Here are the corrections and explanations for last week’s entries.
MONDAY
EXALT/EXULT
“Exalt” means to raise up, to esteem greatly or to glorify. It has the same root, “-alt”, as altitude meaning high.
“We exalt our rock stars to the status of gods probably because of our silliness in pandering to and seeking foolish youthfulness.”
“Exult” means to rejoice or to be openly happy about.
“I exult in your achievements as a classical pianist and want only great artistic success for you.”
TUESDAY
USING “WHICH”
“Which” is generally an interrogative pronoun? When used in clauses defining or restricting its antecedent, it creates a subordinate clause which is dependant upon its antecedent.
“Which of those decks of cards do you want to use?”
“Which is probably the intent behind the latest cry for an audit.”
This is an incomplete thought because an incorrect pronoun is used as the subject; there is actually no antecedent here, so it is a subordinate clause only.
There are two possible corrections depending upon context.
“Which is the intent behind the latest cry for an audit?”
“That is probably the intent behind the latest cry for an audit.”
WEDNESDAY
MANIC/MANIAC
“Manic” is an adjective and is a clinical term having to do with a psychological affliction of excessive emotions or passions.
“The patient was put into the hospital in an effort to control his manic mood swings and behaviour.”
“Mania” is a noun referring to an irrational motive for a belief or action or to a person exhibiting extremely wild or violent behaviour.
“She was so angry that she tore the house apart and destroyed everything she could lay her hands on.”
THURSDAY
Identify and correct the errors in the following pieces.
“Partnering with former competitors, finding creative ways to trim labour costs and looking beyond the automotive industry for customers like never before has allowed a family-owned company to keep its doors open.”
There are three actions cited but the verb is singular and should be made plural.
“Partnering with former competitors, finding creative ways to trim labour costs and looking beyond the automotive industry for customers like never before have allowed a family-owned company to keep its doors open.”
“Shumka has 45 dancers, roughly half of which are Ukrainian heritage.”
Dancers are people and using “which” is incorrect in referring to them; “who” or “whom” must be used when referring to people.
“Shumka has 45 dancers, roughly half of whom are Ukrainian heritage.”
FRIDAY
DOUBT THAT/DOUBT WHETHER/DOUBT IF
“Doubt that” means that you are suspicious that something is not true or that it is false.
“I doubt that she can lose thirty pounds in such a short period of time.”
“Doubt whether” is used to express uncertainty.
“I doubt whether the sun will show itself today because there is too much cloud cover predicted for the next few days.”
“Doubt if” can be substituted for “doubt whether”, though it is considered somewhat more casual; don’t use it when meaning “doubt that”.
“I doubt if I can ever repeat throwing another perfect game.”
DOUBT NOT THE TRUTH OF THIS
“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.”
Bertrand Russell, a British author, mathematician and philosopher who lived from 1872 to 1970, wrote this.
LAST WEEK’S WORDS
“Propriety” (n.) means correct or appropriate behaviour, civility, politeness, conformity to established standards, rightness or justness.
“He was a gentleman of propriety who was always correct and polite to everyone.”
“Boondoggle” (n.) refers to an unnecessary, wasteful, or fraudulent project or work.
“Boondoggle” (v.) means to spend money or time on unnecessary, wasteful, or fraudulent projects.
“It is surprising that the American system of government ever works because of the constant insertion of boondoggles by self-serving politicians into even the most innocent of bills.”
Muse” (v.) means to think about at length and depth, to contemplate, to ponder or to ruminate.
“The wise mother would always muse about difficult decisions before making a decision.”
“Muse” (n.) refers to the nine goddesses, the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, in Greek and Roman mythology who preside over the arts and sciences. They are: Calliope (epic song), Clio history), Erato (erotic poetry), Euterpe (lyric song), Melpomene (tragedy), Polyhymnia (sacred song), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy) and Urania astronomy).
“Most poets and writers have a favourite Muse upon which they call for inspiration and guidance.”
“Abysmal” (adj.) means profound, deep, bottomless, deep or far down. It is taken from the word “abyss” meaning the profound depths of the sea.
“His abysmal behaviour was so self-serving and conniving that he was summarily fired after only a few weeks on the job.”
“Exorbitant” (adj.) means greatly exceeding the bounds of reason or moderation, outrageous, steep, unconscionable.
“The exorbitant brutality and greed of the street gangs caused the community to fight back by forming their own street patrols.”
