Here are the corrections and explanations for last week’s entries.
MONDAY
Identify and fix the confusion presented in the following.
“They insist his policies destroy the economy with a carbon tax impacting everything, that he hates lower taxes, and that he wants to divide the country and shut down the oilsands that’s helping drive the Canadian economy.”
“Oilsands” is a plural word but “that’s”, which refers to “oilsands” is singular.
“Oilsands” should probably be two words but it has become a Canadian one-word concept.
“They insist his policies destroy the economy with a carbon tax impacting everything, that he hates lower taxes, and that he wants to divide the country and shut down the oilsands that are helping drive the Canadian economy.”
SENTENCE STRUCTURE OR STYLE?
Does style trump sentence structure or are unacceptable errors in the following pieces?
Every one of the examples below is an incomplete thought and must be corrected to conform to correct writing standards.
“Which, in this case, is the Parti Québécois.”
“Which” is either an interrogative pronoun or a relative pronoun. In this case, it creates a subordinate clause that cannot stand by itself. It must be replaced.
“It is, in this case, is the Parti Québécois.”
“A superior grasp of epistemology, maybe”.
Where is the verb? This is an incomplete thought.
“He has a superior grasp of epistemology, maybe”.
“So no hand wringing.”
Where is the verb? This is an incomplete thought.
“So, there should be no hand wringing.”
“No anguished conversations.”
Where is the verb? This is an incomplete thought.
“There should be no anguished conversations.”
TUESDAY
ACCENT/ASCENT
“Accent”, a noun, refers to the stress put on a syllable or to a distinctive manner of oral expression. It is pronounced “ak-sent”.
“The operator spoke with a foreign accent and it was very difficult to understand because he spoke so quickly.”
“Ascent” is a noun referring to a rise, an upward slope or rise. It is pronounced “as-cent”.
“The ascent up the rocky mountain was difficult and extremely dangerous, especially for an inexperienced climber.”
WEDNESDAY
CONFUSING CONSTRUCTION
Each of the following has a confusing construction problem.
Explain and repair the problem in each example.
“Prince William and Kate Middleton’s aggressive legal strategy over topless photos of Britain’s likely future queen is the first salvo in what could be a decades-long tug-of-war over their family’s privacy.”
“Over” is incorrect and conjures incorrect images.
“Prince William and Kate Middleton’s aggressive legal strategy regarding topless photos of Britain’s likely future queen is the first salvo in what could be a decades-long tug-of-war over their family’s privacy.”
“Politics is my favourite subject. They are such fascinating people.”
To what does “they” refer? Who are “they”? Rewording is needed to make sense.
“Politics is my favourite subject and politicians are such fascinating people.”
“I never go to that place because they have dirty beds.”
To what does “they” refer? This relative pronoun is incorrect.
“I never go to that place because it has dirty beds.”
“Every student must have their gym clothes.”
“Student” is singular”. “Their” is plural and must be changed to be correct.
“Every student must have his gym clothes.”
THURSDAY
RAISE A SPEAKER OR WRITER TO COMMUNICATE CORRECTLY!
Find and correct all the errors in the following examples. Give reasons to support all your choices.
“ ‘There is that threat out there that if anything goes lost or missing that employees would be on the hook for it,’ said Natyshak.”
Things CANNOT “go lost or missing”.
“ ‘There is that threat out there that if anything is lost or missing that employees would be on the hook for it,’ said Natyshak.”
“ ‘What made the situation somewhat unique is that I was retained before the police were involved or any audit was undertaken,’ Bradie said outside court.”
“Unique” cannot be qualified because it is an absolute modifier.
“ ‘What made the situation unique is that I was retained before the police were involved or any audit was undertaken,’ Bradie said outside court.”
“Because that’s where the jobs are.”
“Because” is a subordinate conjunction so this example is an incomplete thought.
“They go there because that’s where the jobs are.”
“And men: if you’re 50 or older, surprise your partner by getting a PSA blood test on your own.
Do plural “men” have one single partner?
“And men: if you’re 50 or older, surprise your partners by getting a PSA blood test on your own.
FRIDAY
Identify and correct the error in the following examples. Explain your reasoning.
“The Zambitos, each of whom are seeking $500,000 in damages, accuse the police of ‘intentional infliction of emotional distress,’ negligent investigation, malicious prosecution and false imprisonment.”
“Each of whom” is singular but the verb “are” is plural. This must be corrected.
“The Zambitos, each of whom is seeking $500,000 in damages, accuse the police of ‘intentional infliction of emotional distress,’ negligent investigation, malicious prosecution and false imprisonment.”
“Meet the staff is largely social, still, it’s another chance to meet your child’s teacher, discuss expectations for the year and see your child’s classroom.”
The punctuation is sloppy; a comma is being used as a full stop which is the function of a period.
“Meet the staff is largely social. Still, it’s another chance to meet your child’s teacher, discuss expectations for the year and see your child’s classroom.”
REALLY CYNICAL
“Strange as it seems, no amount of learning can cure stupidity, and higher education positively fortifies it.”
Stephen Vizinczey, an author and writer born 1933 in Káloz, Hungary, wrote this.
LAST WEEK’S WORDS
“Epistemology” (n.) refers to a philosophy which investigates the origin, nature, methods and limits of human knowing especially regarding the distinction between justified belief and opinion.
“My old professor of epistemology spent hours teaching us to separate opinion from beliefs to help us understand humankind more fully.”
“Exultation” (n.) refers to a feeling of extreme joy, jubilation or glee.
“I was filled with exultation when the Detroit Lions finally made the playoffs after so many years of futility.”
“Ferocity” (n.) refers to fierceness, strength, fury, wildness or violence.
“She swung at her attacker with such ferocity and desperation determination that she beat him into retreat and submission.”
“Instigate” (v.) means to incite, to set off, to stir up, to inspire or to prompt.
“Instigation” is the noun form.
“Instigator” is another noun form.
“Instigative” is the adjective form.
“The little boy was bored in the classroom and would tease instigate chaos by mercilessly teasing the girls with his practical jokes.”
“Discrepancy” (n.) refers to a disagreement, a divergence, an incongruity or a difference.
“There was a discrepancy in the amount of funds received and the amount reported and the accountant was arrested for embezzlement.”
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