tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85071369458429342932024-03-04T21:24:11.140-08:00Conjugate VisitsYou know, like grammar and stuff.June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.comBlogger515125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-19387964466640737092012-01-12T10:47:00.000-08:002012-01-12T10:57:37.437-08:00Survey: How Satisfied Are You with Your Survey Experience?If you’re like a lot of business owners -- specifically, all of them -- you have at one point or another hired a survey company to plumb the fascinating depths of your customers’ or website visitors’ minds. Whether by robocall or in the form of one of those well-loved pop-up boxes, you’ve let another company’s machine ask your customers how much money they make, how they heard about your firm, and how they would rank your surly underpaid staff on a scale of “excellent” to “here’s your justification for not giving anyone a raise.” <br /><br />But when the data came in and the check to the survey-taking company had cleared, something surprising happened: nothing. Contrary to the survey company’s sincere and absolute faith in surveys, no one was there surveying you about how you liked your survey.<br /><br />Well, here’s your opportunity to make your voice heard! After all, survey-company-hiring companies are surveyable people, too! As they say, “Your opinion counts!” So please take this short survey:<br /><br />HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH YOUR SURVEY EXPERIENCE? <br /><br /><strong>1. I hired a survey service because:</strong><br /><br />a. Asking questions then forcing people to put their answers in my words instead of their own makes me feel big.<br /><br />b. I just naturally assumed that my customers/website visitors enjoy being badgered.<br /><br />c. Spending profits on B2B services is just so much more fun than paying a dividend. <br /><br />d. It’s a prestige thing -- it shows that you have so many customers you can afford to alienate thousands of them.<br /><br />e. The survey company salesgirl was wearing a low-cut top.<br /><br /><br /><strong>2. The one thing I most hoped the survey would reveal was:</strong><br /><br />a. How I can get more money out of my customers.<br /><br />b. How I can get more money out of my customers without actually interacting with them.<br /><br />c. How my customers feel about my employees’ treating them like shit.<br /><br />d. How I could use meaningless statistics to help me sound smart in staff meetings.<br /><br /><br /><strong>3. When you learned that the pop-up box announcing the survey would contain the phrase “We value your opinion!” you:</strong> <br /><br />a. Laughed <br /><br />b. Laughed contemptuously<br /><br />c. Actually bought it for a second, then laughed at your own gullibility<br /><br /><br /><strong>4. Finish this sentence: “When I received my survey results, I immediately ...”</strong><br /><br />a. Planned to look at them in the future.<br /><br />b. FedExed them to the department that deals with such things even though I’m not sure what department that is.<br /><br />c. Composed imaginary arguments in my head with negative respondents, putting their stupid asses in place with my decisive, scathing rejoinders.<br /><br /><br /><strong>5. I would describe myself as a</strong><br /><br />a. Chump<br /><br />b. Voyeur<br /><br />b. Control freak<br /><br />(Note, to answer “savvy businessperson,” select “a” above.)<br /><br /><br /><strong>6. How long did it take you to realize you were sold a completely worthless service?</strong><br /><br />a. Six months<br /><br />b. One week<br /><br />c. Till about the time the ink was dry on the 10-year, 20-survey contract<br /><br />d. Say what?<br /><br /><br /><strong>6. The last time you actually listened, in person, to a customer’s opinion, you: </strong><br /><br />a. Left your body<br /><br />b. Wished you had swine flu so you could cough on them<br /><br />c. Coughed on them anyway<br /><br />d. Suggested that the customer was the one who screwed up their oil change, gave your hotel bed bugs, or incited your customer-service rep to violence<br /><br /><br />When you have completed this survey, please e-mail us your Social Security Number, Visa and MasterCard number, mother’s maiden name, and name of your first pet, then collect your own responses and do with them whatever you did with your own customers’ responses.<br /><br /><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --><a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" target="_blank"><img src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" height="16" border="0" alt="Bookmark and Share" /></a> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -->June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-79409122144532791982011-12-15T16:27:00.000-08:002011-12-15T16:30:36.670-08:00Copy Edit du Jour"A display of the collection will be on site in the main pavilion"<br /><br />Changed to ...<br /><br />"The collection will be on display in the main pavilion."<br /><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --><a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" target="_blank"><img src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" height="16" border="0" alt="Bookmark and Share" /></a> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -->June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-12679522956519496342011-12-10T11:23:00.001-08:002011-12-10T11:28:10.109-08:00How to Tell If You're a 'Real Writer'These days, everyone’s a writer. Advances in technology have allowed anyone with a keyboard and a traumatic childhood to claim the title of “published writer.” Of course, this has frustrated “real writers” who believe they shouldn’t be clumped in with the high school sophomore who made $11.50 in Amazon Associates income by blogging “gott my period 2day LOL.” But what, exactly, separates the “real writers” from heartsick middle-schoolers, illiterate manifesto writers, and Dean Koontz?<br /><br />Prominent scienticians have recently isolated some unique characteristics of true wordsmiths. Based on their findings, here’s how to tell – once and for all –if you’re a “real writer.”<br /> <br />1. Your mother keeps mailing you study guides for the Civil Service exam.<br /><br />2. You’re no longer slave to the arbitrary social constructs that separate pajama pants from real pants.<br /><br />3. Your friends all know you mean it when you say, “Don’t get me started on Dan Brown.”<br /><br />4. You’re out of cat litter (nonfiction writers).<br /><br />5. You’re out of vermouth (literary fiction writers).<br /><br />6. You’re out of Nicorette (crime fiction writers).<br /><br />7. You’re never out of Paxil (romance writers).<br /><br />8. Your creativity informs every aspect of your life, especially your tax returns. <br /><br />9. You qualify as “extremely liberal” on free speech, deadlines, and food expiration dates.<br /><br />10. You qualify as “extremely conservative” on speech in the form of Amazon user reviews.<br /><br />11. You use the phrase “lost sense of community” a lot, but you’re usually talking to your dog.<br /><br />12. Your pristine copy of The Collected Works of Shakespeare is prominently displayed on your bookshelf.<br /><br />13. Your decaying, bathtub-splashed Stieg Larsson paperbacks are stashed under your futon.<br /><br />14. You haven’t read a book since 1998 (screenwriters).<br /><br />15. You have attempted to calculate J.K. Rowling’s royalty income.<br /><br />16. Your math skills rendered this task impossible.<br /><br />17. You’re trying to copyright your recipe for ranch dressing on stale saltines.<br /><br />18. You have worked the word “factotum” into a conversation (literary writers).<br /><br />19. You have worked the word “gams” into a conversation (noir writers).<br /><br />20. You have worked the words “my place” into a conversation (romance writers).<br /><br />21. You have worked the word “loan” into a conversation (all writers).<br /><br />22. You laughed when a friend gave you scratch tickets for Christmas, then hastily disappeared into the bathroom with a quarter (a borrowed quarter).<br /><br />23. You love the Kindle, you fear the Kindle.<br /><br />24. You consider a shower to be foreplay.<br /><br />25. You consider a wet washcloth to be a shower.<br /><br />26. When you say “my doctor,” you mean Dr. Oz.<br /><br />27. You feel closer to your protagonist than even to the girl across the street with the really sheer drapes.<br /><br />28. You spend six hours a day tweeting about how you should spend more time blogging.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --><a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" target="_blank"><img src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" height="16" border="0" alt="Bookmark and Share" /></a> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -->June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-15041334794165170012011-10-26T10:30:00.000-07:002011-10-26T10:35:32.119-07:00Copy Edit du JourWhat's more -- aside from a specialized curriculum -- private schools are notoriously known for their smaller classrooms.<br /><br />Changed to:<br /><br />Private schools are known for their smaller class sizes.<br /><br />(Other bad choices aside, I can't BELIEVE the writer used "notoriously known" -- and for something positive, no less. That's the kind of thing I might make up as a ridiculous example of a bad adverb/flabby writing.)<br /><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --><a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" target="_blank"><img src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" height="16" border="0" alt="Bookmark and Share" /></a> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -->June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-31619975180327367812011-10-14T12:36:00.000-07:002011-10-14T12:46:03.946-07:00Copy Edit du Jour"Our office handles a full range of podiatric needs including sports medicine and deformities of the foot such as Bunions, Hammertoes and Neuromas." <br /><br />Changed to: <br /><br />"... bunions, hammertoes and neuromas."<br /><br />Classic example of overuse of capitals. Though I almost like the idea of Hammertoes as a proper name - a former ballet dancer turned hard-boiled detective? (Couldn't be any worse that the current prime-time lineup.)<br /><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --><a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" target="_blank"><img src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" height="16" border="0" alt="Bookmark and Share" /></a> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -->June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-28707117828792480112011-10-13T12:46:00.000-07:002011-10-13T21:50:18.778-07:0010 Signs the Online Article You're Reading Is Completely Devoid of SubstanceAs you know, substantiveness is all about substance. And that’s exactly what we’re seeking every time we click an enticing headline from AOL News or Yahoo! Health or CNN Money – meatiness, meat, carne.<br /><br />But too often, the popular online articles that lure us in with headlines promising interesting facts contain only facts that are kind of interesting or interesting things that are not really facts or factual things that aren’t terribly interesting or things we already knew but didn’t know we knew because they were presented to us as things we didn’t know. The result? We’re left disappointed by the articles’ utter insubstantiveness and shocking lack of substance.<br /><br />I, for one, like many, for example, possibly you, have wasted many a half-hour chunk of time reading about how to pare down my leg-shaving expenses, interpret my cat’s nonverbal cues, and take 10 years off my earlobes. Luckily, the time wasted usually belongs to an employer and not to us. Nonetheless, it's time you could have spent learning how to gauge the power of your own handshake or channel Warren Buffet or paint on the perfect eyeliner “cat eyes.” So here are 10 surefire signs that the article you’re reading is a pile of hooey not worth the precious time you’ve stolen from your employer.<br /><br /><br />1. The article begins with “as you know.”<br />2. The article that begins with “as you know” follows up by stating something you know.<br />3. The bulk of the information is conveyed through images of beautiful married twentysomethings under the covers or Photoshopped blueberries.<br />4. The article’s best money-saving tip is “don’t spend money.”<br />5. The article’s best weight-loss tip is “don’t eat.”<br />6. A little math reveals that the article is telling you to eat 48 shiitake mushrooms and eight pounds of wild salmon a day and wash it all down with four gallons of green tea.<br />7. The sole source quoted in the article is credentialed as “resident” or “laid-off employment counselor” or “Fox News analyst.”<br />8. The article is written in the first person by someone you’ve never heard of but is proud she no longer spends $480 a month on NetFlix. <br />9. The article contains a numbered list. <br />10. The list of tips is a nice round number like 10, even though the writer clearly ran out of material at 9.<br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --><a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" target="_blank"><img src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" height="16" border="0" alt="Bookmark and Share" /></a> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -->June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-68408733399608749652011-10-05T11:37:00.001-07:002011-10-05T11:38:26.323-07:00Wonderings and Googlings: Wherein I wonder about words, then I Google them<blockquote>I'm no spring chicken = 647,000 hits<br />I'm a spring chicken = 18,000 hits</blockquote><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --><a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" target="_blank"><img src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" height="16" border="0" alt="Bookmark and Share" /></a> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END --><blockquote></blockquote>June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-34672958544652207852011-06-29T10:13:00.000-07:002011-06-29T11:04:53.008-07:00How to Speak ElevatorWelcome, visitors to the United States! While you’re here, you’ll probably have lots of opportunities to ride American elevators. Don’t worry! Navigating them is easy with this handy guide: <br /> <br />HOW TO SPEAK ELEVATOR <br /> <br />1 = <br />Ground floor OR <br />The first floor above the ground floor OR <br />The first floor below the ground floor <br /> <br />2 = <br />Second floor OR <br />Second floor not counting the ground floor <br /><br />14 = <br />14th floor OR<br />13th floor OR<br />Certain death<br /> <br />P = <br />Parking OR <br />Penthouse OR <br />Pool OR <br />Patio OR <br />Presidential suite OR <br />Parking level Pink OR <br />Parking level Purple OR <br />Parking level Pocahontas OR <br /> <br />P1 = <br />Up one floor to lowest level of parking structure OR <br />Up multiple floors to the highest level of parking structure OR <br />Down one floor to the highest level of subterranean garage OR <br />Down multiple floors to the lowest level of parking garage OR <br /> <br />G = <br />Ground floor OR <br />Garage OR <br />Goofy <br /> <br />GL = <br />Same as G <br /> <br />G1 = <br />Up one floor to lowest level of multi-story parking structure OR <br />Up multiple floors to highest level of multi-story parking structure OR <br />Down one floor to nearest level of subterranean parking garage OR <br />Down multiple floors to lowest level of subterranean parking garage OR <br />Lowest ground floor of a split-level area OR <br />Highest ground floor of a split-level area <br /> <br />B = <br />Basement OR <br />Balcony OR <br />Bar <br /> <br />B1 = <br />Highest underground level OR<br />Lowest underground level<br /> <br />R = <br />Roof OR <br />Reception OR <br />Rear door open OR <br />Restaurant level OR <br />Retail level <br /> <br />F = <br />Front door open OR <br />Fitness center OR <br />First floor OR <br />Faculty OR <br />Sound fire alarm <br /> <br />L = <br />Lower level OR <br />Lobby OR <br />Loge OR <br />Lower level of underground parking OR <br />Library OR <br />Lounge <br /> <br />LL = <br />Lower level OR <br />Lobby OR <br />Loge OR <br />Loge Lounge OR <br /> <br />M = <br />Mezzanine OR <br />Maternity ward OR <br />Men’s department <br /> <br />C = <br />Casino level OR <br />Conference center OR <br />Cosmetics department <br /> <br />Two triangles pointing away from each other = <br />Open door OR <br />Close door with a hollow gesture of courtesy to the sprinting passenger you’re slamming the door on <br /> <br />Two triangles pointing toward each other = <br />Close door OR <br />Feel like you’re doing something productive as doors continue to close at the same speed they would have had you not pushed the button <br /> <br />Telephone symbol = <br />Call for help OR <br />You better have a cell phone because it’s the only way anyone will ever know you’re stuck here <br /> <br />Framed elevator inspection certificate = <br />This elevator has been inspected for safety within the last 12 months OR <br />The city official who oversees elevator inspections is blowing his bribe money in the Caribbean OR <br />Thank you for buying this ACME elevator-ready frame. Place your own certificate here. <br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --><a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" target="_blank"><img src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" height="16" border="0" alt="Bookmark and Share" /></a> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10"></script> <!-- AddThis Button END -->June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-68056575194612898032011-04-11T11:17:00.000-07:002011-04-11T11:20:58.731-07:00Wonderings and Googlings (Wherein I wonder about words, then I Google them)"I'm special" = 2,800,000 hits <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a><br /><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><br /><br /><br /><script src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10" type="text/javascript"></script>June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-68101251372627878492011-04-06T08:56:00.000-07:002011-04-06T10:11:02.168-07:00Subject-Object Agreement? Don't Hold Your Breaths.Here's <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/06/science/06particle.html?_r=1&src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB">a headline from today's</a> New York Times: <br /><br />At Particle Lab, a Tantalizing Glimpse Has Physicists Holding Their Breaths <br /><br />Breaths? Really? <br /><br />I've <a href="http://conjugatevisits.blogspot.com/2009/06/agreeing-to-disagree.html">written before about subject-object agreement</a>, like "Users who experience dizziness should call their doctor." <br /><br />The bottom line is there's no right answer in most of these situations. But I bet that about 99 out of 100 editors would have made "breath" singular -- a collective concept -- in that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">NYT</span> headline. " Breath" isn't usually treated as a count noun. It's more of a mass noun. And if a nation can breathe a collective sigh of relief, can't breath be as collective as sigh? <br /><br />Odd choice. Not wrong, per <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">se</span>. Just odd. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a><br /><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script>June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-23584705992566371502011-03-08T10:33:00.000-08:002011-03-08T13:51:30.493-08:00Women: What Your Favorite Classic Rock Band Says About YouMy friend, author Treacy Colbert, was inspired recently by a viral e-mail about classic rock bands to put a female spin on the subject. So we both chipped in ideas and came up with ....<br /><br /><br /><u><strong>WOMEN: What Your Favorite Classic Rock Band Says About You </strong><br /></u><br /><br /><strong>Van Halen</strong>: You can play ping-pong with your hands tied behind your back.<br /><br /><strong>Dan Fogelberg</strong>: You are sexually aroused by doilies.<br /><br /><strong>James Taylor</strong>: You're appalled by how much the average consumer spends on shampoo.<br /><br /><strong>Aerosmith</strong>: You can tie a cherry stem into a knot in your mouth.<br /><br /><strong>Motley Crue</strong>: You can tie a cherry stem into a knot in someone else's mouth.<br /><br /><strong>The Indigo Girls</strong>: You always cry at commitment ceremonies.<br /><br /><strong>Gordon Lightfoot</strong>: The rose tattoo on your breast is now long-stemmed.<br /><br /><strong>Air Supply</strong>: You have a standard poodle named Skyler.<br /><br /><strong>Journey</strong>: You have a daughter named Skyler.<br /><br /><strong>Spandau Ballet</strong>: You have a son named Skyler.<br /><br /><strong>Celtic Woman</strong>: You’re on your third name change, first Summer, then Skyler, now Windstar.<br /><br /><strong>Ronnie James Dio</strong>: You're on your third sloe gin fizz.<br /><br /><strong>The Doors</strong>: You're on your third liver.<br /><br /><strong>The Who</strong>: You have a “Teenage Wasteland” bumper sticker on your Rascal.<br /><br /><strong>Boston</strong>: You can confirm the veracity of reports about the man from Nantucket.<br /><br /><strong>Loverboy</strong>: You know a website that sells Bartles & James wine coolers.<br /><br /><strong>Cyndi Lauper</strong>: You still bop even though it inflames your carpal tunnel syndrome.<br /><br /><strong>Lynyrd Skynyrd</strong>: Two words: government cheese.<br /><br /><strong>Rolling Stones</strong>: You've said "Welcome to Walmart" so many times the words have lost all meaning.<br /><br /><strong>Joni Mitchell</strong>: You have used a speculum as a roach clip.<br /><br /><strong>The Beatles</strong>: Your hedge fund outperformed the S&P by three percent.<br /><br /><strong>America</strong>: It has never occurred to you that “the heat was hot” is redundant.<br /><br /><strong>Bread</strong>: You have satisfied the munchies by eating one of your scented candles.<br /><br /><strong>Seals and Crofts</strong>: You own a large collection of mismatched, partially shredded knee-highs.<br /><br /><strong>Al Stewart</strong>: You’re surprised when the bartender doesn’t know what a kir is.<br /><br /><strong>Rod Stewart</strong>: You still own—and wear—the outfit you had on in the family photo taken in 1970.<br /><br /><strong>Jackson Browne</strong>: Ativan is now your favorite controlled substance.<br /><br /><strong>Grateful Dead</strong>: You slept with your son's roommates at Tufts.<br /><br /><strong>Pink Floyd</strong>: You married your dealer, then dumped him to run off with his dealer.<br /><br /><strong>Bob Dylan</strong>: Haybuh homa fleege, trumuh fleege, maddle flooge.<br /><br /><strong>Sammy Hagar</strong>: You keep your G.E.D. certificate in the back of your Ford Maverick, along with all your other possessions.<br /><br /><strong>Ozzy Osbourne</strong>: You campaigned for Lyndon LaRouche, but only because you had him mixed up with a cartoon skunk.<br /><br /><strong>Allman Brothers Band</strong>: Your kids call the Health and Human Services outreach specialist “Uncle Greg.”<br /><br /><strong>AC/DC</strong>: If you can read this, you don’t really qualify as an AC/DC fan.<br /><br /><strong>Yes</strong>: Your subwoofers are the envy of your assisted-living facility.<br /><br /><a onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" height="16" /></a><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10"></script>June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-84755375081154368032011-03-04T18:21:00.001-08:002011-03-04T18:59:34.393-08:00Gaddafi: It only took me 20 years to look it upI took a year of Arabic in college. I'm not sure why. I didn't have much educational guidance up to that point, or education, for that matter. I had dropped out of school without completing the ninth grade. So by the time I found my way onto a college campus, I was just sort of running around pell-mell looking at every educational opportunity as unbelievably neato.<br /><br />What's more, I'd never had a chance to learn about much about the world outside of my beach bum community in central Florida and, as a result, tore through the class catalog like an Adirondack lottery winner tearing through a Sharper Image catalog.<br /><br />Anyone with even the slightest interest in the Arabic language knows Moammar Gaddafi as the quintessential example of confusing transliteration. It's been spelled with a G, a Kh, and a Q, with variations in the subsequent letters as well.<br /><br />In the class I took, <a href="http://www.alphabetglobal.com/arabic-alphabet.php">we followed a transliteration system </a>that used Q to denote the Arabic letter "qof," which has no direct English translation because it requires a throat clucking we don't make except, perhaps, after a regrettable trip to Taco Bell. We used Kh to indicate the letter "kha," which is a throat-rasping K sound that seems to be a little more iconic to the language, at least among Americans. G we reserved for the letter "ghain," which sound almost as if it begins with an R and was described to us as the French R (voice a good, rich "au revoir" and that's the sound we were taught to make). And that's the closest to an English G as you'll find in Modern Standard Arabic.<br /><br />I knew Gaddafi started with qof, so when I saw it spelled Khaddafi, I figured it was just some alternate transliteration system.<br /><br />But then at one point, the media started leaning away from the Khaddafi and toward a version that started with a G. I was baffled. Why on earth, in an age where everyone follows the Q-for-qof system when writing Al Qaeda, wouldn't they use a Q for Gaddafi as well?<br /><br />Finally, I looked it up. <a href="http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/02/23/how-do-you-spell-gaddafi-the-linguistics-behind-libyas-leader/">According to this article</a>, it's a dialect thing. In Gaddafi's Libya, the qof sounds a lot like our G, so we write it that way. Ironically, finally finding an answer left me just as baffled as I'd been before. Here's why: The first thing they taught us in Arabic class was that different countries and groups have different dialects, but they all speak and understand a universal language, Modern Standard Arabic, which was the language used by the media. To claim to "know" Arabic, you had to know the universal media kind plus at least one dialect. And some dialects varied greatly from Modern Standard Arabic.<br /><br />And that leads me to wonder why, if the Arab-speaking world can have a whole language that's universal and a perfect fit for mass media, why can't English-speaking outlets take a similarly universal approach to just the Arabic alphabet? If Al Jazeera broadcasts to Libyan viewers in something other than Libyan dialect, can't we all just qof alike?<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" height="16" /></a><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><br /><br /><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10"></script>June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-16778948447368235382011-03-04T11:28:00.000-08:002011-03-04T11:40:18.060-08:00It's National Grammar Day!Celebrate by not looking surprised if someone says, "Happy National Grammar Day."<br /><br />Other ways to celebrate:<br /><br />* Impress a friend by using "whom" in a sentence.<br /><br />* Annoy a stickler by not using "whom" in a sentence.<br /><br />* Spread the word that there's no rule against ending sentences with prepositions or splitting infinitives.<br /><br />* Spread the word that <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/50-Years-of-Stupid-Grammar/25497">Strunk and White didn't understand passive voice</a>.<br /><br />* Tell a friend who believes "between you and me" is wrong that it's actually better than "between you and I."<br /><br />* Brush up on one grammar term you either don't know or have forgotten, such as <a href="http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000020.htm">object complement</a>, <a href="http://www.grammaruntied.com/nouns/PredicateN.html">predicate nominative</a>, or <a href="http://grammarsnobs.com/subjunctive">subjunctive</a>.<br /><br />* Start a sentence with "and."<br /><br />* Warn a school kid or college kid that even educators can sometimes spread bad grammar advice and that he can always check facts in a good usage guide like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Merriam-Websters-Dictionary-English-Usage-Merriam-Webster/dp/0877791325/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299267422&sr=8-1">Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Merriam-Websters-Dictionary-English-Usage-Merriam-Webster/dp/0877791325/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299267422&sr=8-1">Garner's Modern American Usage</a>, or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fowlers-Modern-English-Usage-Burchfield/dp/0198610211/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1299267520&sr=1-1">Fowler's</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><br /><script src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10" type="text/javascript"></script>June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-37891475884223119022011-02-02T13:31:00.000-08:002011-02-02T13:39:02.835-08:00Wonderings and Googlings (Wherein I wonder about words, then I Google them)I noticed recently that both major style guides' preferred dictionaries advocate the spelling "doughnut."<br /><br /><a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/donut">Merriam-Webster</a>, which is followed by most book publishers says that "donut" is a variant spelling of "doughnut." Translation: Down with "donut."<br /><br /><a href="http://www.yourdictionary.com/donut">Webster's New World</a>, which is followed by most news media, says that "donut" is informal for "doughnut." Translation: We're down with "donut," too.<br /><br />But the masses, it seems, beg to differ. Doughnut gets about 6.8 million hits on google. But donut gets about 9,830,000.<br /><br />Usually, I'm pretty awed by lexicographers and how well they do their job. But every once in a while, I just gotta poke holes ...<br /><br /><a onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><br /><script src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10" type="text/javascript"></script>June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-55705305322063082802011-01-05T11:38:00.001-08:002011-01-05T12:43:56.941-08:00Copy Edit du Jour<blockquote>The road leads you through flourishing rainforests, flowing waterfalls,<br />plunging pools and dramatic seascapes.<br /></blockquote><br />Changed to:<br /><blockquote>The road leads you through flourishing rainforests AND PAST flowing<br />waterfalls, plunging pools and dramatic seascapes.<br /></blockquote><br />Any road that leads you through pools isn't much of a road. (I'm still thinking on "flourishing" and "plunging." I'm not too keen on those, either.)<br /><br /><a onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><br /><br /><script src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10" type="text/javascript"></script>June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-24122878651891763762011-01-03T11:06:00.000-08:002011-01-04T11:35:48.962-08:00Enough about me. Let's talk about grammar.Today marks the launch of my new grammar tips site, Grammar Underground, at<br /><a href="http://www.grammarunderground.com/">http://www.grammarunderground.com/</a><br /><br />It will have podcasts and blog posts on the topics people ask me about most, approaching the topic from a perspective that’s neither prescriptivist nor descriptivist and but instead focused on helping users blaze their own trail through these warring factions.<br /><br /><strong>I'll continue to blog here</strong> the same type stuff I've been doing all along (the whatever-catches-my-fancy-and-hopefully-yours topics). The new site is instructive and focused more specifically on grammar, usage, and punctuation.<br /><br />Podcasts and blog posts will be updated every Monday. (Yes, I take requests.) And “Snobservations” -- hilariously incorrect grammar rants -- will be updated periodically (I welcome all submissions!).<br /><br />Grammar Underground is on Twitter at @grammarunder (twitter.com/grammarunder) and on facebook as Grammar Underground.<br /><br />Yaaay!<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><script src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10" type="text/javascript"></script>June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-90364005686088590242010-12-29T18:31:00.000-08:002010-12-29T18:43:46.285-08:00No Mumbo, Plenty of Jumbo: Language in the Gramm-Leach-Bliley ActI finally got around to doing something I’ve been meaning to do for over a year: look up the exact text of the <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c106:1:./temp/~c106bG4CNq:e1738:">Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act</a>, which (among other things) repealed banking safeguards put in place by the Depression-era <a href="http://www.archive.org/details/FullTextTheGlass-steagallActA.k.a.TheBankingActOf1933">Glass Steagall Act</a>.<br /><br />I figured I’d be up to my armpits in unintelligible legal speak in which the actual “repealing” was couched in incomprehensible terms. Boy, was I surprised:<br /><br />From the first section of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, titled “Glass-Steagall Act Repeals”:<br /><br />Here’s the language:<br />“Section 20 repealed”<br />“Section 32 repealed”<br /><br />Section 20 of Glass-Steagall said that banks can’t get involved in securities trading. (From what I understand, the authors thought banks’ playing with stocks and bonds was too risky and helped lead to the Great Depression.) Section 32 said that no bank officer could be officer in a securities-trading company.<br /><br />In other words, leaders thought it was a bad idea to let banks, which hold depositors’ money, use that money to speculate on stocks and other yet-to-be-invented securities. By 1999, three congressmen -- <a href="http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=g000365">Gramm</a>, <a href="http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=L000169">Leach</a> and <a href="http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000556">Bliley</a> -- decided that, on the contrary, it was a good idea.<br /><br /><br /><a onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" height="16" /></a><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><br /><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10"></script>June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-86266855448100698132010-12-28T11:56:00.001-08:002010-12-28T12:47:03.164-08:00Some Bad Sentences Just Coming Lookin' for YouI wasn't even reading <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_ski_lift_accident">this AP story</a> about a derailed chair lift at a Maine ski resort. I was just skimming it when this sentence jumped out at me:<br /><br />"Jay Marshall, hunkered down in a cold wind while on a lift next to the broken one, said that his lift was moving but that the broken one was not."<br /><br />Um, if he's on a lift next to a broken one, do you have to tell us that the broken one wasn't working? For that matter, do you have to tell us that one that's not the broken one was working?<br /><br />And isn't "hunkered down in a cold wind while on a lift next to" a little inelegant? Letting go of "hunkered down in" might have helped:<br /><br />" ... enduring the cold wind as he rode a lift next to the broken one."<br /><br />Then again, maybe not. It might be best to just cut the whole sentence. After all, who cares if a guy on a moving chair lift noticed that a broken chair lift wasn't moving?<br /><br />But then you get to the next sentence and see you've been led down the wrong path.<br /><br />"Jay Marshall, hunkered down in a cold wind while on a lift next to the broken one, said that his lift was moving but that the broken one was not. There was a 'loud snapping noise' after the lift restarted, he said, then screams."<br /><br />Aha. So the we see that Marshall was talking about something that happened earlier. But the verb "was," written in the same tense as "hunkered," made it sound as though Marshall's lift <em>was</em> motionless as he was hunkered down and talking to the reporter. Shifting from simple past tense ("was") to past perfect (i.e. "had been") would have saved us the confusion: Hunkered down in a cold wind, Marshall said that the lift next to his <strong>had stopped</strong> working (at some point prior).<br /><br />Skimming the rest of the article, I see it's quite well written. (Even good writers let a clunker slip in now and then. That's why they have editors.) But its lone bad sentence just reached out and grabbed me. I hope this isn't the start of a trend. I'd hate to think what would happen if bad sentences starting banding together and coming after editors.<br /><br /><a onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><br /><script src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10" type="text/javascript"></script>June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-37610139737431619972010-12-24T13:42:00.001-08:002010-12-24T21:25:03.453-08:00More Parsing Larsson: A RevisitationI've been hearing from a lot of people interested in analyzing <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Larsson's</span> prose, so I thought I'd share links to some blog posts I did a while back examining his writing.<br /><br /><a href="http://conjugatevisits.blogspot.com/2010/07/more-parsing-larsson-verb-inventory.html">This one inventories verbs</a> on one page of a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Larsson</span> book and compares his verb choices to those of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Cormac</span> McCarthy and Stephen King.<br /><br /><a href="http://conjugatevisits.blogspot.com/2010/07/more-parson-larsson-million-dollar.html">This one looks at his characters' dialogue </a>and throws in for good measure some sample dialogue from two writers who I believe do it better.<br /><br /><a href="http://conjugatevisits.blogspot.com/2010/07/parsing-larsson.html">This one, actually my first blog post on the subject</a>, contains a sample rewrite of a short Larsson passage.<br /><br /><br /><a onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" height="16" /></a><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10"></script>June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-38472219107162282932010-12-23T08:38:00.000-08:002010-12-23T08:40:37.475-08:00The Subtleties of Subject-verb Agreement<blockquote>An additional $18 billion in six-month bills was auctioned<br /><br />or <br /><br />An additional $18 billion in six-month bills were auctioned</blockquote><br /><br />Great discussion of this on an old <a href="http://www.copyediting.com/Article.php?art_num=4017">Copyediting.com post</a>. <br /><br /><a onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" height="16" /></a><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10"></script>June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-70259562859783264642010-12-21T14:40:00.001-08:002010-12-21T15:22:02.974-08:00Wonderings and Googlings (Wherein I wonder about words, then I Google them)Reading about creme fraiche today, I noticed that <a href="http://www.joyofbaking.com/CremeFraiche.html">one website</a> said it has a "nutty, slightly sour taste." Is it just me, or does it seem that every ingestible under the sun is, at times, said to have a "nutty" flavor?<br /><br />I decided to find out. I did a Google search for the term "nutty flavor." Here are just a few of the foods that were described this way.<br /><br />coffee<br />cheddar cheese<br />buckwheat groats<br />honey<br /><a href="http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1619773&mesg_id=1620117">fundamentalist Christians</a><br />tawny port wine<br />butterscotch pie<br />Peterson Gran Reserva cigars<br />red snapper<br />roux<br />farro<br /><a href="http://www.stickyguide.com/dispensaries/strawberry-fields/products/skunk-6">"strawberry fields" marijuana</a><br />brown ale<br />teff<br />spelt<br /><a href="http://ask.metafilter.com/108762/Supposedly-they-have-a-nutty-flavor">parasitic grubs</a><br />soy milk<br />jicama<br />squash<br />caviar<br />green tea<br />asparagus bean<br />bread<br />parsnips<br />apricot jam<br />brown butter sauce<br />nutmeg<br />garlic<br />lecithin granules<br /><a href="http://www.applejournal.com/useall03.htm">two varieties of apples</a><br />sesame seeds<br /><a href="http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Fungus_with_a_nutty_flavor">fungus</a><br />hemp seed butter<br />basmati rice<br />soy bean flour<br />Irish whiskey<br />lentils<br />whole wheat biscuits<br /><a href="http://www.parkseed.com/gardening/PD/5886/">broccoli raab</a><br />purple asparagus<br />El Tesoro anejo tequila<br />avocado<br />tahini<br />nicoise olives<br /><a href="http://www.chow.com/ingredients/179">processed lard</a><br />cabbage<br />cured raw ham<br />and, of course, the occasional nut<br /><br /><br /><a onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><br /><br /><script src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10" type="text/javascript"></script>June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-90083951807842978772010-12-19T15:14:00.000-08:002010-12-20T15:34:37.582-08:00Checklist for Determining Whether Your Kid’s Picture Should Be on Your Christmas Cards<blockquote>True or False:<br /><br />1. I always send out little Bobby’s picture because everyone oohed and aahed over how cute he was on our Christmas cards 15 years ago.<br /><br />2. Childless people like looking at other people’s kids more, right?<br /><br />3. My child has an Adam’s apple.<br /><br />4. My child wears liquid eyeliner.<br /><br />4a. My child’s eyeliner fully encircles her eyes, including around tear ducts. (+2 pts)<br /><br />4b. My eyeliner-wearing child is a boy. (+3 pts)<br /><br />5. As long as little Emma's face is out there, it's just a matter of time till she gets discovered.<br /><br />6. Seeing my adorable kid could help my sister realize what she’s missing -- before it’s too late.<br /><br />7. (New Englanders only) If we don’t send out our annual shot of Jimmy in his Red Sox cap, jersey, headband, and wristbands, how else will people know he supports the team?<br /><br />8. If I have to look at my brother’s ugly kids every year, you better believe he's going to look at mine.<br /><br />9. No one can tell that’s a booger hanging off his nose, right?<br /><br />10. If you can think of a better way to show off her "Little House on the Prairie" costume, I’d like to hear it. </blockquote><br />Scoring: Add up affirmative responses.<br />1 to 3: You’re the reason the rest of us own paper shredders.<br />4 to 7: Two words: tubal ligation.<br />8 or higher: Child Services is en route to your house.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><script src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10" type="text/javascript"></script>June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-44546462639850745702010-12-16T11:52:00.000-08:002010-12-16T12:53:29.964-08:00Looks Like 'Seasoned' and 'Professional' May Be on the Outs AnywayJust saw a tweet from Ben Zimmer about a Google tool that lets you search book databases for keyphrases and keywords. So, with "seasoned professional" fresh in my mind, I did a search for it.<br /><br /><a href="http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?content=seasoned+professional&year_start=1920&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=3">A chart of its occurrence</a> shows a steady and marked increase in its use since the late 1920s until its sudden dropoff in the 2000s! I guess those two words are sick of each other, too.<br /><br />I like this search engine. I like it a lot.<br /><br /><a onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><br /><br /><script src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10" type="text/javascript"></script>June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-25594723641196855622010-12-16T10:29:00.001-08:002010-12-16T10:34:55.562-08:00Words That Should Get a Divorce (One in an occasional series on words whose relationships have grown tired)"seasoned" and "professional"<br /><br />"Seasoned professional" is one of those terms I've long relied on. I use it in my own writing and I'm sure I've inserted it into articles I've edited.<br /><br />But something happened yesterday. I must have seen the pairing one time too many and I just snapped. Suddenly, "seasoned professional" ceased to be a familiar, easy, informative term and became instead droning, meaningless noise in my ear.<br /><br />I guess I just reached my limit for seasoning my professionals this way.<br /><br />Yes, these two words have had a great run. But it's time they went their separate ways.<br /><br /><a onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><br /><br /><script src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10" type="text/javascript"></script>June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507136945842934293.post-69974741653053387992010-12-09T07:59:00.000-08:002010-12-09T08:15:43.826-08:00Bad Introductory Phrase du JourA real sentence (slightly disguised) that I edited yesterday:<br /><blockquote>"With the idea that instead of shopping all around New York, the attendees could have the city's best shops brought to them, retail outlets were set up with unique offerings of fashions, home decor, toys and cookware." </blockquote><p>Even more than the two unnecessary passives that follow, it's the introductory phrase that floors me: "With the idea that instead of ..."<br /><br />There was no coming back from that. I overhauled the whole sentence, making it something like: </p><blockquote>"New York's top retailers set up boutiques at the festival, creating a one-stop shop for some of the city's finest fashions, home decor, toys and cookware." </blockquote><p>Amazing how that tangible subject + verb formula can save a bad sentence.</p><a onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif" width="125" height="16" /></a><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'junecasagrande';</script><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10"></script>June Casagrandehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00363096837053080969noreply@blogger.com2