Getting Wordy

[katina2nd]

;D
Tis embarrassing though, anybody with half a functioning brain should know the difference ........................ ahhhhhh, just realised the problem.

[Siren]

Here's another pet peeve: when folks add unnecessary apostrophes to plural words. For instance, "The Mama's & The Papa's" instead of "The Mamas & The Papas". I actually saw that error on one of the group's LP covers, believe it or not.

One of my struggles is with affect/effect. I always get them confused, and don't know which one to use.

[Phalon]

Typically effect is used as a noun, and affect as a verb, though both words can be either nouns or verbs.


"The harmful effects of sun's rays can affect the condition of your skin."

"Love's effects affect the heart."

This from Webster's: The confusion of affect and effect is not only quite common but has a long history. Effect (as a verb) was used in place of affect as early as 1494.... If you think you want to use effect in its verb form, but are not certain, check the definitions in this dictionary, (eye roll). The noun affect is sometimes mistakenly used for effect. Except when your topic is psychology, you will seldom need the noun affect."

And that clears up any confusion, yes? Pfft.

[Siren]

I think I can remember that, Gams. Thanks!

BTW, "pfft" is one of my favorite things about Whoosh. Makes me laugh every time I read it.

[Phalon]

You're welcome, Siren. I just hope I gave the correct information. BOLL. You know I do tend to make my own rules as I go along.

"Pfft"....and there's another pronunication debate.

[Phalon]

Just in case there is confusion about those Toms, Dicks, and Haris, this from another site. And not that it Matas, I just thought it interesting.

"Today, (August 7th), we remember Mata Hari, who was born on this date in 1876. Her story is well-known: she was a Dutch citizen (nee Margaretha Zelle) who moved to Paris in 1905 after her marriage ended. The former Mrs. McLeod renamed herself Mata Hari (which translates roughly as "eye of the day" in Malay) and began a life of intrigue, exotic dancing, and wartime travel that ended with her death—as a spy—before a firing squad in October 1917.

Regardless of whether she was a double agent, Mata Hari was a courtesan, a femme fatale, and an established member of the demimonde. What differentiates these terms? Courtesan—a prostitute or kept woman with a courtly, wealthy, or upper-class clientele—is the oldest of the three terms. It first appeared in English during the 1500s, entered our language from Middle French, and has a northern Italian dialectal ancestor meaning "woman courtier."

Demimonde entered English from French in the mid-1800s, half a century before Mata Hari entered Paris. The literal translation of demimonde—"half world"—hints at its shadowy meaning: "a class of women on the fringes of respectable society supported by wealthy lovers."

Finally, there's femme fatale—literally "disastrous woman" in French. First spotted in English print five years before Mata Hari died, femme fatale has two meanings: "a seductive woman who lures men into dangerous or compromising situations" and "a woman who attracts men by an aura of charm and mystery."

[mabd]

phalon said:

Just in case there is confusion about those Toms, Dicks, and Haris, this from another site. And not that it Matas, I just thought it interesting.

LMAO. This is one of your best puns -- and since I repeat (properly cited) a least one of your puns almost daily, you really impressed me with this one.*

Girl, this is a way cool post!! Why don't you turn this seedling into an article? You really synthesized a lot of information into an elegant and well-crafted work.

Does this mean you are feeling a bit better? Hope so..

The French also use the word formidable to describe certain women. Oddly, one of the best examples is Toni Morrison (who lives in Paris). But, equally oddly, Lady (and I use that term with much irony) Thatcher, would never be described as formidable.

*one of the hazards of my job is that I footnote conversations...

Maeve, subversively trying to get Phalon to write more...

[mabd]

katina said:

To and too are my Achilles heel I'm deeply embarrassed to admit.

Kat, confusion over to/too is just not a big deal.

I really screw up "that" and "which." (It may have something to do with my lack of relatives.)

Actually, I think I conflate the 2 because I do Victorian history and those dear souls used that/which in ways that (which?) are exactly opposite to the way people who speak American English do.

And American English is not my cradle language.

We need our own WHOOSH grammar book.

Maeve

[Phalon]

Girl, this is a way cool post!! Why don't you turn this seedling into an article? You really synthesized a lot of information into an elegant and well-crafted work.

Whoa, Maeve. BOLL. I agree, it is a cool, well-crafted piece of work, and while I've been called a piece of work, I doubt it's been in conjuction with the term "well-crafted". I should have clarified better when I mentioned I got it from another site: I got it from another site.

And I should have credited the author, (I think it is from one of those "word of the day" things), but the site I got it from did not quote the original site either....just people passing along bits of information.

But I did use quotations.

And the pun was mine.

Damn, it's now lost some of it's impressiveness, no?

[mabd]

phalon said:

Damn, it's now lost some of it's impressiveness, no?

Er, NO!!

First you still get props for the pun. It is stellar ("Stella!! STELLA!! -- oops, wrong thread. )

Secondly, you fictiony types always say "but I just strung together quotes." It is not that simple. Give yourself credit for making good use of quotes to make your point. Just cause it ain't fiction don't mean jack.

Look, if historians could do stuff like develop plots, create characters which move in time and space, and do stuff like dialog, we'd all be fiction-writers. But we can' do that stuff. So we pick on dead people because (generally) they don't talk back.

Or, PFFFFT [sic]

Maeve

[Phalon]

This past Wednesday was the last really miserable day we had here; hot, humid, totally icky weather. It was my day off work, and not a pleasant one to do anything outside. Near the end of summer; school for the girls starts soon, and it was kind of a restless, melancholy feeling. Truly one of the "dog days" of summer: "a period of stagnation or inactivity", says Webster's.

The "dog days" fall between July and August in the Northern Hemisphere when the weather turns hot and sultry. Why "dog days", though, and not "cat days? Or even "pig days"; aren't the sayings "sweat like a dog", and "sweat like a pig" interchangeable? I've heard them both used.

It was once a popular theory that this period was given the name "dog days" or "canicular days", because the extreme heat frequently caused dogs to go mad. Dalmationable heat, (what a b!tch), left them in poodles of sweat.

Not so; the name comes from astronomy. It is the period in which Sirius, the Dog Star, rises in conjunction with the sun. The ancients believed that it was the combined heat of Sirius, the brightest star in the Canis Major constellation, and the sun, that brought about the sweltering weather.

How's that for a stellar performance? Siriusly. No? Not even a constellation prize? Sigh. LMAO. Time to cart me off to the lunar bin.

[Phalon]

I learned a new word today....literally a new word.

Teenile - when the middle-aged and older dress in a style meant for the much, much younger, and think they are pulling it off.

Or maybe it's "Teenial", a combination of "teen" and "denial": denial about the total of one's actual accumulated years.

My friend encountered the word during a recent trip to Chicago, which resulted in a shopping excursion to Marshall Field's. My friend's partner, forty-somethingish, somehow ended up in the "Young Men's" department, trying on the latest fashions for, well, young men. I think it was the sales clerk who politely uttered the term "teenial", and pointed them in the direction of the Men's department; a department more suited to their slightly graying hair.

It was a productive trip. Along with learning a new word, learning the importance of that word and how it applies to themselves, and coming home with their age appropriate wardrobe purchases, they gave me a bit of fashion advice as well.

It seems I am stylin' now again. The worn-out clothes I refuse to part with: my holey jeans and cut-offs; my bleach and paint splattered shirts are in fashion again. Expensive designer labels have picked up on what I've worn for years. And years. And years.

And no way am I in teenial.

[Scrappy Amazon]

Have we done Surcease?

[Phalon]

I'm sure we haven't, Scrappy. The floor is yours.

[Scrappy Amazon]

I really didn't have anythng to say....just sounds nice rolling off the tongue.

1sur·cease
Pronunciation: (")s&r-'sEs, 's&r-"
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): sur·ceased; sur·ceas·ing
Etymology: Middle English sursesen, surcesen, from Anglo-French surceser, alteration of surseer, surseoir, from Latin supersedEre -- more at SUPERSEDE
intransitive verb : to desist from action; also : to come to an end : CEASE
transitive verb : to put an end to : DISCONTINUE

[Phalon]

A little quiz:

www.brettuzzi.com/smrt_test/index.php

I'm ashamed to admit I only scored 80.something percent on this - only two points higher than Hubs, who gloated at that. Breezing through it, thinking pfft, too easy, and I blew it on the last quarter.

[Mini Mia]

You scored 94.74%.

2 red & 1 yellow . . . the rest green.

[mabd]

Everyone at our brunch took the syn-test. I was last. My so-called friends wouldn't share their scores or even cheat. They're no fun.

I think our scores went from 90 something to 100.

NOTE to Kat: watch out for the two/to question.

Fun test, in a sick sort of way. But it surely did *not* measure intelligence.

Maeve

[Desire]

92.98%.

[Siren]

87-something %, and I minored in English! Sheesh.

And sure enough, the affect/effect question was one that got me. Dammit!

[Phalon]

It was whoever/whomever that got me. I've never learned the proper time to use either. Whomever/whoever would like to tell me, I'd be so much appreciative.

And just to clarify....when I said "I only scored 80.something percent", I meant I scored eighty something, point something. Actually it was 86 - something %, (as Siren put it); Hubs at 84 - something. Just didn't want anyone to think my grammar was that bad. Uhm....okay, so no one reads my posts, right? I'm thinking the cat was outta the bag long ago.

One other that I remember marked in red was the last one: faze/phase. I honestly did not know "faze" was an actual spelling; I don't believe I've ever seen it written that way, and had to look it up in the dictionary just to make sure. Sure enough, there is was. I know I've seen "phase" then used improperly often: in fact one of my favorite songs, "An Evening with El Diablo" by Chevelle has it printed wrong in the lyrics.

"Wish I had your faults;
Nothing seems to phase you."

So few expect a metal band to have proper grammar, or spelling, I suppose, (eye-roll), but this is just one example; I'm sure I've run across many.

And Joxie - what's the red and yellow mean? My yellows outnumbered my reds, but appeared more of a greenish-brown - like pea-soup.

I've just gotten way too wordy, haven't I? Tis the proper thread for it.

[Mini Mia]

Green = Correct

Red = Wrong

I figured Yellow was a semi-wrong. Like it could have gone either way. I didn't see any instructions.

[Mini Mia]

I know I got this one wrong (yellow):

---

That rug will be a nice __________ to my living room furniture.
complement
compliment
Either A or B
Neither A or B

---

I don't recall ever seeing it spelt with an e in place of the i. Perhaps the answer was either, and that's why it was yellow instead of red?

[Mini Mia]

I also got this one wrong. (Red)

---

They __________ her for murdering her children.
hanged
hung
Either A or B
Neither A or B

[Phalon]

Yep, green for right, red for wrong, and pea-soup for semi-wrong; sounds plausible to me.

I got the compliment one wrong too, though I knew the correct usage. Most of my errors were because I skimmed instead of actually reading. I should know better; I just went through the importance of reading thoroughly the other day with LX as she asked for help with her homework.....before actually reading the chapter, but just skimming for the answers.

But I am Mom; I'm allowed. And skimming does have its purpose; isn't it supposed to be lower in fat or something?

[mabd]

csr1 said:

I also got this one wrong. (Red)

---

They __________ her for murdering her children.
hanged
hung
Either A or B
Neither A or B

"Hanged" is one of those words that annoy me. Why its past tense has to be irregular only sometimes ticks me off.

Maeve, hoping the ticks don't give me lyme (lemon) disease

[Phalon]

Hoping the ticks don't give you lemon-lyme disease in Spritely proportions either, Maeve. Nervous ticks? Stop feeding them Mountain Dew.

Meld. I love this word: short, sweet, and depending on the usage, oh-so-sexy sounding.

[mabd]

csr1 said:

I know I got this one wrong (yellow):

---

That rug will be a nice __________ to my living room furniture.
complement
compliment
Either A or B
Neither A or B

---

I don't recall ever seeing it spelt with an e in place of the i. Perhaps the answer was either, and that's why it was yellow instead of red?

Compliment and complement are very closely related etymologically.

Complement entered the English language in 1419 and originally meant “the thing which completes.” It is from the Old French, complement, which is from the Latin complementum (2nd dec m. meaning that which “fills up or makes whole,” in turn, that came the Latin verb, complere (2nd conj imper.), “to fill up.”

Compliment entered the English language in 1578 via the French who swiped it from the Italian complimento (either an abl. of means or gen. of degree) of , “an expression of respect,” which came from the Vulgate Latin complire (3rd i-stem imper.), swiped from the Latin complere, here used to mean “complete the obligations of politeness.

Same word as complement but a different etymological history. Spellings differentiated by 1650.

Trick to knowing which is which: if I say you look great, it is a compliment; if I say your new painting really complements your decor (yeah, right, like I talk like that), it uses the e. It is all about the “i.”

Maeve, got no "i's"

[Mini Mia]

Thanks for the info Maeve. Very interesting.

[Phalon]

This, from a book I'm reading - actually, I have lists of words I need to look up the meaning of from this book, and need to do it soon before I forget what context they were used.

Bluestocking: a woman having intelluectual or literary interests; from the Bluestocking Society, an 18th century literary club.