|
May 16, 2000
GENDERED VOCABULARY
-------------------------------------------------
Avoid using words that connote a male or female gender, such as chairman, cleaning lady, mailman, policeman, and waiter/waitress.
Using words like these subconsciously plants the idea that the referenced gender is better at, or more inclined toward, a particular occupation. De-gendered vocabulary allows your reader to think of either gender as suitable for a given career.
EXAMPLES:
Instead of chairman, use chairperson or chair.
Instead of cleaning lady, use housekeeper.
Instead of mailman, use mail carrier or postal carrier.
Instead of policeman, use police officer.
Instead of waiter/waitress, use server.
-------------------------------------------------
CHECK OUT OUR NEW INDEX AND ARCHIVES
Subscribers to GrammarCheck can now access past issues and an index of topics at the following web site address:
http://www.grammarcheck.com/archives
-------------------------------------------------
SPELLING TIP:
Here are the correct answers to last week's "homonym" spelling quiz:
1. My sister gave some very helpful ADVICE.
2. Ellen modeled the latest new SWIMWEAR.
3. Roger helped his nephew DEVISE a plan for fooling his parents.
4. Joann received a package of lovely writing STATIONERY.
5. The child struggled with a HOARSE cough.
6. At Ed's Restaurant, the smell of sizzling steak can WHET your appetite.
7. After stealing the strawberry, Darla's CONSCIENCE bothered her.
- - - - - - -
Let's try a few more. Answers will be posted in next week's edition.
1. Joan and Jerry decided to see a marriage (councilor/counselor).
2. Sheila fears that (bearing/baring) a child will be painful.
3. The old sailor warned us to avoid the approaching (gail/gale).
4. Have you noticed the crowded grocery store (aisles/isles)?
5. Who wrote the song about a one-horse (slay/sleigh)?
6. Mrs. Paula Keel is the new high school (principle/principal).
7. When the play ended, all the actors took a (bow/bough).
8. The thieves escaped with a huge (some/sum) of money.
9. A favorite children's (tail/tale) is about three little pigs.
10. Joe lives by the saying, "Eat, drink, and be (marry/merry)."
-------------------------------------------------
WRITING TIP:
Here's an idea for proofreading. Try reading a document backward from the end to the beginning, either sentence-by-sentence or word-by-word. Reading backward naturally slows the pace, allowing writers to catch more mechanical errors.
-------------------------------------------------
EAGLE I [sic] OF THE WEEK
DEAR GRAMMARCHECK: Hello. I'm glad I came upon your web site and this mailing. It is really enlightening and helpful. I just received my first mailing, "Sentence Structures" (9-May-2000). You used a sentence in an example: "Sally loves to knit, and Jane enjoys embroidering, though neither do it often." Should it not be "though neither does it often" because neither refers to one of them and not both together? Thank you! (Hasmita)
GRAMMARCHECK: Ouch. We fell victim to our own speech patterns. (We also confess to using "ain't" and "didja" during informal conversations.) Although "neither" is an indefinite pronoun that may take a singular or plural verb, it should have been used with a singular verb in last week's [print] newsletter. (Yet it's typically used with a plural verb in everyday speech.) We decided to use everyday language in our newsletters to avoid sounding stodgy, but your pointing out of this discrepancy suggests our examples should follow academic or formal writing standards. We agree. Next week we'll discuss indefinite pronouns in greater detail.
- - - - - - -
DEAR GRAMMARCHECK: In the May 9 edition, you have made two errors. On page 3, under Spelling, you wrote to/to/two. I think you meant to/too/two. Also, on page 5 under Grammar and Writing questions, your reply to a question had a grammatical error. You wrote, "None of the examples above are correct." I believe "none" is singular, and would take a singular verb--"None is correct." I hope these are rare lapses. Perhaps you need a better proofreader.
GRAMMARCHECK: Guilty as charged regarding the to/too/two typographical error, but not guilty regarding "none." Several indefinite pronouns (like "none") can be singular or plural, depending on the noun they refer to.
EXAMPLES:
None of the blanket was damaged.
(None refers to "blanket" and thus is used with a singular verb.)
None of the examples above are correct.
(None refers to "examples" and thus is used with a plural verb.)
It sure would sound funny to hear someone say, "None of the people is here!"
-------------------------------------------------
YOUR GRAMMAR AND WRITING QUESTIONS
QUESTION: How does one show quoted thoughts?
GRAMMARCHECK: When including exact words from someone's thoughts, use quotation marks around them:
"What should I do?"
"I've had it with him!"
However, when using vague ideas or indirect speech, do not use quotation marks:
Henry wondered if he would live through the night.
Alice feared that Jim was about to leave her.
We've known writers to italicize words (with or without quotation marks) to demonstrate thoughts as opposed to actual speech.
- - - - - - -
QUESTION: I'm not sure if we can use the word "plan" with the future tense. Your explanation and answer to my question will be highly appreciated. Which of the following sentences is correct?
1. When is Rachel planning to go to the United States?
2. When does Rachel plan to go to the United States?
3. When will Rachel plan to go to the United States?
GRAMMARCHECK: All of the above are grammatically correct, yet each one carries a different meaning. The first example ("is . . . planning") shows the present progressive tense, meaning that Rachel currently is planning to travel to the States. Your second example ("does . . . plan") uses "does" as an auxiliary verb for the purpose of making a question. The third example ("will . . . plan") using future tense asks when Rachel will begin planning her trip.
- - - - - - -
QUESTION: In the issue on comma usage, you used the following example: "Yet the coach still didn't let George join the team." Aren't "yet" and "still" when used in the same sentence repetitive and redundant? (Hasmita)
GRAMMARCHECK: They can be redundant when used in the same sentence, but not in this case. "Still" can be used as an adverb indicating the continuing practice of an action or condition, while "yet" can function as a conjunction. The following examples show this.
EXAMPLES:
Yet [conjunction] the coach still [adverb] didn't let George join the team.
Yet [conjunction] the coach continuously [adverb] prevented George from joining the team.
- - - - - - -
QUESTION: Which is correct: ATM's or ATMs.
GRAMMARCHECK: It depends. When showing possession, use the first: The ATM's keys were broken. When referring to more than one, either is correct.
- - - - - - -
QUESTION: What is the correct usage of the double and single dashes? How many spaces should accompany them (before and after), or are there none?
GRAMMARCHECK: Double hyphens serve as dashes and are used to link various sentence parts for emphasis. Note that no spaces occur before or after the dashes.
EXAMPLES:
After much thought--and excessive worry--John decided to lend her the money.
Geraldine went to prison for forgery--and for perjury, slander, and larceny.
Single hyphens are used in certain words that require prefixes or suffixes to be hyphenated. Like dashes, they need no spaces before or after the hyphen.
EXAMPLES:
step-brother
self-reliant
- - - - - - -
QUESTION: What is the proper way to punctuate tag lines in dialogue?
GRAMMARCHECK: If you mean to ask how tag questions are attached to main clauses, our answer is that a comma will usually serve this function:
Tommy robbed the bank again, didn't he?
It's a beautiful day, isn't it?
But if you are asking how to punctuate reported speech, colons are used in formal text while commas serve for informal or fiction writing:
Salome asked, "If I dance, will you give me anything I ask for?"
Dr. Sontag's instructions were clear: "No eating or drinking after midnight."
- - - - - - -
QUESTION: I was wondering whether there's a difference between "I chase him" and "I chase after him." Besides the fact that the latter sentence has a preposition after the verb "chase," what about the difference in meaning?
GRAMMARCHECK: In literal meaning, both sentences mean the same. In figurative speech, however, the meanings might differ.
The first suggests physical pursuit. (Example: When my dog runs away, I chase him all over the park.)
The second sentence might imply a following behind--a more gradual pursuit. (Example: My sister is so infatuated with her boyfriend, she chases after him all the time.)
- - - - - - -
QUESTION: The verb "confide" seems to cause me a lot of problems. Which is right/acceptable:
I confide in him of my fatal illness.
I confide to him that I'm suffering from a fatal disease.
GRAMMARCHECK: While both prepositions are commonly used in speech, your first example ("confide in him") is correct. (However, in your first example, substitute the word "about" for "of" to be accurate.)
- - - - - - -
QUESTION: Would you use a hyphen in the following phrase: "regionally-accredited institution"?
GRAMMARCHECK: Hyphens are not used with adverbs that end in "-ly." The correct punctuation for this phrase would be "regionally accredited institution."
- - - - - - -
|
Copyright
©1998-2008 GrammarCheck
All Rights Reserved
|
|
