Grammar Punk Blog

Speaking of teachers…

 We recently received a wonderful nod to Grammar Punk and how it impacted a student’s life and learning for the better and it got me thinking about teachers and the impact they had on my life. “I have been at war with school since 4th grade— Best of luck to Grammar Punk! It made me want to sharpen my pencil and write.”

We moved around a lot when I was a kid. All together I attended eight different schools and lived in ten different towns and two different states. Which means, among other things, that I had a lot of different teachers. Several stand out. One I can definitively point out as the teacher who pointed me to my muse: writing.

Her name was Mrs. Carter and she taught English and Speech in my freshman year. It should also be noted that in this particular year of school I attended two different schools in two different states. This particular teacher was no taller than most of her students but she had a gift that put her head and shoulders above so many others. And she was funny. Really funny.

She had a shtick she did that still cracks me up. It’s hard to describe, but she would end up kind of upside down , with the top of her head under a tablecloth with her chin painted like a face and she would use great voices and—I told you it was hard to describe—but she had us, a classroom of jaded, hard to amuse ninth graders ROFL. Big time. 

She was a great teacher, who obviously loved what she did. And one day after an assignment to write a short story—mine had to do with a small-statured man who all but sold his soul to the devil for a pair of “elevator shoes”—and this particular teacher saw through the amateurish idea and said the magic words: “You really have great potential as a writer. Keep it up.”

And that was that. I am a writer. I’ve published 5 books and am working madly on more. I love to write this blog and I love working with Grammar Punk which is all about the love of writing disguised as grammar instruction.

I’ve always loved words and reading and language but would I have continued writing stories and books and such if not for Mrs. Carter? I guess I’ll never know. I do know that I have never forgotten that one moment in time, the sound of that one sentence, and Mrs. Carter and her funny faces and funny voices and the invaluable gift of teachers.

Klaxon

/ˈklæk sən/  [klak-suh n]

–noun

a loud electric horn, formerly used on automobiles, trucks, etc., and now often used as a warning signal.

Use klaxon in a Sentence

See images of klaxon

Search klaxon on the Web

Also, claxon.

Origin:
1905–10, Americanism; formerly trademark

Cool words don’t necessarily have to be polysyllabic, it just usually works out that way. I’m also inordinately fond of originally complex words that have, over time, become simplified, and let’s face it, ordinary. Not that there’s anything wrong with ordinary, common place, simple communication, it certainly has its place. I will admit to a fondness for old movies where diction and vocabulary was the ordinary; where the way you spoke denoted who you were as well as what you wished to communicate.

Anyway, today’s word is deceptively simple, and as I’ve harped before, it’s a little-used word that I myself am sorry to see go. So, go ahead, next time the annoying nitwit behind you gets impatient just because you’re a little slow on the gas pedal at a green light, you can tell him he can stick his klaxon in his ear!

Interesting side-note, klaxon is a trademark for an electromechanical horn or alerting device. The Lovell-McConnell Manufacturing Co. of Newark, New Jersey bought the rights to the device in 1908. F. W. Lovell, the founder, coined the name klaxon from the Greek verb klazō, “to shriek”. Since then this word has become a ubiquitous label for a loud obnoxious horn noise. You go, Jersey! Dare I hope that someday Grammar Punk will become the household word for cool grammar game?

Give it a try. Share your sentence with us. Make sure it contains 2 words with the letters K and A and the word klaxon or one of its derivatives.

 Grammar Punk Sentence:

K A 2 Adv. ;

Leaning impatiently on the fire engine’s klaxon, Sidney eyed the busy intersection ahead; this was what he got for volunteering to pick up the ice cream cake!

The following commonly confused words are certainly commonly confused, and I’ll admit it, commonly confusing. These are stop and think a minute words, but well worth it.

Any one (two separate words) and anyone (one word) have similar meanings but definitely convey different meanings. Nevertheless, telling them apart isn’t all that difficult. Any one: any single person or thing.

Grammar Punk^™ Example

L U 5 | Any one of you could have pulled up those tulips but I strongly suspect my pit bull, Lulu.

And Anyone: means any person.

Grammar Punk^™ Example

K O 3 | Anyone who doesn’t like my koala cuckoo clock is crazy.

Got it straight? With any one, think singular. Anyone, think pronoun and not so singular. As with most commonly confused words, the best plan of attack is to read the sentence containing the word aloud. Tennis, anyone?

Give it a try. Write a sentence or two or three or four containing these commonly confused words.  

Proofreading

You’ve heard me lament about the subjugation of writing for printing, spelling, and overused words, well, today let us discuss proofreading. Or the lack thereof.

Now I for one applaud the advent of progress when it comes to the act of writing. I not only emphatically embrace writing with a computer (my first novel was written entirely on a typewriter—which means, make a mistake, retype the page!), email, IM, Twitter, et al. I love it all. And my philosophy is: if it makes writing easier, yahoo! However, as with many things that are suddenly easier, complacency sets in. And with complacency…okay, I’ll just say it, carelessness follows.

Communication is communication, no matter its format, and thus should be clear, readable, and free from mistakes—at least the easily found and fixed ones. Yes, I’m talking about even the most casual of missives. And, yes, I’m harping. Because it is with casual communication that bad habits are developed. And even the most casual communication reflects its author.

Proofreading, people! Take that extra couple of minutes after you’ve typed out what you want to say to reread what you’ve just written. You’ll be amazed at the common mistakes that can be avoided: missing words, commonly misspelled words, lack of punctuation, etc., and you’ll be astonished at how much more impressive even the simplest message can be if it is error-free.

So before you hit the Send button, stop and proofread. All who read you will appreciate it. And want to hear from you again. ;o)

jo·cose

Pronunciation: \jō-ˈkōs, jə-\

Function: adjective

Etymology: Latin jocosus, from jocus joke

Date: 1673

1 : given to joking : merry
2 : characterized by joking : humorous

synonyms see witty

— jo·cose·ly adverb

— jo·cose·ness noun

— jo·cos·i·ty \jō-ˈkä-sə-tē, jə-\ noun

Okay, it’s time to get imaginative. I rather pride myself on having a rather extensive vocabulary. I love words, long words, short words, weird words. I like being able to come up with the right word to describe, exclaim, or illuminate what I want to say. And as I’ve mentioned, I have read the dictionary, not once but twice, and have in fact just begun reading number three. Therefore, my challenge words will begin to move outside of the ordinary. Don’t be scared, this will be fun. Promise.

Today’s entry for instance; I can honestly say that I have never used the word jocose in a sentence. On the other hand, it’s derivation, joke, is most commonly used. Cool, huh? So the next time you want to tweak an obnoxious coworker for his apparent need to crack wise, you can just tell him to stop being so jocose!

Grammar Punk Sentence

J O 3 ! Pro. Jocose  

Patting the copy of Acme’s 101 Favorite Jokes of all Time tucked into his back pocket, Lionel prepared to join the party; he may not be handsome but by golly, he could be jocose!  

Share your sentence with us. Make sure it contains 3 words with the letters J and O and the word jocose or one of its derivatives.

Desert or Dessert

Back to our regularly scheduled commonly confused words. This is a particularly good one because it not only contains two words that are pronounced the same but spelled differently, but two that are pronounced differently but spelled the same. Jackpot! Have I mentioned I love the English language! C’mon, challenges are good for us, builds fortitude.

I always remember that dessert has an extra S by thinking of all the extra sugar in desserts!

Desert can mean: (1) To abandon (a verb); or (2) Desert, a hot, sandy place, (a noun)

Dessert is a sweet course eaten at the end or toward the end of a meal

Grammar Punk^™ Examples:

T U 3 | Claire didn’t want to desert Barry, but there was no way she was going to sit through a showing of Spartacus again.

T U 3 | The butterfly flitted carefully through the thicket of cactus in the middle of the desert.

P E 4 | Lola looked dubiously down at her plate; pickled pear pancakes for dessert?

 I’ve talked about utilizing the dictionary, which I do. A lot. I love the dictionary, it is, in fact, my favorite book of all time. I always felt that way, even as a kid. I read through the dictionary for the first time in the seventh grade, then again as an adult. I know what you’re thinking—you actually read the dictionary? The entire dictionary? Yes. I did. Twice. And I’m prepared to do it again. Okay, it’s a little thin on plot and a tad wordy, but… Seriously, it’s a great book.

I’ve always had a thing for the dictionary, then I read a perfectly marvelous book: The Professor And The Madman. Title notwithstanding, the book is about the amazing and monumental task of compiling the dictionary.

I suppose I’d given some thought as I was wading through A to Z what prodigious amount work must have gone into its creation—then again, maybe I didn’t. The dictionary has always just…been there. Need to know how to spell a word? Look it up? What does that word mean? Look it up. There it was, once upon a huge tome sitting on a shelf in your bedroom, nestled between Nancy Drew and that copy of Wuthering Heights you forgot to return to the library. Just there.

Well guess what, it was compiled one word at a time, one definition at a time, one language ideation at a time. I’ll talk more about this remarkable book and the remarkable men who undertook this mammoth task, and yes, you’ll find it interesting. Maybe even interesting enough to pick up that big old dictionary from your own shelf and begin with the letter A…

ich·thy·ol·o·gy

ɪk θiˈɒl ə dʒi  / Show Spelled[ik-thee-ol-uh-jee]

noun

the branch of zoology dealing with fishes.

Use ichthyology in a Sentence

See images of ichthyology

Search ichthyology on the Web

Origin:
1640–50; ichthyo- + -logy

[Latin, from Greek ikhthuo-, from ikhthūs, fish.]

You’ve gotta love a word that simply means what it means. This is a great word to know when it comes to trivia games and watching Jeopardy. The study of fish. That’s it, that’s what that big old word means. An ichthyologist is a person who is involved in the study of fish. Yet how much more important, interesting, even exotic does it sound to say, “I’m an ichthyologist!” It’s a great word to add to your vocabulary arsenal.

Grammar Punk Sentence

G I 2 ; Adv. Ichthyologist  

Marching up to the podium, Clyde eagerly reached for the diploma; finally, he was an official ichthyologist, proving them all wrong.

Share your sentence with us. Make sure it contains 3 words with the letters G and I and the word ichthyology or one of its derivatives.

This one isn’t precisely a commonly confused as much as it is a commonly annoyed—for me. This particular duo is in fact one word pronounced and used correctly and another word that is often used instead. Sort of the way Calvary and cavalry are mispronounced; this is also more about diction than it is about spelling, but bear with me.

Jewelry vs. Joolery.

Pretty obvious, right? One is obviously correct, one is so not. I never mispronounce that word, you say to yourself. And maybe you don’t. But sooo many do. Pay attention next time you’re watching television, a movie, or eavesdropping. It so often comes out joolery. Diction, people! One is right, the other wrong. One means pretty, shiny, expensive adornments, the other means…nothing!

Diction is another of those ideas that seems to have lost (most) some of its popularity in the past few decades. Knowing how to spell a word is one thing, pronouncing it should (must!) be a priority.  

Okay, climbing off my soap box.

“Hey,” Myron protested, “what happened to my joolery box?”

“I threw it out, Myron,” Natasha said snottily. “If you can’t pronounce jewelry properly you don’t deserve it!”

Thank you.

Spelling 105

The dictionary is our friend.

With the popularity of typing instead of writing, spell-checkers, and gulp, dare I approach, texting, one of our oldest and most reliable friends seems to have fallen by the wayside; or at least been left to the side of the road. The dictionary!

Now even I’m not vouchsafing the monstrously heavy old Unabridged I used to have sitting on the corner of my desk like a ponderous old toad, I’m still talking computer dictionaries. Not sure how a word is spelled? Get as close as possible, highlight that puppy (if your spellchecker hasn’t already attempted to give you alternatives) and look it up!

Another challenge—and opportunity—that presents itself with dictionary use is expansion of your vocabulary. It’s such a temptation when writing along and you’re reminded by your spellchecker that a word you’ve used is spelled incorrectly to just replace that word with a simpler, more prosaic word. Fight the temptation! Stretch your word usage and your writing by exploring new meanings and new words with the use of the dictionary!