Here are the corrections and explanations for last week’s entries.
MONDAY
Fix the error in the commercial cited below?
“More power! More style! Less doors!”
This even sounds anserine. (Check below if you do not know the word.)
“Less” cannot be used to enumerate things that can be counted.
“More power! More style! Fewer doors!”
“No wild throws, close plays or missed calls for Napoli in Game 4 of the World Series.”
Where is the verb? This is an incomplete thought.
“There were no wild throws, close plays or missed calls for Napoli in Game 4 of the World Series.”
TUESDAY
FURTHER/FARTHER
I do not accept the concept that the words “further” and “farther” are interchangeable.
“Further” means “in addition” or “moreover”.
“I love words; further to that, I thoroughly reject the concept that ‘further’ and ‘farther’ mean the same thing.”
“Farther” refers to physical distance.
“I ran farther today than I was able to run yesterday.”
“A”
“A” is an indefinite article. “A” is converted to “an” when used in front of vowels.
“A” is NOT pronounced as in the word “hay”.
“A” is correctly pronounced as in the word “hat”.
WEDNESDAY
LAY/LIE/LAYED/LAID
“Lay” when used transitively is a verb meaning to place something down.
“Now, I lay the book down so I can listen to you.”
“Lay” is also the past tense of the verb “ to lie.”
“Last night I lay awake in bed for a long time.”
“Lie” is the present tense of an intransitive verb meaning “to recline”.
“Today, I lie down on the couch.”
“Layed” is NOT A WORD.
“Laid” is the past tense of the verb “to lay”.
“I laid down the law yesterday.”
THURSDAY
DO YOU FEEL “GOOD”… “WELL”… “BAD”… “BADLY”?
“How are you feeling?” What is the correct answer?
Both “good” and “well” can be used, depending upon the intended context.
“Good” is an adjective which is a word that can modify an noun or pronoun.
“She is a good girl and the pride of her parents.”
“Good” may be used with verbs like “look”, “feel”, “sound”, “taste” or “be” to describe the subject.
“That massage feels good.”
“I feel good today.”
“Well” is an adverb which is a word that can describe a verb, an adjective or another adverb.
“He throws the ball well.”
“Well” can be an adjective meaning healthy.
“I feel well today.”
“Badly” is an adverb.
Do not use “Badly”
“The war was going badly for the rebels.”
FRIDAY
THE USUAL
Identify and correct the errors in the following entries.
BONUS: What is a potential third error – think confusion – in one of the entries?
“ ‘I’ve been telling people the truth, that we didn’t go beyond appropriate displays of affection,’ said Duckworth, noting that both her and her partner’s mother were with them at the time.’ ”
“Her” is incorrectly used because “her” is objective case and the subjective case is needed.
“ ‘I’ve been telling people the truth, that we didn’t go beyond appropriate displays of affection,’ said Duckworth, noting that both she and her partner’s mother were with them at the time.’ ”
“Howard already is anxious to get his son on the ice.”
“Anxious” means nervous, uncomfortable or tense and is misused. The context is one of eagerness.
BONUS: the word “get” is confusing and should be replaced with a more appropriate word. I would really like to see the word “get” banned from the English language because it is so- often misused.
“Howard already is eager to see his son on the ice.”
VERY INCISIVE
“Conceit is God’s gift to little men.”
Bruce Barton, an American author and politician who lived from 1886 to 1967, wrote this.
LAST WEEK’S WORDS
“Introspective” (adj.) means contemplative, brooding, reflective or given to examining one’s own experiences.
“The philosopher was so introspective that many observers thought he had taken a vow of silence.”
“Anserine” (adj.) means foolish, blockheaded, stupid in behaviour, thick or boneheaded.
GOLD STAR
“Anyone who uses “further” when referring to distance instead of the correct word, “farther”, is really anserine and incorrect.”
“Incisive” (adj.) means able to recognize fine distinctions, perceptive, acute or keen.
“The teacher’s incisive observation of the child’s psychological needs resulted in extra reading time being assigned so that the child would not be left behind the rest of his class.”
“Caprice” (n.) refers to an sudden impulse, a whim, an eccentricity or a sudden desire.
“The young girl’s caprices and flightiness frustrated her stolid and humourless parents.”
“Brusque” (adj.) means curt, abrupt or marked by rude or shortness.
“The lawyer wanted the witness to elaborate on his answers but the brusque responses he received frustrated him to the point of anger.”
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