tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post7195992542294989578..comments2024-03-29T10:25:17.813-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: Beyond the pailJungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-1841013061965186892015-07-02T21:07:15.632-04:002015-07-02T21:07:15.632-04:00"Free reign" never makes me fail to say ..."Free reign" never makes me fail to say "aaaaargh!"LIndanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-56809531812527050252015-06-30T10:25:56.915-04:002015-06-30T10:25:56.915-04:00Hallie, don't forget to add pique to the peek/...Hallie, don't forget to add pique to the peek/peak on your list. It's a triple, and you get more points. In junior high, our English teacher gave an assignment/contest (no prize only glory) to compile a list of homonyms, She assigned partners for this. My partner, one of the less linguisticlly skilled students,and I won with something like 85 pairs/pears in 45 minutes. This was back in the days of pencils and tablets so writing them took time away from thinking of them or we probably would have had more. Homonymania (our term) was a game my husband and I played with our daughters from the time they learned to read and still do play on occasion. It has led to some very interesting puns. Now we have spell check or autotype which often adds to the fun when reread especially after you've hit send.Granannnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-84114658200434805562015-06-29T20:49:59.295-04:002015-06-29T20:49:59.295-04:00How many ways can you say/spell voila?! Wahlah, wa...How many ways can you say/spell voila?! Wahlah, walla, wallha, have seen them all. Another phrase that drives me nuts, "same old, same old", when they say, "same o, same o"! I'm not the spelling or grammar police, but do see many errors in print! I never knew about beyond the pale, but now I do. Karen Bauernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-85581936267149544122015-06-29T19:31:04.709-04:002015-06-29T19:31:04.709-04:00Oh no! "Orientate" makes me crazy! But...Oh no! "Orientate" makes me crazy! But isn't it common in the UK?<br /><br />I am such a grammar nerd. It's gotten so bad lately. I think I must be reading some self-published books that have no editors. There are so many grammar errors in them! <br /><br />There's Pale in Irish History. It was the area under English law. There was no intermarriage with the Irish and other laws. If you lived ouside the English-controlled area, Outside the Pale, you were considered a savage.Marianne in Mainenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-46115904005063151282015-06-29T19:26:22.973-04:002015-06-29T19:26:22.973-04:00Ah, we do have a difficult language, especially fo...Ah, we do have a difficult language, especially for those with spelling disabilities, for whom even spell check is only minimal help. We used to advise some students to cultivate friends to proofread for them. <br />I've seen the bowl/bowel error in another book as well; let's blame auto-correct, a mixed blessing.<br />Knowing the right words to use doesn't guarantee that my fingers will hit the right keys. I was a secretary for Prudential right after college. When teaching jobs finally became available again, one of my students looked at one of my blue dittos and said, "I see why you aren't a secretary any more." <br />Teaching jr. high students the lie/lay/laid conjugations is a real challenge. <br />Still, it's a right language, worth the trouble it causes. <3Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-28430761418082731572015-06-29T19:02:01.953-04:002015-06-29T19:02:01.953-04:00Interesting comparison of vest/chest... see http:/...Interesting comparison of vest/chest... see http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/15468/is-it-close-to-the-chest-or-close-to-the-vest<br /><br />They even have a graph showing usage from 1800 to the present. Officially: either is "correct" but chest is far more common.Hallie Ephronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04759439029582054503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-30980049803526514752015-06-29T17:56:18.164-04:002015-06-29T17:56:18.164-04:00Just came across one in the ms. I'm editing. M...Just came across one in the ms. I'm editing. My main character doesn't know the correct term either, so I let her speak for us both, in talking about another woman, who may be a murder suspect: "She seems so friendly and frank that you think she’s wide open, but when you replay the conversation later, you realize she keeps her cards close to her chest. Or is it vest?” Leslie Budewitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11942314846112875042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-26835865833876196592015-06-29T16:54:04.148-04:002015-06-29T16:54:04.148-04:00I do love eggcorn, though. It sounds charming! I m...I do love eggcorn, though. It sounds charming! I may have to start using it, even if it's not a word! Karoline Barretthttp://karolinebarrett.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-45969392572131506922015-06-29T15:53:41.661-04:002015-06-29T15:53:41.661-04:00The fourth and fifth graders with whom I read just...The fourth and fifth graders with whom I read just shake their heads over what we label "silly words"<br /><br />that look the same and are pronounced differently and have totally different meanings: The wound on his hand was infected, but he wound his watch using that hand. He took the lead in positioning the lead pipe in the trench.<br /><br />And those words are spelled differently with different meanings that sound nearly the same: hours, ours; to, two, too; hair, hare, heir; their, there.<br /><br />For many of them, English is a second or third language. They often point out to me that their first language has much less confusion! <br /><br />Given too much thought, it seems a wonder that we understand each other at all!<br />Elisabethnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-59025049089850185942015-06-29T15:50:34.741-04:002015-06-29T15:50:34.741-04:00Orientate: feh!
Aquiline eyes... for a moment it ...Orientate: feh!<br /><br />Aquiline eyes... for a moment it looked fine to me. Then I looked it up. Eagle eyed?<br /><br />A mood can be eerie a place can be an aerie... where those aquiline eyes go to rest.Hallie Ephronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04759439029582054503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-17637314289952064142015-06-29T15:12:37.568-04:002015-06-29T15:12:37.568-04:00I never confuse the meanings of these two words, b...I never confuse the meanings of these two words, but for no logical reason, I always mix up the spelling: a person can be wary, but a mood can be eerie, not eery. <br /><br />(Grr, Argh, as the little voice says at the end of each episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.) Leslie Budewitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11942314846112875042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-44261015398302628992015-06-29T15:03:23.366-04:002015-06-29T15:03:23.366-04:00I forgot this one: aquiline eyes. How does that w...I forgot this one: aquiline eyes. How does that work?Pat Dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-35324740790223316842015-06-29T15:01:13.239-04:002015-06-29T15:01:13.239-04:00Hank, carrot on a stick sounds like state fair foo...Hank, carrot on a stick sounds like state fair food. I find people have trouble with loose and lose. What is wrong with orient as a verb and how did it turn into orientate? I hate orientate. First line of a poem I should write. Taught abdomen is great; I wish I had taught mine how to be taut. I once listened to someone's spiel about health products and she ended with how it could youth-a-nize you. I told her people would think you're saying euthanize and that is not a selling point.Pat Dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-53114505040282527172015-06-29T14:39:48.198-04:002015-06-29T14:39:48.198-04:00Duplicative. Huh. Huh.Duplicative. Huh. Huh.Hallie Ephronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04759439029582054503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-60034912837184111222015-06-29T14:36:56.769-04:002015-06-29T14:36:56.769-04:00Ann, I completely understand, and it makes total s...Ann, I completely understand, and it makes total sense. Still, I like carrot on a stick. You have to give the mule the carrot when you get there, of course.<br /><br />How about whip cream? <br /><br />And I have a friend who says duplicative. As in: if we do that again, it's duplicative. I hate that. And yeah, impactful. Another word I will never say. (And it is getting red squiggles, so there.)<br />Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-35801026706525958242015-06-29T14:27:10.176-04:002015-06-29T14:27:10.176-04:00Merriam Webster sez:
carrot-and-stick characterize...Merriam Webster sez:<br />carrot-and-stick characterized by the use of both reward and punishment to induce cooperation <br />carrot-or-stick The word you've entered isn't in the dictionary. <br /><br />For some reason I have no trouble with affect/effect.<br />Lie/lay/lain I will never understand.<br /><br />Once saw a reference in a novel to "rod iron." Sensible but incorrect.Hallie Ephronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04759439029582054503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-74517185915521343442015-06-29T13:25:45.359-04:002015-06-29T13:25:45.359-04:00Cyranetta, laughing hysterically! I'd like a c...Cyranetta, laughing hysterically! I'd like a copy of that curriculum if you find it. I'd like to teach my abdomen a few things--like how to be as taut as it was in my youth....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-38557302811105745312015-06-29T13:13:16.052-04:002015-06-29T13:13:16.052-04:00I'm one of those English nerds that actually e...I'm one of those English nerds that actually enjoy reading a grammar book. I'm sure that affected my decision to major in English in college. However, I recognize how irregular our rules of grammar are, so I try not to judge too much. I do think people should know the differences of there, their, and theyre . Two, too, and to should be a no-brainer, too. There are some mistakes that are just lazy. <br /><br />Of course, with the irregularity of our language, I understand many of the mistakes. Effect and affect are words I've always taken pride in using correctly, but if you look deep into the usages of these two words, even those of us who consider ourselves well versed in them will shudder at the exceptions. And therein is the reason so many people fear grammar. Exceptions! Your student has a breakthrough of understanding, and after rejoicing with him/her, you utter those damning words, "Now the exception to that is..." <br /><br />The verbing of nouns doesn't bother me as much as it probably should. With our language always being in a state of flux, as languages through the ages have been products of an evolving nature, we have to adapt to language of convenience, which verbing nouns are, although a case could be made for these nouns being a lazy tool of communication. Hallie, I like the "trapezing across the room," too. <br /><br />Edith, I love the addition of eggcorn to my vocabulary! And, Rhys, I'm delighted to know where "beyond the pale" has its origin. Language is a fascinating siren, charming me and gobsmacking me with its overt and covert intentions. <br /><br />A disclaimer: I typed this post on my phone, and it invariably presents typos that I'm am too lazy to search for today, so please don't blame me. Hehehe<br />Kathy Reelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17004247271452356577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-59881095173115073412015-06-29T12:56:21.968-04:002015-06-29T12:56:21.968-04:00One of the most startling instances of this sort t...One of the most startling instances of this sort that I ran across some years ago was a reference to a heroine's "taught abdomen." As you might imagine, I was immediately distracted from the story itself to wonder about the curriculum and a possible degree program.Cyranettahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16913843170958157943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-27330161424018944812015-06-29T12:41:41.903-04:002015-06-29T12:41:41.903-04:00Oh crap. Someone please put a period after "...Oh crap. Someone please put a period after "why" and remind me to proof before I publish.Ann in Rochesternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-78942692159894702812015-06-29T12:40:26.094-04:002015-06-29T12:40:26.094-04:00Hmmm, I am pretty sure that it is carrot OR stick....Hmmm, I am pretty sure that it is carrot OR stick. And this is the reason why It is all about getting someone to some thing to act in a particular way. For instance, think about dog training. You can offer the dog a reward for good behavior, such as a treat or a pat on the head, an "atta boy." This is where the carrot comes in, although my dogs hate carrots. Or you can punish the dog for poor behavior, using a sternly voiced BAD DOG. This is the stick analogy, and I hope none of us actually hit our dogs. <br /><br />So it is an either/or thing, the carrot or the stick.<br /><br />Crawling back under my rock xoxAnn in Rochesternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-12468010096445314862015-06-29T11:48:40.743-04:002015-06-29T11:48:40.743-04:00I'm laughing at amphibious pitcher and can'...I'm laughing at amphibious pitcher and can't seem to stop. Oh my. Good one. Of course, in my writing I deal with things amphibious since I write diving mysteries. And that brings me to one of my errors that nearly made it into print. My protagonist found a pair of diving sheers inside a the cabin of a wreck. Must have been a well-decorated place!Kaithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07758348842858993203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-34235691597612611292015-06-29T11:46:11.595-04:002015-06-29T11:46:11.595-04:00I do that correcting when I'm watching TV and ...I do that correcting when I'm watching TV and listening to the radio, drives my husband crazy. I try NOT to do it when talking to my kids. Hallie Ephronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04759439029582054503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-1573488490824928822015-06-29T11:35:34.677-04:002015-06-29T11:35:34.677-04:00I'm with you, Mary Sutton. Cannot read anythin...I'm with you, Mary Sutton. Cannot read anything without subconsciously correcting typos and misuses. The other night I was reading a short story and there were three before the end of the second page, and I threw it down in disgust. Yanked me directly out of the tale. <br /><br />I can never remember whether there is a second "e" in "judgemental" or not. Judging by the wiggly red lines, there isn't; it should be judgmental. Thank goodness for those lines! <br /><br />Spoken language quirks I've noticed lately: "expecially", instead of especially, and "excetera", instead of etcetera. Goes along with nuculer and calvary. Not to mention "aks". <br /><br />Cloths and clothes: the plural of "cloth" is "cloths"; "clothes" are what you wear.Karen in Ohionoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-40390175336290435962015-06-29T11:22:41.796-04:002015-06-29T11:22:41.796-04:00Ugh. The verbing of nouns. In the corporate world,...Ugh. The verbing of nouns. In the corporate world, I often have to physically restrain myself. "We need to figure out how to make this feature more impactful." Gah! My ears!Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.com