tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44450074354511945002024-03-12T22:14:19.451-04:00Syntax SistersSend us an email at syntaxsisters@yahoo.comMeredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-49989960864710004632010-07-21T12:41:00.001-04:002010-07-21T12:42:23.802-04:00Spell check doesn't catch theseAs I used to tell my students, if you are using Microsoft spell/grammar check as your proofreading method, than you are not proofreading. <br /><br /><a href="http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/10-common-errors-spell-check-won-t-catch-2039083/#poll-86A687227A3211DF922CE2CA55AE989C">What Spell Check Doesn't Catch</a>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-90466244738483852522009-08-26T14:21:00.001-04:002009-08-26T14:23:16.652-04:00Wikipedia finally starts to change<span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">The article below details the change in policy at Wikipedia. Teachers at all levels have for years told their students that Wikipedia is NOT a valid source for research, as its user-generated content is not checked and often incorrect. While this change does not completely solve the problem, it is a step in the right direction.</span><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/08/26/wikipedia.editors/index.html">http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/08/26/wikipedia.editors/index.html</a>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-56866333555644342242009-07-23T09:04:00.004-04:002009-07-23T16:26:16.335-04:00Punctuation, Style Guides, and Rules<span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">Our dear friend Rachel wrote a few months ago with this question:</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"OK - here it is - how many spaces between sentences - one or two? At work they insist it is two (and it was two when I was in high school), but when I go to publish scientific literature it is one. Who is right?" </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">Well, Rachel, they both are right. Bad answer, huh? </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">Here's the longer answer: </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">Academic, scientific, and news publications all have writing style guides that they use. These vary widely. Most of us are taught writing in high school English classes, and those classes use MLA, or the Modern Language Association, standards. MLA calls for two spaces between sentences. But there are many other standards out there (below I've included links to some of the more popular style guides). On top of that, many journals modify a particular style to their own requirements. I just recently submitted an article for publication in an archaeology journal and ran into the same problem as you, Rachel. I am MLA trained and have yet to get used to the styles used in the archaeology world (here is a hint: use the Microsoft "Find and Replace" option when you are done writing to change two spaces, ". ", to one space ". " It saves a ton of time!).</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">It is one of those frustrating realities that, for each place that you write, you will need to adhere to its requirements. No one is right and no one is wrong. Typically, though, most people are used to two spaces. I suspect many publications go with one space to save space in their journals. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">Here are links to three of the more popular style guides: </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">MLA</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">: The Modern Language Associate does not offer a free version online, but the OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Perdue has some of the material available on their fabulous website: </span><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" href="http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/">http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/</a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">APA</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">:</span> <span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">The website for the American Psychological Associate has a lot of helpful information on this commonly used style:</span> <a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" href="http://www.apastyle.org/">http://www.apastyle.org/</a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Chicag<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">o</span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">: The Chicago Manual of Style also has a very useful online site:</span> <a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" href="http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html">http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html</a>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-57015237573729438762009-03-07T16:14:00.002-05:002009-03-07T16:17:01.030-05:00Foriegn Language Goof<span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">We love it when they goof up in another language; in this case, all seems to be well with just a few friendly jokes! </span><br /><br /><h1 style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Russian media teases Clinton over 'reset' button</h1> <div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="byline"> <abbr title="2009-03-06T23:46:07-0800" class="timedate">Sat Mar 7, 2:46 am ET</abbr> </div><!-- end .byline --> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">MOSCOW (AFP) – Russian media has been poking fun at US <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1236412169_0">Secretary of State</span> <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1236412169_1">Hillary Clinton</span> after she gave her Russian counterpart a "reset" button with an ironic misspelling.</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Clinton's gift to <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1236412169_2">Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov</span> at their meeting in Geneva on Friday evening was meant to underscore the Obama administration's readiness to "to press the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1236412169_3">reset button</span>" in ties with <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1236412169_4">Moscow</span>.</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> But instead of the Russian word for "reset" (perezagruzka) it featured a slightly different <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1236412169_5">word meaning</span> "overload" or "overcharged" (peregruzka).</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Daily newspaper <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1236412169_6">Kommersant</span> put a prominent picture of the fake <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1236412169_7">red button</span> on its front page and declared: "Sergei Lavrov and Hillary Clinton pushed the wrong button."</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> A correspondent for NTV television called it a "symbolic mistake," pointing out that US-Russian ties had become overcharged in recent years due to discord over such issues as missile defence and last summer's war in Georgia.</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> "The friendly US gesture was upturned by a small amusing incident," the news website <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/afp/od_afp/storytext/russiausdiplomacyoffbeat/31214071/SIG=10ft778rk/*http://RBC.ru"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1236412169_8"></span></a>wrote in an article posted late Friday evening.</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> "Yet this curious episode did not stop Clinton and Lavrov from pushing the button in front of television cameras."</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> US Vice-President Joe Biden spoke of pressing the "reset button" on relations between Moscow and Washington during a speech in Germany last month. It has since been repeated in various forms by both US and Russian officials.</p><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Taken from: <a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090307/od_afp/russiausdiplomacyoffbeat_20090307074740">http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090307/od_afp/russiausdiplomacyoffbeat_20090307074740</a></span>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-27747546545121592372009-03-04T10:13:00.002-05:002009-03-04T13:53:47.264-05:00Happy National Grammar Day!<span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">It's National Grammar Day, 2009! The Syntax Sisters are asking you </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">all this month to </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">share</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"> your favorite grammar blunders in our blog; you can email us at <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">syntaxsisters@yahoo.com</span> or post it in our comments section. We'll be posting our own favorites there soon! </span>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-79127323345886518042008-12-31T09:46:00.002-05:002008-12-31T09:55:04.544-05:00New Year's Fun with Words: Banned Words<span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">The Syntax Sisters love when the new year comes around, as everyone starts posting lists! Here's the first one we've seen, and we have to agree that we would not miss some of these words...</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><h1 style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size:100%;">Banned words list offers no 'bailout' to offenders</span></h1> <div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="byline"> <cite class="vcard"> By JEFF KAROUB, Associated Press Writer <span class="fn org">Jeff Karoub, Associated Press Writer</span> </cite> <abbr title="2008-12-30T13:14:55-0800" class="timedate">Tue Dec 30, 4:14 pm ET</abbr> </div><!-- end .byline --> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">DETROIT – A movie about a "maverick," his journey "from <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230696250_0">Wall Street</span> to <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230696250_1">Main Street</span>," his "desperate search" for a "monkey" and a "game-changing" revelation about his "<span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230696250_2">carbon footprint</span>" probably would make the nation's word-watchers physically ill.</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Especially if it were the "winner of five nominations."</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">All those words and phrases are on Lake Superior State University's annual List of Words to Be Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness. The 34th version of the list was released Tuesday, which means, "It's that time of year again."</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The school in Michigan's Upper Peninsula selected 15 entries from about 5,000 nominations.</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Despite the year's <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230696250_3">economic meltdown</span> (which itself wasn't banished but don't rule it out for next year), the most entries came from the environmental category — for "green" or "going green."</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"If I see one more corporation declare itself 'green,' I'm going to start burning tires in my backyard," wrote Ed Hardiman of <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230696250_4">Bristow, Va</span>., in his submission. Nominators also had their fill of "carbon footprint" — the amount of <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230696250_5">greenhouse gases</span> an individual's lifestyle produces.</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The list wasn't overrun with politics despite the national election — no "change," for instance — but one simply couldn't escape the critics' wrath.</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"I'm a maverick, he's a maverick, wouldn't you like to be a maverick, too?" offered Michael Burke of <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230696250_6">Silver Spring, Md</span>., in his entry for the label embraced by unsuccessful <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230696250_7">Republican presidential candidate John McCain</span>.</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Also knocked was "first dude," a term adopted by <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230696250_8">Todd Palin</span>, husband of McCain's <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230696250_9">running mate</span>, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Words related to the economy led to a few meltdowns.</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"I am so tired of hearing about everything affecting '<span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230696250_10">Main Street</span>.' I know that with the '<span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230696250_11">Wall Street</span>' collapse, the comparison is convenient, but really, let's find another way to talk about everyman or the middle class, or even, heaven forbid, '<span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230696250_12">Joe the Plumber</span>.'" wrote Stacey from Knoxville, Tenn. She provided only a first name in her bid to eradicate — or at least separate — Wall Street" and "Main Street."</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Although this year's sluggish economy and record rise in gas prices may have kept people closer to home, the word coined for it, "staycation," is "idiotic and rootless," says Michele Mooney of <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230696250_13">Los Angeles</span>.</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">An emoticon made the list for the first time. The strings of characters used in e-mails and text-messaging commonly represent a face — like ;-) or :-0 — but the school singled out an emoticon heart, formed with a "less than" symbol and the number 3.</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"Monkey" was on the list because of what some see as its rampant use as a suffix. "Especially on the Internet, many people seem to think they can make any boring name sound more attractive just by adding the word 'monkey' to it," wrote Rogier Landman of Sommerville, Mass.</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The school's annual quest to throw lexicon logs on the fire always gets some end-of-the-year attention for the school in Sault Ste. Marie, the last stop before Michigan's northern border crossing with Canada. But the list is more about letting off steam and offering laughs than performing any verbal vanishing act.</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"We get several nominations for the same word or phrase, and we still get nominations for words and phrases that have been on previous years' lists," said university spokesman Tom Pink.</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"'At this point in time' was on the first list in 1976 and it continues to be nominated every year. People still hate it."</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Think these gendarmes of jargon should "get a life"? Watch it, kiddo. That phrase was banished in 1997. </p><p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> ___ </p><p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> On the Net: </p><p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Lake Superior State University's banished words: <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_re_us/storytext/banned_words/30401341/SIG=10ui18lsa;_ylt=Ah06_5__eqGfU1l9VaFwwhxH2ocA/*http://www.lssu.edu/banished"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230696250_14">http://www.lssu.edu/banished</span></a></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Article from</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081230/ap_on_re_us/banned_words;_ylt=ApycA4Qw_lxT5ERaIB_Z2dAazJV4</span><br /></p>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-78354851494537540812008-11-06T11:15:00.002-05:002008-11-06T11:27:20.712-05:00Apostrophes<span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">Apostrophes are used to show possession (never plurals! I always make my students recite "I will not use an apostrophe to make things plural!"), but sometimes remembering the right way to use apostrophes can be confusing. Eddie wrote to us asking how to help explain to his 8 year old son how to use the apostrophes that appear in a few words on his son's spelling list. Excellent question! </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">To show ownership with a singular noun, add an apostrophe and then an "s"</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">e.g. My sister's hat is pretty. (Without the apostrophe, we would say "The hat of my sister is pretty.")</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">To show ownership with a plural noun, put the apostrophe after the "s" that is already there.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">e.g. My two sisters' hats are very pretty. ( Without the apostrophe, we would say "The hats that belong to my two sisters are pretty.")</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">When the plural word does not have an "s" ending, just add the apostrophe and the "s" like you would with a singular word.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">e.g. The children's hats were very pretty. (Without the apostrophe, we would say "The hats of the children were very pretty.")</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">Finally, if you have a singular name that ends in an "s" you still need a second "s" after the apostrophe.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">e.g. Chris's hat was not pretty. (Without the apostrophe, "The hat that belongs to Chris is not pretty.")</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">Exception: Famous historical/religious figures sometimes get away without the second "s"</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">e.g. Jesus' deeds were described in the homily this week. (Without the apostrophe, "The deeds of Jesus were described in the homily this week.")</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">If your son has difficulty determining whether the sentence wants a plural word (no apostrophe) or a possessive word (apostrophe), have him try the "of" test. If you can insert "of" in the sentence, like I have done with some of the examples above, then you want an apostrophe. If you cannot, then the word is just plural, and there is no apostrophe needed. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">And, of course, apostrophes are used to make contractions, like "I'm," "don't," and "can't."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">Pop quiz for all you smarties out there: Why doesn't the possessive form of "its" take an apostrophe? </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">Post your response in the comments section! </span>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-63917451940148797222008-08-22T21:05:00.001-04:002008-08-22T21:07:01.380-04:00History Versus Grammar<span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Perhaps one can go too far on the vigilante grammar path....</span><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/22/sign.vandals.ap/index.html">Typo Vigilantes Banned from National Parks</a>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-33780212090263855642008-08-17T09:16:00.004-04:002008-08-17T09:19:47.450-04:00Too Quiet?<span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">So why have the Syntax Sisters gone quiet? We are quiet because we are waiting to hear from </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">you</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">We need your questions! Email us at <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">syntaxsisters@yahoo.com</span> and then watch for a response!</span>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-47453917954098438352008-07-08T18:46:00.002-04:002008-07-08T18:49:09.730-04:00Out of fashion? We think not.For all of you out there who think anti-split infinitive types like us are old fashioned, have a look at this article from <em>The Washington Post</em> and see if you change your mind:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/19/AR2008061902920.html">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/19/AR2008061902920.html</a><br /><br />(Even if you don't change your mind, you're still wrong.)Danielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06620241186463638434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-78493850174314237632008-04-18T07:54:00.002-04:002008-04-18T07:57:01.059-04:00A little punctuation game we like to play...<span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">I can remember being in middle school sitting around the dinner table while my high school aged sister and her future husband debated a question raised by my father: what are the eleven punctuation marks? The debate has continued for many many years, and occasionally one of us will get a phone call from our father with that same question: What are the eleven punctuation marks? </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Test yourself. What are they? Post responses in the comments section...that's where my answer is going. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">PS No cheating and looking at the keyboard; figure it out first!</span>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-7896707794510610282008-04-08T07:07:00.004-04:002008-04-08T07:11:15.350-04:00A Kindred Spirit<span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">The syntax sisters might be in love (don't tell our husbands)!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">This man travels the country with a sign-correcting kit, fixing spelling and apostrophes. Check out this news clip of "The Typo Tour": </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?cl=7301819</span>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-9842647114285086332008-03-19T13:03:00.004-04:002008-03-19T13:27:20.225-04:00Can I Get a Vowel? Gray v. Grey<span style="color:#993399;">Mary and her colleagues at the Hobart and William Smith Admissions office in Geneva, NY, (my alma mater!) emailed to ask us about the spelling of the word</span><span style="color:#993399;"> "gray."<br /><br /></span><span style="color:#ffffff;">"My colleague and I were wondering why some folks spell gray with an "a" and some spell it with an "e" - grey? I looked it up on </span><a href="http://dictionary.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#ffffff;">dictionary.com</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> and it looks like it is interchangeable? Who is correct?"</span><br /><span style="color:#993399;"></span><br /><span style="color:#993399;">This is a great question. I called Daniele for confirmation and clarification on the answer: </span><br /><span style="color:#993399;"></span><br /><span style="color:#993399;">It turns out that<span style="color:#993399;"> "gray"</span> with an<span style="color:#993399;"> "a"</span> is the usual American spelling of the word. In fact, when I spell-checked my return email to Mary, the software yelled at me for <span style="color:#993399;">"grey"</span> with an<span style="color:#993399;"> "e." </span>The origin of the<span style="color:#993399;"> "e"</span> verision is British;<span style="color:#993399;"> "grey"</span> is the commonly accepted British spelling.</span><br /><span style="color:#993399;"></span><br /><span style="color:#993399;">In every dictionary I've checked, however, it seems as though either spelling is acceptable. </span><br /><span style="color:#993399;"></span><br /><span style="color:#993399;">So, I guess the spelling really comes down to a matter of patriotism: "a" for America! </span>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-38127860553013637102008-03-11T14:23:00.004-04:002008-03-12T07:59:51.751-04:00Its versus It's<span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">So I'll <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">admit</span> it: I sent an email yesterday and I used the wrong <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">its</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">."</span> I was thoroughly embarrassed when I realized my mistake, and so I decided to put up a post explaining the difference for all of us and to encourage me to proofread more carefully next time!</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">So what is the difference? Let's start with the basics: </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">it's</span>: With an apostrophe, it is a contraction, either "it is" or "it has."</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"><em>e.g.: It's too bad I didn't proofread that email!</em> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">its</span>: Without an apostrophe, it is a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">possessive</span> pronoun, that is, a word that replaces a noun and shows ownership. </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"><em>e.g.: Too bad email can't proofread its own text.</em></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"><em></em></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Still having trouble? The easiest way to figure it out is to try <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">substituting</span> in "it is" each time you go to use "its." If "it is" works, then you want the apostrophe. If "it is" doesn't fit, then you don't want the apostrophe. </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153); font-style: italic;">e.g. It's (it is) a good thing I will proofread this post; it would be bad if the post had its (it is? doesn't work) content wrong!</span>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-74195127048031338342008-03-06T09:05:00.002-05:002008-03-06T09:06:47.897-05:00National Grammar Day?!<span style="color:#993399;">We missed it! But check out this website: </span><br /><span style="color:#993399;"></span><br /><a href="http://nationalgrammarday.com/"><span style="color:#ffffff;">http://nationalgrammarday.com/</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"><br /></span><span style="color:#993399;"></span><br /><span style="color:#993399;">With any luck, our little, humble blog will be added to their list soon!</span>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-51823001669285061822008-03-01T13:09:00.008-05:002008-03-04T19:46:00.559-05:00Plagiarism<span style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,153)">With all of the recent discussion of plagiarism in politics, online media, and mass publication, we thought it might be useful to remind everyone of what, exactly, plagiarism is: </span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,153)">The Oxford English Dictionary Online defines plagiarism as, "The action or practice of taking someone else's work, idea, etc., and passing it off as one's own; literary theft."</span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,153)">This means that when you write, you must give credit if you borrow ideas or language from someone else. What counts in this? Anything that isn't original to you, or anything that isn't common knowledge. For instance, when we give grammar rules on the side bar, you'll notice we don't cite a source. That is because these rules are (or should be!) common knowledge. However, when we relate a funny story from the news, we always offer the link to the original and the source (website, author as available), because the ideas and the language are not our own. </span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,153)">Notice that plagiarism includes both ideas and exact language. You can't just change the words around and call it your own; you must still give credit to the original author.</span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,153)">What does that mean for the current scandals? Are borrowed speech lines plagiarism? What about using sections of another's work in a publication? And how do the rules vary when we move from the printed media to the internet? </span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,153)">The answer is, it's murky. Any time one borrows, one should give credit to the original author. The current practices in world of blogging and online writing have certainly loosened that rule, however. I know I can at least speak for me and probably for my sister when I say that that doesn't matter, and writing is writing, no matter what the medium. Plagiarism in any form is stealing. (Amen, sister, says Daniele!)<br /><br />Unfortunately, we see plagiarism all around us. In student papers, it often comes in the form of facts and information lifted from websites. On college campuses, we have witnessed plagiarism scandals involving professors and even college presidents. And in the wider world, every once in a while we see a story about a book that has plagiarized passages, or this week, a White House adviser who plagiarized in newspaper columns.<br /><br />It is sad. And it is hard, as a teacher, to make students understand the right thing to do, especially when the adults around them are cheating too. </span><br /><p><span style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,153)">(Here's a link to a PowerPoint presentation Daniele did on plagiarism for faculty at Durham Technical Community College in 2003. As citation rules change frequently, some of the specific details may have changed, but the bulk remains consistent: <a href="http://courses.durhamtech.edu/eng041/internetplagiarism_files/frame.htm">http://courses.durhamtech.edu/eng041/internetplagiarism_files/frame.htm</a>)</span></p><p><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span style="COLOR: rgb(153,51,153)">Anyone have any thoughts on this one?</span> </span></p>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-15254636364190658252008-01-03T10:21:00.002-05:002008-03-04T19:46:28.208-05:00<span style="color:#ffffff;">December 20, 2007</span><br /><span style="color:#ffffff;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ffffff;">All I want for Christmas is...<br /></span><a href="http://www.hodesforcongress.com/free_details.asp?id=7"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Rep. Paul Hodes's camp</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;"> sent out an email from his wife Peggo, which details what her congressman hubby wants for Christmas (i.e. money in which to be re-elected). "I caught a peak of his holiday wish list," it reads.<br />And aside from wanting Eric Clapton's guitar, Hodes also apparently wants: "Good jobs, health care and quality educaiton for the 2nd District."<br />Oh the irony of wanting quality education.<br /><br />By Anne Schroeder Mullins 10:58 AM</span>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-11558634552580539182007-12-31T21:12:00.000-05:002008-01-03T10:30:23.825-05:00The Word of the Year...<span style="color:#993399;"><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,255,255)">And the word of the year is...</span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">Locavore</span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,255,255)">At least it is according to The New Oxford American Dictionary. "Locavore" refers to the movement to buy local or homegrown food to support local farmers and environmental causes.</span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,255,255)">Merriam-Webster, however, disagrees, and officially declared this the word of the year:</span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">w00t</span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,255,255)">"w00t" is a computer gaming word somehow akin to "yay." More than that, I don't know. Check out this link though for more background: http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSN1155159520071212</span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,255,255)">And so what do I say is the word of the year? I don't know about 2007, but I've got my word for 2008...</span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,255,255)">In true Syntax Sisters fashion, I want to declare this the year of <span style="COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)">"fewer."</span> </span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,255,255)">Yes, I want this to be the year grocery stores and cable television programs fix their grammar and proudly ask us to step up to the express lane </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,255,255); FONT-STYLE: italic">only</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,255,255)"> if we have twelve or fewer items. I want the word "less" to be banished to uncountable quantities only, doomed to live a life of indeterminate value. I believe this is the year English begins its slow climb into proper usage and grammar teachers across the country can stand up and be proud to say there are fewer errors than there were last year!</span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,255,255)">But then again, I've always been a bit of a nerd.</span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(51,255,255)">What's your word of the year?</span></span>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-1413766300391873912007-10-22T08:12:00.000-04:002007-10-22T08:15:04.057-04:00Couldn't resist...<span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">This is taken from an article on cnn.com:</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">"U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal became the nation's youngest governor and the first nonwhite to hold post in Louisiana since Reconstruction when he carried more than half the vote to defeat 11 opponents."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">Can you spot what's wrong? It's funny...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">Hint: a word or phrase that modifies a noun must be next to the noun it modifies. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">The answer is in the comments section...</span>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-72296430150213131312007-10-09T08:51:00.000-04:002007-10-11T10:23:00.372-04:00Where have we gone?<span style="color:#33ffff;"><span style="color:#33ccff;">The Syntax Sisters are currently on hiatus. We continue to care about grammar and correct everything in sight, but for the time being we have stopped posting.<br />If you would like to see our return, please email us at</span> </span><a href="mailto:syntaxsisters@yahoo.com"><span style="color:#6600cc;">syntaxsisters@yahoo.com</span></a><span style="color:#33ffff;">.<br /></span><span style="color:#33ccff;">We might be enticed back!</span>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-48069707618146642282007-05-01T13:18:00.000-04:002007-05-01T13:25:30.561-04:00Number vs Numeral<span style="color:#339999;">Dan wrote to us at </span><a href="mailto:syntaxsisters@yahoo.com"><span style="color:#ffffff;">syntaxsisters@yahoo.com</span></a><span style="color:#339999;"> to ask about the difference between the words<br />"number" and "numeral." I checked a few dictionaries which confirmed my suspicions about these two words. </span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"><strong>Number</strong> refers to the concept of a number. For instance, when we say there are five ducks, we can picture five little birds in a row. </span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"><strong>Numeral</strong> refers to the markings we use to indicate that idea of "fiveness", such as "5", "V", or even "five." </span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#339999;">So, if I wanted to say how many ducks there are, I would say "The number of ducks is five." If I wanted to tell someone what to write down, I would say "Use the numeral for five." </span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#339999;">Or, for instance, if your house is number 182, then your house number contains the numerals "1", "8", and "2." </span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#339999;">Does that help? </span><br /><span style="color:#339999;">Any brilliant insights, sis?</span>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-53775699127740971362007-04-26T15:27:00.000-04:002007-04-27T09:07:25.669-04:00Text Messaging and Grammar<a target="_blank" name="ContentArea"></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">I know that I have noticed this phenomenon in my college students. The IM and text message language and writing style has infiltrated into more traditional forms of writing. I believe that one of the big challenges in the years to come for those of us who teach writing will be transitioning our students from modern computer slang to traditional, standard English. </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);"></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">From CNN.com<br /></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);"><strong>Report: Text messaging harms written language</strong><br />DUBLIN, Ireland (Reuters) -- The rising popularity of text messaging on mobile phones poses a threat to writing standards among Irish schoolchildren, an education commission says.<br />The frequency of errors in grammar and punctuation has become a serious concern, the State Examination Commission said in a report after reviewing last year's exam performance by 15-year-olds.<br />"The emergence of the mobile phone and the rise of text messaging as a popular means of communication would appear to have impacted on standards of writing as evidenced in the responses of candidates," the report said, according to Wednesday's Irish Times. "Text messaging, with its use of phonetic spelling and little or no punctuation, seems to pose a threat to traditional conventions in writing."<br />The report laments that, in many cases, candidates seemed "unduly reliant on short sentences, simple tenses and a limited vocabulary".<br />In 2003, Irish 15-year-olds were among the top 10 performers in an international league table of literacy standards compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.<br />Copyright 2007 </span><a href="http://www.cnn.com/interactive_legal.html#Reuters" target="_blank"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">Reuters</span></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">. </span>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-18838228227039254922007-04-23T16:46:00.000-04:002007-04-23T17:07:12.249-04:00<span style="color:#ff6666;">On April 17, a fan in Syracuse, NY, wrote:</span><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;"></span><br /><em><span style="color:#ff6666;">Our local news used the term ‘snowblowed.’ The sentence was something like … “many CNYer’s snowblowed their walkways several times today…” My question is other than saying …’many CNYer’s had to snowblow their walkways several times today...,’ is ‘snowblowed’ correct?</span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#ff6666;"></span></em><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">Snowblowed? Snowblew? In English, to form the past tense of a regular verb (that is, indicate that an event has occured in the past), we add the ending -ed. So if "snowblow" is a regular verb, "snowblowed" is correct. But "blow," is not a regular verb, its past tense being "blew." So should the past tense of "snowblow" be "snowblew"? Good question.</span><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">In fact, the problem here is not one of regular or irregular past tense. Instead, the problem is what is commonly referred to as "verbing a noun," that is, using a noun (remember? person, place, or thing) as a verb (action word). A "snowblower" is a thing, thus, a noun. "To snowblow" is the result of "verbification," turning a legitimate noun into an illegitimate verb. Sometimes, verbing a noun is useful; most often it is senseless and lazy. Unfortunately, many examples of unnecessary verbification have become common parlance: "email" (noun) to "email, emailing, emailed" (verb forms); "contact" (noun) to "contact, contacting, contacted" (verb forms); and "impact" (noun) to "impact, impacting, impacted" (verb forms)--oh, how I cringe at this last example! Verbification is generally lazy and results from an attempt to say something as quickly and efficiently as possible. I'm all for efficiency, don't get me wrong; but don't do it to the destruction of the English language! Nancy Allison has a clever (and lengthier) article on "nerbs," as she calls them, at </span><a href="http://www.stcboston.org/archives/articles/nouns.shtml"><span style="color:#ff6666;">http://www.stcboston.org/archives/articles/nouns.shtml</span></a><span style="color:#ff6666;">.</span><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">So, no, to a classic grammarian, "snowblowed" is not correct, nor would be "snowblew" or any other verbification. I'd suggest, "Many CNY'ers [what the heck is a "CNY'er," anyway? the subject for another post, I'd say!] cleared their sidewalks with snowblowers several times today." Longer, yes, but so much more pleasant to the ear, wouldn't you say? </span><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">The most important element of this question, though, as I see it is what on earth you're doing living in a place where snowblowers are in use "several times" on April 17!</span>Danielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06620241186463638434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-17347049197675078912007-04-20T11:48:00.000-04:002007-04-20T11:52:42.041-04:00Grammar crackdown overseas<span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">Just saw this article on cnn.com. Now if only we could get this sort of thing to happen in our own country...</span><b><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span>BEIJING, China</b></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);"> (AP) -- On the floor at Beijing's Capital Airport, a sign reads: "Careful Landslip Attention Security."</span><p style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">On a billboard, this mysterious message: "Shangri-La is in you mind, but your Buffalo is not."</p><p style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">In an elevator, parents are warned: "Please lead your child to tare the life."</p><p style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">Beijing officials have promised to crack down on bad English in preparation for the 2008 Olympics and they've asked the public to help police bad grammar and faulty syntax.</p><p style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">With 500,000 foreigners expected for the Olympics, taxi drivers who can't speak English -- or signs that mangle the language -- could be an embarrassment and distract from the $40 billion being poured into rebuilding the city for the games.</p><p style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">Liu Yang, who heads the "Beijing Speaks Foreign Languages Program" for the city government, said 6,500 "standardized" English-language signs were put up last year on Beijing roads.</p><p style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">Liu said a language hotline may be set up for the games to encourage the public to report nonsense English. China's diplomatic missions abroad are assisting, Liu said, "and our people working in foreign companies are helping with correct usage."</p><p style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">Officials have also undertaken efforts to stamp out spitting and bad manners in the run-up to the games.</p><p style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);" class="cnnscattribution">Copyright 2007 The <a href="http://www.cnn.com/interactive_legal.html#AP" target="_blank">Associated Press</a>. </p><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);"> http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/04/19/china.olympics.ap/index.html</span>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445007435451194500.post-58129914567994910082007-04-11T14:42:00.000-04:002007-04-11T14:56:43.679-04:00Good or Well?<span style="color:#339999;">After a conversation with a friend yesterday, I was reminded of the confusion that exists with when to use "<em><strong>good</strong></em>" and when to use "<em><strong>well</strong></em>." I'm borrowing a page from my sister's book and giving the next commonly confused words post as a dialogue. </span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#339999;">Imagine a conversation in an office hallway. </span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#339999;">Employee#1: Hi. How are you?</span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#339999;">Employee #2: I'm doing <em><strong>well</strong>. </em>I just heard <em><strong>good </strong></em>news: we are all getting a raise!</span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#339999;">Employee #1: Does that mean that our product has been <em><strong>well</strong>-</em>received?</span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#339999;">Employee #2 Yes it does, and it is a <em><strong>good</strong></em> thing too. </span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#339999;">Employee #1: And why is that? </span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#339999;">Employee #2: The head of the company said that if sales didn't go <em><strong>well</strong></em>, we might be looking at a pay decrease instead of a pay increase. </span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#339999;">Employee #1: That is <em><strong>good</strong></em> news!</span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#339999;">So, what can we tell from this (besides that it is good to get a raise!)? </span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"><strong><em>Good</em></strong> is an adjective, used to describe nouns (like "news" and "thing").</span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"><strong><em>Well</em></strong> is an adverb, used to describe verbs or actions (like the act of receiving or the act of going).</span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#339999;">When you are discussing your health, we also use <strong><em>well</em></strong>. ("I am <strong><em>well</em></strong>.") </span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#339999;">This last one is what trips a lot of people up. We think that when we say "I'm <strong><em>good</em></strong>" we're describing ourselves. What we are actually describing is our state of health, which requires us to use <em><strong>well</strong></em>. Here's a handy trick: we go to the doctor's office for <em><strong>wellness</strong></em> visits. Just the same when someone says, "Hi, how are you?" we are being asked about our health, so we should say "I'm <em><strong>well</strong></em>" (that is, healthy).</span><br /><span style="color:#339999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#339999;">Unless, of course, you didn't just get a raise. Then feel free to say "I'm miserable."</span>Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988877753259419807noreply@blogger.com2