans and provide areas where wildlife such as birds can establish a foothold. Unlike larger parks, pocket parks are sometimes designed to be fenced and locked when not in use.

That is the perfect description of the two little pocket parks in my neighborhood. One is at the end of the street and is surrounded by houses and a canyon. The park itself is tiny: the corner of a block. But there are trees, some chairs, a few stumps to sit on, and birds, squirrels, and even coyotes that come to visit. Here are a few pocket parks in other cities:

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Symitar Documentation Services

Good morning! I’ve shared these DailyWritingTips vocabulary quizzes before. Many of you responded positively, so now you all have to suffer through another one. Bwah-hah-hah!

You must choose from two commonly confused words. Remember, there is no physical prize for getting all the answers right, but you will experience a severe uptick in your self-confidence and a healthy measure of self-pride.

If more than one answer seems correct, pick the most likely one. I’ve included the correct answers below. Take the quiz, and then scroll down to see how you did. Good luck, my friends!

1. Do you mean to __________ that I stole your cell phone?
a) infer
b) imply

2. The students are ___________ in learning algebra.
a) disinterested
b) uninterested

3. The state ____________ is a miniature of the one in Washington D.C.
a) capitol
b) capital

4. Between the years 1845 and 1855, nearly a million people _______ from Germany to the United States.
a) emigrated
b) immigrated

5. The agents used torture to ___________ information from the prisoners.
a) illicit
b) elicit

Answers

1. Do you mean to imply that I stole your cell phone?

b) imply

“To imply” means suggest, while “to infer” means to draw a conclusion by reasoning.

2. The students are uninterested in learning algebra.
b) uninterested

The word “uninterested” indicates simple lack of interest, while “disinterested” connotes a lack of self-interest in a matter to be decided.

3. The state capitol is a miniature of the one in Washington D.C.
a) capitol

A capitol is a building that serves as a center of government; a capital is the chief city in a country or a state.

4. Between the years 1845 and 1855, nearly a million people emigrated from Germany to the United States.
a) emigrated

“To emigrate” is to leave a country with the intention of settling in another. “To immigrate” is to pass into a new country of residence.

5. The agents used torture to elicit information from the prisoners.
b) elicit

“Elicit” is to draw out a response. “Illicit” means not lawful.

Donna Bradley Burcher | Senior Technical Editor | Symitar®

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619.278.0432 | Extension: 765432

Symitar Documentation Services

NOTICE: This electronic mail message and any files transmitted with it are intended
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We receive several versions of copyright and trademark information from corporate, and one of those versions is our boilerplate information. This is the standard information we include in front of all of our documentation about our different products, slogans, and trademarked material. Somebody asked where the word boilerplate came from, and I found this:

From Merriam-Webster:

boilerplate

noun

boiler plate or boiler iron: flat-rolled steel usually about a quarter to a half inch thick used especially for making boilers and tanks and for covering ships

2a : syndicated material supplied especially to weekly newspapers in matrix or plate form b : standardized text <A publisher’s contracts are, in the words of one executive, “boilerplate,” varying one from another only in matters such as royalty rates, the amount of advances … and so on. — W. Ross Winterowd, College Composition and Communication, May 1989> c : formulaic or hackneyed language <bureaucratic boilerplate>— often used before another noun <a boilerplate speech>

3a : a relatively smooth surface (as of flush or overlapping slabs of rock) on a cliff affording little or no foothold b : a frozen crusty surface of snow

I know what you’re thinking! I’ll take 3b, a frozen crusty surface of snow for $200, Trebek! Yeah, this wasn’t my favorite explanation either, and then I found this at Online Etymology Dictionary:

boilerplate (n.)

"iron rolled in large, flat plates for use in making steam boilers," 1840, from boiler + plate (n.). In newspaper (and now information technology) slang, "unit of writing that can be used over and over without change," 1893. The connecting notion probably is sturdiness or reusability, but it might also be literal: From 1890s to 1950s, publicity items were cast or stamped in metal ready for the printing press and distributed to country newspapers as filler. The largest supplier was Western Newspaper Union.

Great question from the audience; thank you for sending it my way.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

Symitar Documentation Services

NOTICE: This electronic mail message and any files transmitted with it are intended
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Today I’m going to dazzle you with a little bit about what run-on sentences are and some easy ways to fix them. I know, just what you were waiting for!

Some people think that run-on sentences are really long sentences that just go on and on until you ask yourself, “Who does this William Faulkner think he is?” Actually, run-on sentences are a very specific type of grammar problem where you have two or more main clauses that are not separated by a period or semicolon, or two clauses that are joined together by a conjunction.

For example:

I love dogs I would have an entire farm of them if I could.

As you can see, this example has two separate clauses “I love dogs” and “I would have an entire farm of them if I could.” Let’s look at four easy ways to fix this run-on catastrophe.

Fixing Run-on Sentences

1. The easiest way to fix this is to use a period to separate the clauses.

   I love dogs. I would have an entire farm of them if I could.

2. The second easiest way to fix this run-on sentence is to use a semicolon to link the two separate, but related, ideas.

   I love dogs; I would have an entire farm of them if I could.

3. Not a dog person? Okay, fine. Let’s switch over to cats. In this case, we will take our run-on sentence and use a comma and a conjunction to separate the clauses.
   Instead of this: Cats are wonderful cats are always ready to cuddle.

   Try this: Cats are wonderful, and they are always ready to cuddle.

4. The last solution is to change one of the independent clauses into a dependent clause and use the proper punctuation.

   Because cats are wonderful, they are always ready to cuddle.

I hope this makes fixing run-on sentences a little easier. Now, my next lesson is to teach you how to bandage yourself after trying to cuddle a cat that doesn’t want it!

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Symitar Documentation Services

One of the blogs I subscribe to, The Grammarist, sends me tidbits about frequently confused words. Sometimes they come up with brilliant comparisons or insights; other times I wonder if they were goofing around when they come up with things like “chips vs. fries,” “prostate vs. prostrate,” or “nib vs. nub.” Today’s article is one of those that made me laugh. Yes, the words (misology and mixology) sound similar, but do people really mix up “hatred of reason” with “mixing cocktails”? Well, you be the judge.

Misology and mixology are two words that are very close in pronunciation and spelling, but have different meanings.

Misology is a hatred of reason, a hatred of debate or a hatred of being free of ignorance. A misologist is one who hates reason or debate. The word misology is derived from the Greek word misologia, meaning hatred of words. The idea of misology is found in Plato’s Phaedo, which recalls the last hours of Socrates’ life and his suicide.

Mixology is the practice of mixing cocktails and other alcoholic drinks. One who performs mixology is a mixologist. The term mixologist to mean a bartender first appeared in the mid-1800s, though the term mixology first appeared in the mid-1900s, as a backformation of mixologist.

Shaken, not stirred.

Enjoy your weekend!

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Symitar Documentation Services