Over Thanksgiving I plan on eating a plethora of delicious food. You know what I mean? Seriously, do you? A “plethora” is an overabundance, as in a glut, as in too much of something. A “plethora” isn’t just lots. It’s an excessive amount. But you know what, on this holiday full of warmth and family and graciousness – and did I mention the homemade lattice-topped apple pie? – the calories don’t count. That’s my philosophy anyhow.
There’s so much to be thankful for this year, and correct word usage at the table is one of them. (Oh, how my family must love me!)
These two words aren’t actually interchangeable, although a lot of people use them as if they were. “Since” refers to time. “Because” refers to causation.
For example: Since I gave birth to my second child, keeping up with my writing tips is a whole new challenge. Because I gave birth to my second child, I didn’t have time for NaNoWriMo. Do you see the difference? In the first sentence, we’re talking about a time period – between then and now; in the second, we’re talking about cause and effect.
Yes, we’re celebrating the arrival of the newest intern on the K. S. Writing team. She’s already supportive of her mommy’s writing career, waiting to arrive until I finished a major manuscript rewrite. (Manuscript rewrite? Yes, it’s true. If you want to see the latest opening, check it out here.)
When people misspell the contraction “y’all,” I can’t help but cringe. Sure, it may be the same way others cringe upon hearing the southern colloquialism, but I can’t help it. It’s not a creation of an invented dialect. It’s a contraction, people. A contraction. As in one word that combines two others.
Is not –> Isn’t
They will –> They’ll
I have–> I’ve
It is –> ‘tis (Yes, I’m a Shakespeare fan too)
You all –> Y’all
What is with this “ya’ll” form I keep seeing? Is this some form of Yankee trickery, trying to transfigure a celebrated Southern idiom into a nonsensical, Red Neck Comedy Tour inspired tomfoolery? I protest, y’all. I utterly and whole-heartedly protest.
It’s November, and you might have a big turkey dinner on your mind, but today, I’m thinking more about an Italian dish – specifically spaghetti. Did you know “spaghetti” refers to the plural grouping of noodles, but if you’re talking about just one noodle, it’s a “spaghetto”?
Sure, this isn’t a writing tip that will revolutionize your prose form, but it’s interesting all the same, no?
Here’s one to watch out for in a big way. Make sure you spell “emulate” correctly.
You know what’s a funny and/or terrible auto-correction? “Immolate” when you meant “emulate.” Don’t tell your child to “immolate” his or her well-behaved friend. That might not end well.
Remember:
“Emulate” means to imitate with effort to equal or surpass;
“Immolate” means to sacrifice, slaughter, or to kill by fire.
Be careful with matches, folks, and happy writing!
I knew a certain toddler who liked to “grin and bare it,” but that was more along the lines of laughing as he ran around his room before we could get him into his pajamas. The expression most people are looking for here is “grin and bear it”—“bear” spelled like the like the animal, not “bare” like a naked giggling child.
In conclusion:
“Bear” n. – a woodland creature (e.g. Yogi, Fozzie, Smokey…)
“Bear” v. – 1) to hold up under pressure (i.e. grin and bear it), 2) to support (i.e. to bear a load of bricks), 3) to produce/bring forth (i.e. to bear fruit, to bear a child).
“Bare” adj. – 1) to be unconcealed, naked, 2) to be sparse (see also “Bare” v.)
While I’m all for confidence, people, let’s try to keep the grinning and baring it to a minimum. Okay?
This one seems so obvious. Why, you might ask, am I even taking the time to talk about something you clearly learned in first grade? Well, my friends, the English language is full of exceptions–and many of the “a” vs. “an” exceptions are looked over time and time again.
When you come upon a horse with a long horn upon its head, is it “a unicorn” or “an unicorn”? When you make a mistake, do you call it “an honest error” or “a honest error”? First reactions may say that “an” is always the article used before words starting with vowels, and “a” is before words starting with consonants; however, here are those tricky exceptions I was talking about.
You need to use “an” before an unsounded “h,” as in “honest,” “hour,” or “honor.” You need to use “a” before words that start with the letter “u,” in cases where the sound echoes a “y,” as in “unicorn,” “union,” and “ukulele.”
Stop thinking purely spelling with the a/an rule. Think about the sound. In most cases, if it sounds like it starts with a vowel, go with the “an”; otherwise, “a” is a likely bet. Got it?
Thanks for the reader request on this one. It’s a simple rule, but people confuse it all the time. Does anyone else have any questions about rule exceptions?
There’s a scene on a street corner. A lone woman shouts excitedly to herself, her arms gesturing through the air like she’s conducting the most maddening of symphonies. Years ago, she might have been a bit mad. In 2013, she’s just on her Bluetooth. A passerby witnesses the outburst. But what if there is an audience of more than one? Are they “passersby” or “passerbys”?
Remember to pluralize the person, the passer, not the preposition.
“Passersby” is correct here, even though you might want to tack that “s” onto the end of the word like most plural cases.
You’ll notice this one incorrect in writing more than in speech. Do you use the correct spelling?
Perhaps you read “historical romance.” This would indeed be different if it was “historic romance”–more Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte and less unlaced corsets, cravats, and smelling salts. Though perhaps I need a better example, the French being the French and all.
While “pre-historic” might cause some confusion to this lesson, remember that:
“historic” is an adjective denoting an important event in history;
“historical” means something simply having taken place in the more distant past.
The invention of the internet was historic; the cloning of Dolly the sheep was historic; the founding of this writing tips blog was historic (no?). But none of these examples are historical. See the difference? Edit yourselves carefully.
***My interview with Deborah Grosvenor originally appeared onjamesriverwriters.orgahead of the 2013 James River Writers Conference***
Want to pitch to the literary agent who discovered Tom Clancy? Deborah Grosvenor saw The Hunt forRed October long before it hit the bookstores shelves. Maybe she’s destined to find her next big client at the James River Writers Conference when she joins us this October. Deborah will be taking pitches and sitting on panels throughout the two-day conference. We were honored when she took a moment to chat with us about the publishing world.More