Grammar Punk Blog

Birthdays Smirthdays

Birthdays are an interesting concept when you stop and think about it—which I had occasion to do recently, owing to my own date of birth recognition. I won’t use the word celebration because it was one of those ending with a zero which are, for some reason, somewhat disconcerting. Which is what got me to thinking about birthdays in general in the first place.

What an odd thing to acknowledge year after year (after year, after year, after…) It’s a date on the calendar just like any other 365 days of the year—except it isn’t. It’s YOUR birthday. And of course none of us are unique in having one day designated to our birth, lots of people share our same day of birth, nevertheless, that one day out of all the others is…ours. It’s MY BIRTHDAY. I do get thinking about those poor Leap Year folk—a birthday every five years. Then I get thinking that’s a pretty cool concept. Only having to worry about that one day on the calendar every five years… Hmmm.

Mine came and went pretty quietly, no fuss, no muss, and I was just as happy to see it come and go. But now I have to wait an entire year for another one.

Tell us what you think about birthdays. Teachers of English, grammar, and writing, here’s a good writing challenge for your students—especially since they haven’t had enough of them to get too bothered about.

Must Rant

I must rant or explode. What is wrong with people?! This particular rant deals exclusively with the media—and whoever feeds them their info—or misinfo as it were.

I have a well-known news page as my front page and enjoy feeling up-to-date as my day progresses. Life moves fast and I like to stay informed. Therefore, when a red banner pops up at the top of the page, which it infrequently does when something big has happened—tornado’s, tsunami’s, politicians behaving badly—I tune in immediately to see what is happening. So, when a banner appeared stating that 25-30 bodies had been found in East Texas I paid attention. A reliable source had phoned in a tip that the bodies were purported to be the small corpses of children I choked up. Then when it was stated that it was reported that the bodies were dismembered… Let’s just say I was transfixed. And horrified. And prepared to be devastated for countless parents of missing children…

Until a bit later it was reported—not in a red banner this time—that the tipster had been a PSYCHIC who had phoned in the tip! !!! Are you kidding me?! The whole horrifying story had been set off by a psychic who just knew 25-30 bodies…well, there you are.

Now I am not a naïve person, at least I try not to be. I am usually on the skeptical side and certainly do not believe everything I read online or in the newspaper or see on the news on television. Not hardly. However, when it comes to mass murder I tend to believe before not believing—especially when you see that red banner. Do they check these things out before spreading it to the media? Did anyone think before blabbing? As the story was being typed up and inserted did anyone stop and think that maybe this story sounded a bit…off? Apparently not.

I don’t even know why I got so completely incensed, but I did. I suppose it was the reference to children that pushed me over the edge. Horrible things do happen. All the time. I just want to request (INSIST, REQUIRE, DEMAND) that those in charge of the information to be disseminated to us masses STOP AND THINK before posting such horrific news. Especially when psychics are involved.    

Teachers of English and writing, ask your students how they feel about being misled by the media? Ask for examples. And share.

I was contemplating the distinction between two apparently dichotomous concepts the other day *and yes, I really should get a life) namely, paranoia and narcissism.

What do these two seemingly disparate notions have to do with one another you ask (or you’re just curious enough to see where this is headed to keep reading)? The thing is they’re really not so disparate if you stop and think about it. So think about it.

Narcissism: characterized by an overestimation of one’s own appearance and abilities and an excessive need for admiration and attention. 

Paranoia: Extreme and unreasonable suspicion of other people and their motives.

On the surface these two concepts may not seem to have much—if anything—to do with one another—unless you happen to be feeling particularly paranoid. For whatever reason.

I think one connection between the two is worriers. Let me explain. Worriers can be paranoid, certainly paranoid people are worriers. Which brings in the narcissism angle since paranoia is primarily about oneself and all the bad things that could happen any minute, this necessitates a certain degree of self-absorption. Me, me, me, it’s all about me—hence narcissism.

Therefore, the cure for both paranoia and narcissism is to think about someone other than oneself, right? Unless of course, they really are out to get you.

Teachers of English try this one out on your students and have fun with it. Ask for an essay on either of these subjects or a combination of the two. Get them thinking. Get them writing.

Spelling is as Spelling Does

Spelling is another of those bugaboos—and isn’t that a great word?—that is trying to go the way of the dodo bird and cursive writing. And we can’t let it! We mustn’t let it!

Spelling is at its most basic simply getting the letters in the right order. Sounds simple enough. And it is. Spelling is merely a matter of discipline and memorization and understanding the structure of words.

And it’s so much more. Spelling is verse and literature and poetry and the magic of language. Spelling is discipline and study and order. Spelling is preserving our lovely language and never letting it be lost.

A little dramatic, you say?

Pshaw, I say. Spelling is a rite of passage that cannot, must not lose its place in the learning and polishing and use of the language. Spelling is very cool.

Those of you who know about Grammar Punk know we’re all about the loveliness and under appreciation of basic grammar and punctuation but we’re also all about the precision of writing and command of the language. Which means strong spelling skills. Which is also why we’ve working like mad to greatly expand our Grammar Punk Spelling & Vocabulary Addendum. Each program (4-9 & 9-12) contains more than 200 pages each of spelling words, vocabulary words and definitions, games and puzzles to introduce, encourage, and instill strong spelling skills, monster vocabularies, and interested writers. K-3 also includes spelling and vocabulary words designed for the youngest writers. And just because we feel so strongly about spelling, we’ve even created grade-specific, interactive spelling bees! These bright, colorful, clever PowerPoint programs are all any teacher needs to create, designate, or assign spelling bees right in their own classrooms.  

Spelling Rules!

Spelling Bees

The phrase itself fascinates me. Thought to have been named after the more mundane and less stressful quilting or sewing “bees”, the spelling bee is thought to have begun officially around 1925. The first winner of an official spelling bee was Frank L Nieuhauser, then 11 years old who won the 1st National Spelling Bee held in Washington, DC. He and the other nine finalists were invited to meet President Calvin Coolidge at the White House. A tradition that was to be followed for most of the 85 plus years of the contest.

Back to the idiom, Spelling Bee. I love the imagery. If you’ve ever watched a beehive you’ll notice the organized chaos, which is of course not chaotic at all. Bees, like ants, are highly systematic with every member of the hive with their own functions, their own duties, their own place. And all with a common goal: survival of the entire hive.

What does this have to do with quilting, or spelling for that matter, you might ask? It’s not that far-fetched, really. Both are group activities with each member of the group having a specific task to perform. Bees are all about organization, precision, discipline, skill. Sound familiar?

Of course the other objective of “bees” is the social aspect. Not only are some jobs just more efficiently completed in a group setting, they’re undeniably more palatable, even more fun. Spelling Bees are no exception. At least that was no doubt part of the concept when first conceived back in the 1920’s. Of course things have evolved, as things do. Spelling Bees can be highly competitive, stressful, even cutthroat.

If you’ve read this blog with any regularity you know that we at Grammar Punk are all about the power of words. The right word, the grammatical word, the properly punctuated word, the CORRECTLY SPELLED word. Which is why we have been working on a truly cool Spelling and Vocabulary Addendum to our Grammar Punk Grammar and Punctuation Programs. Strong spelling skills are after all one of the most powerful tools good writers possess. And there is no reason polishing those spelling skills can’t be fun. So we created grade-specific, teacher/student interactive PowerPoint Spelling Bees to go along with the tons of spelling words, defined vocabulary words, games and puzzles designed to create stellar spellers.

Check out excerpts at www.grammarpunk.com and spell!

It’s (still) Not Too Late!

The deadline for the 5th Annual GP Creeper Short Story Contest is still a week away!

So, let loose the ghosts, unchain the ghouls, dust off the mummies, carve up the pumpkins, tiptoe past the zombies, count the headstones, walk the werewolves, tickle the tarantulas, unmuzzle the monsters, shoo away the vampire bats, unshackle the goblins, enter the haunted houses, and tell us a story. Then send it in! Deadline, November 1! For details go to: www.grammarpunk.com and click on GP Creeper.

Have I mentioned that I love Halloween? All of it, the scary stuff, the funny stuff, the parties, the costumes, the weather, the colors, not so much the candy, but the rest of it, this is my time of year. Which is why my house looks like it does this time of year. We’re kind of known for our holiday decorations, people come from pretty far away to drive by our house. We’re not the graves in the yard, ghouls peering from the porch, dead bodies strewn about like fall leaves, we go more for the fun and the cheerful sort of scary.

I’ve included some pictures my brother, the fantastic photographer, took of our house in the dark. He also got very clever with his zoom  lens on a few of them.

Teachers of English, grammar, and writing. There’s still time to get those stories in. As long as they’re postmarked by November 1 we’ll take ‘em! That goes for the rest of you too!

Hummingly…Disappointed

I so wanted to add and expound and create my own mini-encyclopedic account of the meeting and mating of hummingbirds this year, but alas, we are hummingbirdless.

Sort of.

She came back. Esme came back.

Kind of.

You may recall (if you tuned in to my hummingbird saga last spring/summer—still available in the archives) that I mentioned that hummingbirds may (or not) revisit past nesting spots, building new nests on top of old, on top of old, like a tall, teeter, something out of Dr. Seuss looking construction. I was so hoping. I also mentioned that hummingbirds are inveterate thieves, sniping spider’s webs, seed pods, bits of carpet and such to build said nests. Well, apparently, they are also smart enough to visit old nests and snatching bits and pieces of old construction to enable the new. Why reinvent the wheel and all that.

It was Esme, I just know it.

I was beyond thrilled, holding my breath as I stood at the window and saw—yes!—a hummingbird flitting about that stretch of ridiculously thin extension cord! “She’s back!” I shrieked—to no one in particular since I was alone in the office at the time. She’s going to build a new nest on top of her old nest and I get to experience the whole thing again.

Not.

The little thief was stealing bits and pieces and snippets and snips of her old nest! Not an easy task, I might add, the old construction having been superb, but Esme is not faint-hearted. She came back over several subsequent days, snatching and tugging until all that is left of the lovely old conical nest is a tattered bit of old spider’s webs, seed pods, and pieces of carpet hanging valiantly onto the wire. Sniff, sniff.

Fine. Glad we could help, Esme. Not!

For those familiar with Grammar Punk, you are aware how passionate, even a little nutty we are, on the subject of words. Because of course that is the what, the why, the how, and the who cares about Grammar. Grammar justifies its stodgy, pedantic, decidedly un-fun reputation by bringing order to that confusing conundrum of possibilities: communication. 

Feh on rules you (certainly your students) say. Rules are for the dull, the timid, the unimaginative. Rules quash the urge for creativity and self-expression. Rules, plain and simple, take all the fun out of things.

We couldn’t agree more.

Well, sort of.

Our main objection is that along the way Grammar has attained the most unfortunate of reputations: Grammar is boring!

Nonsense, we answered emphatically. Grammar, certainly the teaching of it, has merely been…misunderstood. Grammar Punk to the rescue! Because as far as we’re concerned, there is nothing boring about learning to communicate. Which is precisely what this intriguingly weird, oddly entertaining, and endlessly optimistic little blog will be about.

We will be blogging daily. Be sure and check in with us regularly.