Contact the Grammar Anarchist with your questions about grammar and language at grammaranarchist@gmail.com
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Val@valdumond.com


Tuesday, August 30, 2011

When To Capitalize Titles (at work)

A simple guideline is this: when you wish to add importance to a noun, capitalize it: the title (chair, president, director, manager, editor...) that precedes a name (Chair Anderson, Senior Editor Johnson). When the title follows the name or is used without a name, no caps!

My own preference is to always capitalize “President” when referring to the President of the United States. Use capital letters for letter abbreviations (CEO, IBM, PBS), and for your company and/or boss. Because the capital letter indicates importance, use it when referring to the ones you wish to impress (or are required to pay tribute).

If you work for a government, you have my sympathies. You may choose (or be required) to capitalize the outfit: federal/Federal, city/City, state/State, army/Army.  
Check your group’s style manual carefully.



Saturday, August 27, 2011

SSSS or ZZZZ? When do I use which?

The change in spelling from s to z came with the switch from British English to U.S. Language. If I had my way, I'd change them all to z’s: realize, surprize, analyze, surmize, finalize, reprize.... Why make life any more difficult than it is?

Friday, August 26, 2011

Linus’s Security Blanket


A lot of people feel uncomfortable in a state of anarchy. They like security blankets, the warm feeling of holding onto something, following directions, knowing there are rules, rights-and-wrongs, answers to all the questions — some people. Thank heavens, more of us know the value of taking risks, of daring. We’re the creators!

(It takes all kinds…that’s the beauty of life.)

Thursday, August 25, 2011

NEENER NEENER, NEENER!


Open your computer. Check out WORD/TOOLS/Language and notice the number of languages (mine lists 31).  English offers three choices: UK (the “real” thing), Australian, and United States! Now do you see why we U.S.ers have such a rich language opportunity? Our English is the only one in the world that includes words from just about every other language. My Webster’s (English) Dictionary lists word source abbreviations for 152 languages. Farsi anyone?

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

YYUR, YYUB, ICUR, YY4me

Found this note in an old (very old) school yearbook -- waaaay before twitters and tweets. Will Espy called it “ABC Language” in the 1970s; it mimics what folks keep kvetching about -- shortcutting the English language. Well, it's hard to say where this started, but today's twitterers' grandparents — maybe great-grandparents even — knew about it. Figure out this one — and send me the answer:
AB,  F  U  NE X?
S  V  F  X.
F  U  NE  M?
SV  F  M.
OK  L  F  M  N  X

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Wimpy Verbs

Yeah, a bunch of everyday verbs have so many meanings they lose their punch. A wimpy verb is one so overused it becomes useless. Here’s a list of a few. You may want to replace these when you find them in your work: go, come, do, is, get, put, take, make, have.



Monday, August 22, 2011

What Style Manual Should I Use?

When a writer asks me this, my response is: “Write your own damn style manual.” (Sometimes I use more panache, but you get the idea.) You can, you know. Keep track of your grammar, punctuation, and spelling choices in Your Style Manual. You can build one in a spiral notebook or an online folder. Keep it accessible. If you want more of a jump start, look C-A-R-E-F-U-L-L-Y at the style manuals at your bookstore and choose one that comes close to your own preferences. None of the commercial books will be totally compatible. Take your favorite home and mark it up to suit your own writing style.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

What's the difference between recover and re-cover?

That little hysterical hyphen is a hyper hypnotist in that it can completely hype a word. Recover means “to get well, heal”. Re-cover means “to put on a new cover”. Same with remark and re-mark; remark means “to say something”; re-mark means “to mark it again”. Got it? Take care in using the re-words. (Okay reword means “to word it again”; that’s all!)

What do you call US?

Most of us call ourselves “Americans”. We call our country “America” or “U.S.A.” (we like to talk short). Technically, in reality, logically, sensibly, the U.S. of A. is only a part of America; other Americans include Guatamalans, Canadians, Mexicans, Argentinians, Peruvians, and more. Where do we get off presuming we are THE Americans? What would you call US: US-ers? U.S.-ers? USA-ers? We are special, dammit! Why can’t we come up with a special name?

Friday, August 19, 2011

What do you capitalize in a title?

Generally,  nouns, verbs, their modifiers, sometimes a preposition (if it seems important), and the first word of the title, no matter what: The Anarchist's Guide to Grammar or The Anarchist's Guide To Grammar (my preference). Grammar For Grownups (I like the capital “F”). The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire (that’s the way they like it!)

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Gramma’s G-R-A-M-M-A-R

Grrrr! I keep receiving emails asking me questions about “grammer”. Grrr! Wouldn’t you think that word would be spelled “right”? Wait-a-minute...maybe it is. Spelling changes with the times. Your dictionary may show the word “grammar” comes from gramere (Middle English), gramaire (Old French) and even from gramma and grammat, meaning “letters”. Is it any wonder we wonder about our wonder-ful language?

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Prioritize and Incentivize?

I don’t think so! It started with the word “prioritize”. Now, turning perfectly beautiful nouns into verbs has become a habit of those trying to sound erudite (look it up!). Making up new words is the sign of an anarchist, but some of the stuff seems just too too too! “Incentivize” is one that came out of the Iowa political caucus — would that be caucusizing? See what I mean?

Monday, August 15, 2011

Who Said???

Keep asking these questions: who writes this? who says I can’t? who said I should? (that last one really gets me burning! I cannot listen to talk radio because I keep asking, “How do you know what you’re saying?” I want to hear from people who know — and there’s the rub! When you are unable to identify the source of information, look at it with jaundiced eye (I love that word “jaundiced”; it’s so yellow!), and continue to write with your own words.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Who Writes That Stuff?

At least two major chain stores in this area sport signs designating a “Stationary Department”. Isn't that sweet? A department that doesn't move! Doesn’t anyone else realize the word is stationery, with an “e”? An easy way to remember: paper is also spelled with “er”.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

You Did Not Choose Your Grandma

Even if you can’t choose your grandma, you can choose your grammar! If you’re looking for the best book to guide you, choose v-e-r-y carefully. Look at the Table of Contents: are all the elements of U.S. language there? Look up the guidelines for something you’ve been wondering about: does it give you a usable solution? How often is the word “rule” used (without the quotation marks)? Does this grammarian claim to have “all the answers”? BEWARE!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Single Consonant Follows Vowel

Here’s another cop-out “rule”: A vowel, followed by a single consonant has a long-vowel sound, as in riding, siding, and tiding. Now explain to me the pronunciation of coming (instead of coh-ming), boxing (instead of bowx-ing), caring (instead of cayr-ing) daring (instead of dayr-ing) and a skillion more. “S’plain to me, Lucy!”

Hom/ning In on All-told/tolled/toled/totaled

When you get near, do you “home in” or “hone in”? Home as in “heading for home” or hone, as in “fine-tuning” or “advancing toward a target”?

And when you add it all up, is your bottom line all told (as in “finished”), all tolled (as in “all rung up”), or all toled or all totaled, (as in “summed up”)?

Sorry, can’t help you! This is another of your decisions. How did you learn it? How do you use it?
(Exit Stage Left, muttering: “Crazy language!”)

Friday, August 5, 2011

Please, put me out of my misery: “None”, singular or plural?

Rest easy; none can be both singular and plural, depending on how you want to use it. Generally, I use the singular pronoun, as in its original meaning “no one”. Here are your choices: 1) when none is followed by a preposition modifier (none of the people believe), choose the plural, as you would if modified by “almost” (almost none believe...). Or 2) choose the singular (none of the people believes), meaning “not even one person believes”.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Grammar is Like Breakfast

Whaddaya prefer? Yogurt and granola? Eggs and toast? Pancakes? Steak? or all of the above? No two people agree on the “proper” breakfast (or any other meal). So why should we expect agreement on the “proper” way we write and talk? Or even on some spelling choices? Think about it!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Is it “the team is...” or “the team are...”?

No “rule” for this one. Depends on what you mean. Are you referring to the team as a unit? Use “is” (The team is on the road). If you’re referring to all the members of the team, use “are” (The team are eating  supper). If in doubt, insert “members of...” and if it fits, you have your answer.

Monday, August 1, 2011

“Anarchy” Gets Things Done

Don’t be afraid of anarchists. The U.S. was founded by them; civil rights were assured by their efforts; positive change occurs through their actions — more often than not. Become a Grammar Anarchist by taking control of your writing. Choose the way you want to write (because the purported “rules” are just that — purported). Look it up!

Further or Farther From the Truth?

What's the difference between the “U” and the “A” word? When the truth lies around the next bend, you are farther from it; when the truth lies somewhere in the future, you give it further consideration. Think of the far...word as referring to distance.