That’s what that means?
I know many avid readers, and I wish I read as much as they do. But to my surprise, very few of them read with a dictionary on hand. When I ask why, the answer is some variation on “It ruins the mood” or “I want to relax, not study” or the most self-deluded one: “I can figure out most words from the context.”
As for that last one, I can only say that I myself have guessed wrong on a word’s meaning too often to count, and many times if I had gone with what I guessed and not bothered to look it up, I’d have gravely misunderstood some of the author’s fundamental premises — yes, the stakes are that high.
I can illustrate this with a simple example: “Joe inferred that the judge was disinterested.” There are many smart people who would take that sentence to mean, “Joe insinuated that the judge didn’t care.” Boy, would they be wrong.
The sentence actually means, “Joe decided that the judge was unbiased.” Huge difference there. Would you rather have a judge who’s fair or one who wants to go home? “Disinterested” means “impartial.” It does not mean “apathetic” — that would be an uninterested judge.
And because so many people mistakenly think infer is a synonym for imply, a reader might see “inferred” and think Joe was hinting at something, when in fact he had reached a conclusion.
If just a simple seven-word sentence can cause such a misunderstanding, imagine tackling difficult authors like Lawrence Durrell or William Faulkner. Without a dictionary nearby, what you get out of these writers’ books might be a far cry from what they actually wrote.
So here are a few words that may not mean what you think they mean. Misinterpreting a key word can distort the meaning of a sentence and set off a chain reaction of misunderstanding that leaves the reader with a message the author never dreamed of sending.
Livid When someone is “livid,” do you think of red, white, or blue? The best answer is blue, not red. “Livid” does not mean “red-faced with anger.” The Latin lividus means “of a bluish color.” Second-best answer is white: “livid” can be a synonym for “pale.”
Benighted “He was a benighted soul in an enlightened time.” Many people associate it with “knighted,” and think “benighted” is a good thing to be. Far from it. Note the lack of a k — don’t think “knight,” think “night.” A benighted soul is clueless, ignorant, “in a state of moral or intellectual darkness.”
Scarify is a benighted synonym for “terrify” — scarify has more to do with scar than scare. It means to scratch or make superficial incisions. It also has agricultural applications having to do with seeds and soil.
Meretricious When you hear it, the first two syllables echo “merit,” and the word resembles meritorious. The similarity ends there. It means “flashy,” “cheap,” “tawdry”: “The candidate made a meretricious display of piety.”
(This tip was contributed by veteran copy editor Tom Stern.)
Posted on Monday, October 29th, 2012, at 6:47 pm
That vs. Which
Last week’s grammar tip focused on the rules for using who vs. that. This week, we will learn the rules to guide us on when to use that vs. which.
Rule 1: That may refer to people, animals, groups, or things. (As mentioned last week, who is preferred when referring to people.)
Rule 2: Which refers to animals, groups, or things.
Since that and which may each refer to animals, groups, or things, how do we know when to use that and when to use which?
Rule 3: That introduces essential clauses while which introduces nonessential clauses.
Example: I do not trust editorials that claim racial differences in intelligence.
We would not know which editorials were being discussed without the that clause.
Example: The editorial claiming racial differences in intelligence, which appeared in the Sunday newspaper, upset me.
The editorial is already identified. Therefore, which begins a nonessential clause.
NOTE: Essential clauses do not have commas surrounding them while nonessential clauses are surrounded by commas.
Example: Chess is a game that requires intense concentration.
The second part of the sentence is essential for conveying the meaning of the sentence.
Rule 4: If this, that, these, or those has already introduced an essential clause, you may use which to introduce the next clause, whether it is essential or nonessential.
Example: Those responses to the questions, which were not well thought out, eliminated him from further job consideration.
Pop Quiz
Choose whether that or which is correct for each sentence. Then determine whether the sentence should contain commas. If so, place the commas in the correct location in the sentence.
1. Hannah is on the team that/which won the county softball championship.
2. The Fairview Hawks softball team that/which my daughter played on won the county softball championship.
3. The Golden Gate Bridge that/which was completed in 1937 is considered by many to be the most beautiful bridge in the world.
4. The bridge that/which connects the City of San Francisco with Marin County was completed in 1937.
5. That rooster that/which crows every morning at dawn is going to drive me crazy.
Quiz Answers
1. Hannah is on the team that won the county softball championship.
2. The Fairview Hawks softball team, which my daughter played on, won the county softball championship.
3. The Golden Gate Bridge, which was completed in 1937, is considered by many to be the most beautiful bridge in the world.
4. The bridge that connects the City of San Francisco with Marin County was completed in 1937.
5. That rooster, which crows every morning at dawn, is going to drive me crazy.
Posted on Monday, October 29th, 2012, at 2:58 pm
Who vs. That
In a recent newsletter, I corrected myself after some readers wrote in saying the word that should have been who in the sentence “There’s not one mother I know that would allow her child to cross that street alone.” However, it got me thinking more about this topic, so I dug a little deeper into what some of the leading English usage reference books such as The Chicago Manual of Style, The Associated Press Stylebook, and various dictionaries have to say on the matter. It turns out the majority of these references allow the use of the word that to refer to people. While I am not personally a proponent of this usage, I think it’s a good time to revisit the rules for who vs. that.
Rule: Who refers to people. That may refer to people, animals, groups, or things, but who is preferred when referring to people.
Example: Anya is the one who rescued the bird.
NOTE: While Anya is the one that rescued the bird is also correct, who is preferred.
Example: Lope is on the team that won first place.
Example: She belongs to an organization that specializes in saving endangered species.
NOTE: While teams and organizations are composed of people, they are considered groups. However, this matter is not always clear-cut. Consider this sentence: “Several of the university’s scientists who/that favored the new policy attended the meeting.” Which is correct, who or that? Does “university’s scientists” seem more like individual people than a group? In cases like this, you may use your own judgment.
Rule: Try not to use that twice in a row in a sentence.
Example: That is a problem that can’t be solved without a calculator.
This sentence would be better written as: That is a problem which can’t be solved without a calculator.
The best way to write the sentence would be: That problem can’t be solved without a calculator.
Example: That is a promise that cannot be broken.
Again, the above sentence could be rewritten as: That is a promise which cannot be broken.
The best way to rewrite it would be: That promise cannot be broken.
Rule: Whenever you have more than one that or which in a sentence, see if you can rewrite it in a way that removes at least one that or which.
You may be asking whether there are any rules guiding when to use the word that and when to use the word which. The answer is yes. That introduces essential clauses and which introduces nonessential clauses. We will explore this topic more thoroughly in next week’s grammar tip entitled “That vs. Which.”
Pop Quiz
1. Was it Marguerite who/that organized the surprise party for Johann?
2. Kepler is the scientist who/that proposed the laws of planetary motion.
3. I do not want to go on any amusement park rides who/that involve sudden drops.
4. Oliver is the president of the association who/that nurses injured wild animals back to health.
5. Most of the members of the board who/that voted against the motion to change the bylaws were present at the meeting.
Pop Quiz Answers
1. Was it Marguerite who organized the surprise party for Johann? (That is also acceptable, but who is preferred.)
2. Kepler is the scientist who proposed the laws of planetary motion. (That is also acceptable, but who is preferred.)
3. I do not want to go on any amusement park rides that involve sudden drops.
4. Oliver is the president of the association that nurses injured wild animals back to health.
5. Most of the members of the board who voted against the motion to change the bylaws were present at the meeting. (That is also acceptable, but who is preferred since individual members of the board are being emphasized.)
Posted on Monday, October 29th, 2012, at 2:49 pm
Commas, Part 1
There are many uses for the comma in English grammar. Let’s look at a couple of them.
Rule 1: To avoid confusion, use commas to separate words and word groups with a series of three or more.
Examples:
John likes to eat a hearty breakfast of pancakes, sausage, toast, and chocolate!
(Omitting the comma after toast might cause a reader to think that toast and chocolate together formed one food item rather than two separate items that John enjoyed eating at breakfast.)
Sally danced in ballet classes, school productions, and community shows.
Rule 2a: Use a comma to separate the day of the month from the year and after the year.
Examples:
Jim Thompson gave his historic speech on March 3, 2002, in Chicago, Illinois.
Kathleen met her husband on December 5, 2003, in Mill Valley, California.
Rule 2b: If any part of the date is omitted, leave out the comma.
Example:
They met in December 2003 in Mill Valley.
Quiz:
Choose the sentence with the correct punctuation.
1A. Mr. Baker teaches high school courses in history, math, and physical education.
1B. Mr. Baker teaches high school courses in history, math and physical education.
2A. The couple’s vacation is scheduled to end on January 2 2010.
2B. The couple’s vacation is scheduled to end on January 2, 2010.
3A. The vice president of the group was elected back in March 1998.
3B. The vice president of the group was elected back in March, 1998.
Answers:
1A. Mr. Baker teaches high school courses in history, math, and physical education.
2B. The couple’s vacation is scheduled to end on January 2, 2010.
3A. The vice president of the group was elected back in March 1998.
Posted on Wednesday, October 24th, 2012, at 6:59 pm
Spell Check Overreach
My spell check has been drinking again. It just told me “déjà vu” should be “deejay.”
Everyone who uses Word software probably has some form of spell check. Mine — I call him “SC” — also makes occasionally helpful (but often just surreal) suggestions about grammar and punctuation. To be fair, SC sometimes saves me from my own carelessness. But all in all, I think I’d rather get dating tips from a praying mantis.
For less-experienced writers, spell check is a mushroom in the woods: be careful what you swallow. I once typed “public enemies” and SC wanted “enemy’s.” Nouns ending in y are tricky enough without bogus advice from a clueless tool. It pains me to think of all the insecure people who follow blindly.
SC is no panacea to grammar-challenged Americans. He changed “how is it possible” to “how it possible is,” and “all of the above” became “the entire above.”
The word snarky, referring to a snide attitude, has been in popular usage for a long time. But no one told SC, who thinks my hand slipped while I was trying to type “snaky” or “snarly.” Come to think of it, those two words pretty much sum up snarky. But that’s beside the point.
Another familiar term is “A-lister”: someone who’s show-business royalty. SC doesn’t get out much, so he thinks I must mean “lifter” or “luster” or “blister” — or even “leister,” which is a three-pronged fishing spear. That’s no way to describe Angelina Jolie!
And it’s not just trendy words that SC botches. The French word chez, referring to home or headquarters, has been prevalent in English usage since the early 18th century. So why does SC think I mean either a revolutionary (“Che”), a singer (“Cher”) or some bloke named “Chet”?
For several decades, Luddite has been a handy word for someone who rejects or is confounded by modern technology: “I’m such a Luddite I can’t program my DVR.” You’d think SC could do better than “landsite” or “audited.”
Clearly, at this point, spell check is too erratic. The irony is that it’s least valuable to those who need it most.
(This tip was contributed by veteran copy editor Tom Stern.)
Posted on Tuesday, September 25th, 2012, at 1:42 pm
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