Writing Tip 368: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (yes, the comma goes there)

We’re not talking about any “merry gentlemen” here, folks. Did you ever notice the correct comma placement within  this opening line of the classic Christmas carol?

From Rudolph to the Grinch to Deck the Halls, yes, my holiday song breakdown continues…

Plus, you now have some nostalgic new slang to drop with your friends. What’s not to love?

Rest ye merry, everybody!

 

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Editing Flash Sale!

Every year at the end of NaNoWriMo, a celebration is in order. So many writers did so much great work. It’s astounding.

But that work is not yet ready for querying or self-publishing. Wait, writers! Don’t do it yet! (As someone who always cautions against too many exclamation points, you can tell how serious I am about this.)

Books need time to breathe. They need the eyes of people besides the author (and besides the author’s mom). Because I want to make sure every book gets the best chance possible, I’m holding a 5-day-only manuscript critique and substantive edit flash sale. All 2019 manuscript critiques and substantive edits booked by December 5, 2018 for fiction projects will have a 10% discount. More

Writing Tip 366: “Season’s Greetings” or “Seasons Greetings”

“Season’s Greetings” or “Seasons Greetings”

And as a reminder for all the shoppers out there: if there’s a writer or book-lover on your list, holiday shopping really shouldn’t be that hard. Indie bookstore gift certificates, a nice journal, an awesome pen, litograph accessories or home decor. Some people can be hard to shop for but language devotees shouldn’t be among that group.

Yes, this is the moment every year where I have to share my reminder about how to make your last name plural on your Christmas cards (hint: no apostrophe—please, no apostrophe!), but that’s not the end of our holiday punctuation conversation.

Forget the question of whether to say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays.” Is it “Season’s Greetings” or “Seasons Greetings”? Should we just return all those holiday card apostrophes like that awkward office Secret Santa present that joyously came with a gift receipt?

Maybe this is tricky, but there’s no reason for overthinking this one. If you’re wishing someone greetings of the season, you’re wishing “season’s greetings.” The apostrophe is correct. It’s possessive.

The exact origin of “season’s greetings” is unclear, going perhaps as far back as the 1500s according to some sources, but it’s been used commonly at least since the mid-1800s. And the waves of confusion over this expression’s apostrophe have returned time and time again, peaking between 1907 and 1926, again in the 1940s, and then pretty consistently since 1977. Personally, I’m curious about the moment in 1926 and in 1949 that brought the population back to clarity on this issue, and how can we repeat that?

Sure, I have lots of missions this time of year. They range from teaching everyone to be as educated about nausea as the Grinch to questioning the word choice and punctuation of your favorite holiday songs (Are we “tolling” or “trolling” those Yuletime carols? Is Rudolph really the most famous reindeer of all? Where does the comma go in “God bless you merry gentlemen“?).

We don’t need to wait until New Year’s Resolutions—ooh, look another possessive comma!—to get our communications right.

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Episode 12: Don’t Meddle with My Metal Medal (or my Oranges)

Words You Should Know podcast by Kris Spisak

At twelve months old, babies are already beginning to recognize “adjacent relationships” of words, how language fits together to organize itself. The learning process with listening, speaking, and writing, begins there and often lasts for a lifetime.

There’s no medal awarded for correctness, but a strong command of your words is one way to show your mettle. But we’ll get back to that.

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Episode 11: That “turkey” isn’t from Turkey

Words You Should Know podcast by Kris Spisak

Now that we’ve established whether it’s “prouder” or “more proud” than a peacock in last week’s episode, I want to keep talking about birds. Why? Because calling a North American turkey a “turkey” is up there with the earliest of #fakenews. But, accuracy has never been the English language’s strong suit.

It’s the week of Thanksgiving in the United States, and this is the time of year one question is asked time and time again:

Why on earth do we call a turkey a “turkey”?

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Writing Tip 366: “Hiccup” vs. “Hiccough”

Hiccup vs Hiccough

This bird might not actually be hiccuping (hiccoughing?), but a tree like this might be enough to frighten them away if he was.

Sure, spelling the word “onomatopoeia” might strike you out of the spelling bee, but don’t you love that this word exists that refers to words that were formed in imitation of the sound they refer to.

Boom. Squeak. Purr. Buzz.

And then there’s “hiccup.” Or is it “hiccough”? They’re both pronounced the same, a wonderful imitation of that involuntary noise that comes from a contraction in the diaphragm and a response in the vocal chord. More

Episode 10: “Prouder” or “More Proud” than a Peacock? (Plus a Spelling Meme Debunked)

Words You Should Know podcast by Kris SpisakIs it possible to be more proud than a peacock? Or, wait, is it “prouder” than a peacock? One is the correct form, but do you know the answer?

Let’s talk language tips for the curious or confused. This is Season 1, Episode 10. How we have only two episodes left in this first season, I have no idea, but here we are.

I’m presently building my list of ideas for Season 2, so contact me if you have a question or some fascinating word trivia to share. But for now, let’s dive in.

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Episode 9: Cowboy Slang and Ace-High Wild West Typos

Words You Should Know podcast by Kris Spisak

Language tips for the curious or confused. Because we really can fit into either category, depending on the day, the moment, the answer that slipped from your mind.

This is episode 9 of season 1, and I’ll admit it, this podcast started out as an experiment. Who in the world is as fascinated as I am by words and language and fine-tuning our communications, spit-polishing them until them shine? It turns out, I’m not alone. I love it.

But let’s dive in. Or should I say, let’s giddy-up. Today, we’re talking about cowboys.

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