The Love of Words

When I look up a word in the dictionary, I often see other words on the same page and get intrigued by them and their meanings. Sometimes I spend several minutes or more just reading the dictionary. Some find this odd, but it's just who I am. I love words.

Recently, I discovered that the word thesaurus comes from a Greek word that means treasure chest. We tend to use the same set of words repeatedly, while ignoring the vast array of synonyms we could be using. When I'm preparing a Bible lesson, I sometimes research the Greek or Hebrew meanings of words. That opens up an even larger treasure store of words.

That's the way I see the entire English language--as a vast treasure of words.

Who vs. Whom

The other day I saw a bumper sticker, in the shape of the paw, that said "Who rescued who?" Can you figure out why this is wrong?

People often get confused when deciding between who and whom. This is how I remember it: If you can replace the word with "him," it should be whom. If not, it should be who. Using the bumper sticker as an example, the implication is that the owner rescued the dog, but the dog also rescued the owner. So we would say, "he saved him." Since the first one is "he," that is correct to be who. But the second is "him," so that should be whom. In other words, "Who saved whom?" Hope this makes sense. If not, leave a comment on the blog and we'll discuss it more.

Fewer vs. Less

The other day I went to the grocery store and checked out in the express line. The sign above it said, "15 Items or Fewer." I thought, Finally, somebody got it right! Most stores' signs say, "15 Items or Less."

What's the difference? Fewer is used when you can count individual items; less is used for an indeterminate amount. For instance, "He watched fewer hours of sports on TV this week"; "He played sports less often."

Today I read this sentence in a book published by a major publisher: "Less people are in church on a weekly basis, and churches have fewer services each week." Both instances should be "fewer," since we can count both the number of people in church and the number of services.

Checking Write Right, I also found this: "Less takes a singular verb and fewer a plural one." The example given is "Less fat is needed if fewer calories are to be consumed."

Me Vs. I

After a break for the holidays, let's get back into the grammar business. Lately, I've noticed how many people say "I" instead of "me" in the following type of sentence construction:

"Our daughter gave a gift to my husband and me."

I think the confusion comes from those times when we were kids and said, "Can me and Billy go to the store?" Our mothers patiently (or maybe not so patiently) corrected us: "May Billy and I go to the store?" We got it drummed into our heads that the correct form always uses "I." But that's not true. In some cases, it should be "me."

This is the way I remember it: take out the other person's name. You wouldn't say, "Our daughter gave a gift to I." You'd say, "Our daughter gave a gift to me." On the other hand, if you turn it around, you'd say, "My husband and I gave a gift to our daughter." It all depends on how the phrase is used.

Visual Thesaurus

I enjoy using Visual Thesaurus because it's very, well, visual. Today I found a place where I could put it on my blog, along with the word of the day. Check them out on the right. It's so cool the way the thesaurus morphs from one word to another. You've got to try it!

Write Right

Today I received in the mail a copy of my favorite book on grammar: Write Right by Jan Venolia. I used to have a copy but I loaned it to a friend and then lost touch with her. I referred to it quite often, because it explains grammar rules in an easily understood style. I figured I should have a copy handy as I'm writing this blog, just to make sure I'm correct. If you'd like to own a reference book on grammar, this is the one. I highly recommend it. Both new and used copies are available online, but even if you have to pay full price, it's well worth it. Just make sure you get the one by Jan Venolia, since there are other books by the same name.

Writing “Rules”

I’ve read several times recently that there are no rules for things such as dangling participles or split infinitives. That got me to thinking about where grammar rules come from. There isn’t an official committee that decides these things. Language is an organic, evolving entity. What is or isn’t acceptable depends on the society to which the piece is being written. (Notice how I avoided a dangling participle there?) American and British rules differ. For instance, in the United States, we put quotation marks after a period, while the Brits put them inside. And they use single instead of double quotation marks for direct quotations.

So how are we to distinguish between rules and mere suggestions? Rules are nearly universally accepted within that culture. Suggestions are debatable. What may be a rule in one generation could be a guideline in the next. For instance, the words “they” and “their” are being used more often in a singular way, to avoid using gender-specific words. Most scholars still believe “they” and “their” can only be used in a plural sense. But as the English language evolves, I see that the singular use these words will become completely acceptable.

The Elements of Style has become the standard for writers. Beginning writers are encouraged to buy and study a copy. William Strunk and E.B. White probably never imagined their little book would become the definitive text on style. They had plenty to say on the subject of rules:

• “Who can confidently say what ignites a certain combination of words, causing them to explode in the mind? Who knows why certain notes in music are capable of stirring the listener deeply, though the same notes slightly rearranged are impotent? … There is no satisfactory explanation of style, no infallible guide to good writing, no assurance that a person who is able to think clearly will be able to write clearly, no key that unlocks the door, no inflexible rule by which the young writer may shape his course.”
• “Since the book is a rule book, these cautionary remarks, these subtly dangerous hints, are presented in the form of rules, but they are, in essence, mere gentle reminders: they state what most of us know and at times forget.”