Well, the Fifty Shades of Grey book series had three, so why not three (or maybe four) installments here too? If it weren’t for the continuing great responses from you readers, I wouldn’t have so many shades of grammar to write about! Hopefully, these are all new shades:
1. etc. — Lots of problems with this one. First of all, it is different from both e.g. and i.e., which will be discussed later! Second, it isn’t ect. Third, it means “and so on,” so don’t say “and etc.” or “etc. and so on.” Those are redundant. Last, there is a period after etc. and a comma before it.
I love all kinds of berries, including blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc.
2. Amount and number — People on the news are still confusing amount and number, which is similar to less and fewer. Number is generally used with something countable. Amount is used with something uncountable or singular:
The number of accidents on Highway 50 has declined in the past year. It is not the amount of accidents.
The amount of crime in the city has declined since last year. (But the “number of crimes”)
3. Double stuff — There are double negatives, double comparisons, and even double possessives, and we don’t like any of them!
There isn’t barely enough money left to pay the bills. (double negative: should be is barely)
I think he is more honester than his brother. (double comparison: should be more honest)
This is the book of Mike’s that I borrowed. (double possessive: Mike’s book; book of Mike)
4. e.g. and i.e. — They are different: e.g. means “for example.” i.e. means “that is” or “in other words.”
I love to read scary books, e.g., books in the Goosebumps series. (for example)
I love to see really scary movies, i.e., I love to be really scared! (in other words)
Both e.g. and i.e. have two periods and are preceded and followed by commas.
5. Elicit and illicit — These words are really close in pronunciation, but they are sure different in meaning, so don’t confuse them! They are also different parts of speech.
Elicit is a verb (with the prefix e meaning out) which means ‘to draw out,” such as to elicit a response from someone.
Illicit is an adjective meaning “illegal, improper, or not allowed.”
6. Fith — Beethoven didn’t write a Fith. He wrote a Fifth!
7. Tumeric — As you saw with the spelling of cardamom, I am no cook. And I could have sworn it was tumeric. I always pronounced it (on the rare occasion I said it) toomeric. Come to find out its turmeric with an r in the first syllable. Who knew?
8. Crayon — So we were having a discussion at lunch the other week about the pronunciation of this word and whether different areas of the country pronounce it differently. My co-worker and I said it was crayon pronounced cra-un. Someone else thought we were crazy and it was pronounced cra-yawn. Which is it? Yeah, I could look it up, but what fun would that be?
9. Happy Birfday! — Well, I wouldn’t be happy if you said that to me on my birthday, which is incidentally, on September fith.
10. Caramel — Not unlike #8, there is much ado about this pronunciation. Is it car-mel? or ca-ra-mel? Personally, I pronounce it carmel.
11.Supposably — Easier to say, but it’s supposedly.
12. Goes — I didn’t agree with Jack. I told him the book was better than the movie. But Jack goes,”I hated that book! The movie was way better!” And then my sister goes, “I hated them both.” Says is not the same as goes, is it? It’s says (or said)
13. Let’s do 13, because it is lucky day, Friday the 13th! So where did this sentence come from?
I just got my hair did. (Done you really now?)
Did you get your nails did too? Or can you only get hair did?
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I would like to mention a few things:
1. I will be talking and showing (and selling) my books at the Sonoma County Library, main branch in Santa Rosa at the Local Author’s Symposium on Saturday, March 28.
2. I will be launching my Best Grammar Workbook Ever at Petaluma Copperfield’s on Friday, May 15 from 7 to 9 p.m. Come to this event if you are local!
3. It is just about “did,” and it’s a good thing!
4. Looking for ideas and guest writers for this blog. If you have something you would like me to write about, please let me know (info@bigwords101.com).
Just came across the following grammar peeve no one else has mentioned: “should of.”
Oh, yes, lots of people mentioned the could of, should of peeve. It was somewhere in one of the posts, I am sure.
You are right. I stand, rather sit, corrected. Thank you.
Here’s a more subtle “shade of grammar: Is it “Do any of you . . .” or “Does any of you . . .” My thinking is the second: “Does any(one) of you [whatever]?”
Does would be my answer. Any is singular. Flip it around. “Any of you . . ” you would use a singular verb.
I thought of flipping it, but that didn’t help, e.g., Any of you who know/knows the answer should write it down. Same issue. Apparently, it’s a matter of accepting as fact that “any” is singular. I looked for clarification on dictionary.com, but it didn’t help me. I think in my preceding example that “any” is a pronoun. Dictionary.com says re “any” as a pronoun: “an unspecified person or persons; anybody; anyone.” Therefore, it appears “any” can be plural (“persons”). Similarly, as an adjective, “one, a, an, or some; one or more without specification or identification.” “Some” is plural.
I’m so confused. Would you mind trying again to clarify? I don’t ask my questions idly but actually keep a file on English grammar that I use for reference.
Any, some and many other words are indefinite pronouns. Most of them are singular, a few are plural, and some depend upon the noun that might follow in a prepositional phrase. I think any must depend:
Is any of the pie left?
Are any of the pieces left?
So I change my answer, since in your example YOU is plural. Any of you who know the answer should write it down.
Hi Arlene!
I am fascinated by your take on Fifty Shades of Grey (I applaud E.L. James for her success with a mediocre work. She can afford writing lessons, or pay for an excellent, brutal editor for her next novel.), and I have downloaded all three parts, to use with my critique groups. I am going to the Local Authors Showcase and Symposium. See you there!
Tim
I read all three books and saw the movie. Am I a glutton for punishment? (I didn’t even realize that was a pun!)I actuality liked the books and the movie. She may not write that well, but so do lots of other people who sells lots of books!
And see you at the Symposium!
I was skimming the website of a professional in a field related to medicine and encountered “with regards to.” I would use “with regard to.” (Yes, I know this phrase can be avoided by instead substituting “regarding.”) What’s your take on this, Arlene?
I agree. It should be regard, not regards….or regarding.
Thanks. However, I will give your regards to Broadway. 🙂
Yes!~ Don’t give my regard to Broadway!
I live in an area where some pronounce things differently than most other people. We have a local TV station that is running a car sales commercial. The salesmen are talking about being local boys, proud to be home growed in this area. They are not home grown, but home growed. I cringe each time I hear that commercial.
Sondra – I am cringing with you! Why do people think it is funny to be stupid!
Your colleague who pronounces crayon like cray-yawn is a genius.
Yes, he certainly is! Now how does he pronounce caramel?
Good stuff, as usual.
Thanks.
Thank you so much, Rob!
As a Foodie and Chef, I feel challenged, (I tend to cringe, even though I DO TRY not to,) when I hear “Tumeric.” I’m in the kitchen a lot, conjuring up wondrous things, but when I’m Not there I’m often watching one of the Cooking Channels on TV. “Chopped” is one of my favorites! I love watching the competitors try to get creative with odd combinations of ingredients! It’s especially interesting to watch the ones who bring excess ego to the event! The circumstances can take them down a notch pretty quickly! 🙂 I think they should make a rule that if you mispronounce “Mascarpone” Cheese as “MaRscapone” it should be among the reasons to ‘CHOP’ you! I don’t mind if they don’t pronounce the “e” sound at the end, as the Italians would, but please . . . NO rearranging the letters! This is the Grammar Venting page, right? 🙂 I know I probably didn’t get All of my punctuation right, and am guilty of liberal use of Capitals! I may have committed other offenses here too! I’ve been known to be the ‘Run On Sentence Champion’ before! 🙂 With all my imperfections, I still dare to want Mascarpone Cheese pronounced correctly! Cheeky! And I’m French, not Italian! 🙂
I have had little cause to ever use the word Mascarpone, since I don’t cook much, but someone did say it to me a few weeks ago. I don’t know how he said it, but now I see that there is no R in the first syllable. However, one could take that faulty R and put it in tuRmeric where it belongs! I love to watch Chopped while I am exercising (!!)….yes, this is the grammar venting capital and you are free to vent whenever you would like! So, how exactly is Mascarpone pronounced. Is it a short A or is the first A pronounced ah?
Crayon: I looked it up! Merriam-Webster says either Kray – on or Kran (either 2 syllables or 1 syllable –the single syllable variant may either have a long or short a). Kra-yawn was not offered. The two syllable variant was preferred. Quite apart from the orange and green boxes from Crayola, the word was first used in 1644 referring to a stick of white or colored chalk used for drawing.
Caramel: While Merriam-Webster gives “Kar – mel” the first position, it also allows Ker-a-mel or Ka – re- mel as alternates. Personally I’ve always preferred the 3 syllable version, since my frequent childhood visits with my family, causes me to think of the city of Carmel on the Monterey peninsula rather than the sugar-based product when I hear the 2 syllable variant.
I note that many of your errors appear to involve pronunciation errors — I recall my grade school teachers being quite pedantic regarding such pronunciation errors. Perhaps the teaching profession has been less robust on these issues in recent years…
FWIW, years ago, I had a coworker who was ethnically Chinese. (Her family immigrated to the U.S. when she was about 5 years old.) I was struck by her completely accent free English (living in the SF Bay Area, and having many other Asian acquaintances, I was accustomed to hearing Chinese/Asian accepted English). She explained that her parents, after a brief stay in San Francisco’s Chinatown, moved (for employment) to Novato, where she was (at the time) the only Chinese girl in the elementary school. Her primary teachers would not allow her to “get away” with accented English. In her later employment, she was very well spoken — and this early effort by her teachers served her well.
Pete – Thank you for looking it up for me! I pronounce crayon somewhere between one and two syllables. It is difficult to pronounce with one syllable. I pronounce the second syllable -un. Other people hold the second syllable for longer, making it sound like -yon (as it is spelled). I haven’t heard many people pronounce it with really just one syllable, although I have heard some, and it sounds weird to me.
The sticky and sweet stuff and the California city have their accents on different syllables, but that is the only difference in how I pronounce caramel. I always thought people who pronounced it with the three syllables sounded pretentious!
The story about the Chinese girl . . .Yup, things have changed so much. I am with you, Pete, but it seems to have become a political correctness issue whereas people keep their cultures with them if they keep their language and even their accents when speaking English.
The word that we pronounce “vittles” is actually spelled ‘victuals’ – you’re welcome.
I never really thought about it. Thanks!