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Results 51 to 60 of 63 (page 6 of 7)
focus
In Canadian usage, the verb focus may be spelled with a single or double s before a suffix. As a forensic scientist, Rosalind focuses (or focusses) on minute details. The speaker was having trouble focusing (or focussing) his thoughts during the noisy demonstration. Barbara Cass-Beggs focused (or focussed) on the musical abilities of young children. The correct phrasal verb is focus on, and not the logically unsound focus around. The RCMP investigation focused on (not around) the misuse of public funds. The plural of the noun is focuses or foci (generally encountered in the sciences). The political campaign organizers identified three potential focuses before the election. A circle has one central point, but an ellipse has two foci.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 1,151
appositives
An appositive is a word or word group placed next to another word to rename, define or explain it. Most appositives are nouns or pronouns, together with their modifiers (if any). Appositives are often added to sentences to give further detail. Placement of appositives Usually, appositives follow a noun; however, they can also come before the subject of a sentence. In the examples below, the appositives are in bold font: Visitors enjoy the yearly festival at Manitoulin’s largest reserve, Wikwemikong. Manitoulin Island, the largest freshwater island in the world, is located in Lake Huron. Tourists also like to visit Bridal Veil Falls, one of the prettiest waterfalls in Ontario. A popular hike for beginners, Manitoulin’s Cup and Saucer Trail offers spectacular views. Punctuation with appositives Many appositives are set off with commas, but some are not. The use of punctuation depends on whether the appositive is essential to the meaning of the word it is attached to (called the headword). There are cases when the appositive is too closely related to the meaning of the headword to be separated from it: The name Mindemoya comes from an Ojibwa word meaning “old woman.” Here, the appositive Mindemoya identifies the headword name: without the appositive, we would not know what name was meant. Therefore, the appositive is essential and is not separated from the headword with commas. But many appositives give only non-essential information: Visitors enjoy the yearly festival at Manitoulin’s largest reserve, Wikwemikong. Manitoulin Island, the largest freshwater island in the world, is located in Lake Huron. In the two examples above, the places referred to are already identified by the noun phrase Manitoulin’s largest reserve and by the name Manitoulin Island. Therefore, the appositives give only secondary, additional information and are set off with commas. An appositive that comes before the subject is always non-essential and must be set off with a comma: A popular hike for beginners, Manitoulin’s Cup and Saucer Trail offers spectacular views.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 1,145
Usage Update (Part 2): Deplorable or Acceptable?
Frances Peck (Language Update, Volume 3, Number 4, 2006, page 18) H. W. Fowler was made of sterner stuff than most. The eminent and opinionated usage authority resigned from a long-time teaching position after a dispute with his headmaster; lied about his age at 56 and enlisted as a private during World War I; followed a running and swimming regime throughout his life; and at 68, declined his publisher’s offer of a servant, attributing his continued physical vigour to having had "no servants to reduce me to a sedentary and all-literary existence."Yet even the redoubtable Fowler admitted that those guarding the fortress of the English language are powerless against the invading forces of popular usage. "What grammarians say should be," he wrote in Modern English Usage, "has perhaps less influence on what shall be than even the more modest of them realize; usage evolves itself little disturbed by their likes and dislikes."In this article, we’ll continue our look at changing usage and examine where some contentious words and expressions currently stand.Deplorable Those of us who like the certainty of "dos" and "don’ts" can take comfort in knowing that some usages are still plain wrong. Here’s a handful of downright errors.Incomplete as far as structures.NOTAs far as story leads, office duties and deadlines, Sharon takes on more than anyone else at the high school newspaper.This misuse sends the more grammar-minded of us into paroxysms of frustration. As far as must always introduce a clause, a group of words containing a subject and a verb. But where, oh where is the verb? Far and wide, people are carelessly leaving out the go or are concerned that should complete the as far as statement. No doubt this omission stems from some vague notion that as far as is a preposition and can be completed by a noun alone. Wrong. Centre around.NOTThis week’s program will centre around the history of K-Tel, the hard-sell company that in the 1970s marketed everything from wonder slicers to disco compilations.Imagine a circle, then picture its centre, a single point. Common sense tells us why the correct wording has to be centre on. Similar geometrically correct expressions are focus on, revolve around and circle around. Many -wise compounds.NOTSkills-wise Boris is perfect for the undertaker position, but personality-wise he may not fit in.Some -wise compounds are sound choices. Clockwise and lengthwise, for instance, are perfectly fine. So are streetwise and worldly-wise, where the suffix roughly means "wise in the ways of." But steer clear of hasty concoctions like careerwise, gender-wise and moneywise, all non-standard shortcuts for concerning or with regard to a certain thing.InadvisableDilemma to mean problem or predicament. PROBABLY NOTAngela’s dilemma is that her credit card payments exceed her disposable income.A dilemma is a choice between two unpleasant or difficult options, and most usage authorities recommend keeping it that way. The increasingly loose use of the word to mean a general problem or difficult situation has been captured in the latest Canadian Oxford Dictionary (2nd edition, 2004) and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate (11th edition, 2003), but until other dictionaries follow suit and usage guides begin to relax, we’re better off sticking with the traditional meaning. Fulsome to mean full or abundant. PROBABLY NOTThe committee’s fulsome study of the Young Offenders’ Act eventually led to sweeping changes to the legislation.Traditionally, fulsome has meant overly abundant or offensively excessive. For careful English users, "fulsome praise" is overblown praise that verges on obsequiousness. But this negative connotation is nowadays lost on many, who use "fulsome praise" to mean generous or lavish praise. This shift has stirred up so much turmoil that Bryan Garner, in his Dictionary of Modern American Usage, has declared fulsome a "skunked term," a term that’s so unsettled it’s bound to raise someone’s hackles somewhere. For now, he suggests, the safest course is to avoid the word entirely. Beg the question to mean invite or raise a question.PROBABLY NOTHis decision to leave Grunge Dungeon after five years and three platinum albums begs the question—was he ever truly happy as a rock guitarist?Usage commentators are divided on whether we should confine this expression to its original meaning or release it to the masses, who use it in a different way. Properly speaking, begging the question means basing a conclusion on an assumption that itself needs proving. As an example of begging the question, Garner offers the statement "Life begins at conception, which is defined as the beginning of life." But most people think the expression means to raise an obvious question, as in the music sentence above. This new meaning will undoubtedly overtake the old, but while the battle is still on, we should keep to the traditional meaning, at least in formal writing.AcceptableAlternate as a synonym for alternative. FINEI know you’re counting on a week of camping in the open air, but do you have an alternate plan in case the weather turns bad?In major Canadian and American dictionaries, one definition of alternate (as an adjective) is alternative, in the sense of available as another option. The British Concise Oxford says the two are synonyms in North American English but not in British. The Oxford Guide to Canadian English Usage recommends keeping the adjectives distinct in formal writing, but few modern authorities back that view. Canadian writers and editors tend to side with the dictionaries on this one. Hopefully as a sentence adverb. FINEHopefully, we can buff out the scratch on Mom’s new convertible before she sees it and disowns us forever.Who knows why, but the innocuous adverb hopefully attracted virulent criticism from the 1960s to the 1980s. Objectors insisted that the word could only mean "in a hopeful manner," as in "The starving man looked hopefully at the tray of sandwiches approaching him." But nearly everyone else used the word as a sentence adverb meaning "It is to be hoped," as in the convertible sentence above. The New Fowler’s Modern English Usage (1996), in its level-headed overview of the debate, notes that many -ly adverbs have morphed into sentence adverbs. In fact, while commentators were busy skewering hopefully, other sentence adverbs slid in under the radar, among them frankly, fortunately and seriously. Today it’s only the crankiest pedant who insists on the original, narrow meaning of hopefully. Presently to mean now or currently.FINEShe is presently employed at the Snake Eyes tattoo parlour.Presently as a synonym for now also drew many barbs in the late twentieth century. Presently means soon, said the authorities, not now or at present. Yet the latter meaning—curiously, a revitalized fifteenth-century sense of the word—has rapidly overtaken the former, to the point where most modern commentators and nearly all dictionaries accept it without question.Impactful? In 2003 one David Armstrong, a former English teacher, took Coca-Cola to task for misusing everyday in an ad for Dasani water: "Treat yourself well. Everyday." Everyday, he pointed out, is an adjective that describes common or routine things, such as everyday concerns. Coca-Cola’s campaign should have used "Every day," meaning each day. A company spokesperson replied that Coca-Cola had decided on everyday as the more "impactful" form. Naturally, the entry of this unfortunate neologism into the exchange fanned a moderate parlour blaze into a full-on house fire.As H. W. Fowler acknowledged long ago, there’s little we can do to keep our language in check. New words emerge, old words change, battles are declared, debates die down. All that we writers can do is read and assess—and occasionally cave.Source: Favourite Articles (language professionals’ insights on English language issues)
Number of views: 1,074
Usage Update (Part 1): Verbifying
Frances Peck (Language Update, Volume 3, Number 3, 2006, page 20) Actions speak louder than words, so it’s not surprising that action words speak louder than other words. We English users cherish our verbs. We love their activity, we rely on their tenses and when we can’t find ones we like, we create our own—especially from nouns. As Ernest Gowers, editor of the second edition of Fowler’s Modern English Usage (1965), commented in his entry on contact as a verb, "It is an ancient and valuable right of the English people to turn their nouns into verbs when they are so minded."In short, we verbify. And why not? Why be satisfied with naming something when we can do the thing? The trouble is, it takes time for these new verbs to settle down, to become widely accepted, to lose the whiff of unacceptability that clings to them long after their transformation from nouns. Contact is a good example. As a verb meaning "to get in touch with," contact emerged in the 1920s, but it spent decades in linguistic limbo before being sanctioned by dictionaries and usage authorities.Many verbs favoured in business and government writing have entered the language this way, starting out as nouns but morphing into verbs. Careful writers and speakers need to keep up with where these verbs fit along the usage spectrum: generally not accepted, on the fringes of acceptability or standard at last. Here’s how some of today’s workplace verbs stack up.Generally not acceptedAction to mean act on, look after, reply to, handle. NOTIt is imperative that you action these research requests as soon as possible so that we can publish our report on time.Most dictionaries don’t list action as a verb at all. The couple that do (the Canadian Oxford is one) provide a very specific definition: to bring legal action against (he has actioned his neighbours for destroying his lawn ornaments). For the time being, it’s wise to avoid using action as a more general verb. Otherwise you might find yourself in the embarrassing predicament of an Ottawa communications firm a few years back whose marketing material promised "results our clients can action." Reference to mean refer to, mention, supply, provide. NOTWhen you call the repair shop, please reference the serial number of your photocopier.Like action, reference has a limited meaning as a verb: to provide with references, or to cite in or as a reference (her article referenced last year’s polar bear study). There’s little reason to use the verb in the more general disputed sense when there are many familiar verbs to do the job.On the fringes New usages are like invasive species—once they gain a toehold in the language, they are loath to let go. They settle in, spread themselves around, start popping up in dictionaries and then find grudging acceptance among usage authorities. Here are three verbs from business and government writing that, despite continued debate, have endured long enough to be edging their way toward acceptance. However, they’re not fully there. For that reason, use these verbs cautiously, if at all, recognizing that some language experts will object.Access to mean gain access to, obtain, get. MAYBE NOTFor just $42 a month, the "Your Money Is Our Money" VIP customer package allows you to access our full range of banking services.Access as a verb is undisputed in computer lingo, where it means to gain access to data or to obtain data from (anyone can access our database). It’s also gaining acceptance as a verb meaning to enter a building or a place (he accessed the construction site through the security gate). But in less technical situations, consider using a less technical verb. Interface to mean interact, communicate, deal with. MAYBE NOTHaving accepted that humans are as important as winged creatures, Elsa has vowed to interface more effectively with the other members of her bird-watching group.Interface is like access, another computer verb that has caught on in wider circles. The verb is accepted when it means to interact with another computer system or program (our system interfaces with the regional network), but in other situations, a more human verb might be preferable. Transition to mean transform, change, move, undergo a transition. MAYBE NOTUnreal Housing Inc. is transitioning to a new kind of sales organization, with a new focus.Transition is not listed as a verb in most current dictionaries. However, it has made it into the latest editions of the Canadian Oxford (2nd edition, 2004) and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate (11th edition, 2003). This is one verbification on its way to becoming standard. In the meantime, though, it’s worth thinking twice about using it in careful, precise prose.StandardImpact (with or without on) to mean have an impact on, affect, influence. FINEThe town council’s new beer garden restrictions will impact (impact on) the success of our beach volleyball fundraiser.One of the most hotly contested usages of the late twentieth century, impact as a synonym for affect has won the day and is now endorsed by dictionaries and usage authorities. Certain writers and editors, conditioned for years to expunge the verb, still shudder at its use. But it’s time to conquer our squeamishness: impact has moved beyond reproach. Orientate as a variant of orient. FINEIf you are a first-time Husqvarna owner, this video will orientate you to the basic features of this magnificent chainsaw.In the past, some usage commentators have objected to orientate because it carries an extra syllable and is a linguistic newcomer compared to orient. However, "newcomer" is a relative term here. Orientate has occupied a place in the language since the mid-nineteenth century and is in fact preferred to its shorter counterpart in British English. With both variants considered standard, you’re safe to use whichever you prefer. Prioritize—but not priorize, a non-standard Canadianism. FINEMr. Tate refused to buy Tiffany all seven items on her birthday wish list; he advised her to prioritize her requests.Some writers wonder about prioritize, with the suspicious -ize ending that’s among the verbifier’s favourite tools. Widely reviled when it sprang up in the 1960s, prioritize has since become well established in the language and fully entrenched in the dictionaries. Stylistically speaking, the verb is bureaucratic and perhaps worth replacing in general writing. But in many workplaces, it’s become a natural part of the lexicon.Forever on the move Decade after decade, new verbs infiltrate and enrich our language. Some are necessary accompaniments to new technologies. Verbs such as televise, xerox, fax and e-mail have gained acceptance for obvious reasons. Others, including some of the verbs discussed above, may seem less necessary. Still, new verbs satisfy our basic need to express ourselves a bit differently, a bit more precisely, as our society and our culture evolve. For that reason, while we must guard against non-standard verbs that may confuse our readers, we must also welcome the newly legitimate verbs that continue to move our language forward.Source: Favourite Articles (language professionals’ insights on English language issues)
Number of views: 1,064
post on, post to
Information available online is posted on a website. The video is posted on the site, if you want to take a look at it. But if you were posting a response as a reader of a website, then you would post your response to the website or in a chat room. How do I post a comment to your blog? Our word-filtering software checks all messages posted in the chat room. Remember, however, that preposition use in English evolves. A look at examples on the Internet will confirm that usage for the verb post is still in flux, and often these prepositions are used interchangeably.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 1,029
fun
Fun is a noun meaning “amusement.” Klondike Days in Edmonton are a lot of fun! Informally, fun is widely used as an adjective, but this usage is not accepted in formal writing. Instead of fun, use adjectives such as fun-filled, enjoyable, entertaining and thrilling. Come to the West Coast for a fun-filled vacation.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 1,001
vocation, avocation
Vocation refers to a strong feeling or calling to fulfill a role, often a religious one; it also indicates one’s occupation. Nathalie felt compelled to make the military her vocation. An avocation is a hobby or pastime. Roger enjoyed photography as an avocation but not as a profession. Mandy’s vocation is nursing, but her avocation is white-water canoeing.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 1,000
octopus, octopuses
The preferred plural for octopus is octopuses, not octopi. Visitors can see octopuses and squid at the Vancouver Aquarium.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 1,001
noun used as an adjective
Nouns used as adjectives remain invariable unless they are made possessive. Thus, in the example Flight Numbers AB123 and CD456 are now ready for boarding. the noun flight does not take an s because it is acting not as a noun but as an adjective modifying the noun Numbers. However, nouns used as adjectives may be in the possessive form, in which case they are followed by ’s: The flight’s passengers were fortunately not injured in the incident.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 987
regard for
When the noun regard is used to mean “concern,” “consideration” or “esteem,” it is often followed by the preposition for. She lived for the moment, without regard for the consequences of her actions. Marla has a great deal of regard for Tony’s opinions.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 970