Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Earth/earth/Moon/moon: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Earth/earth/Moon/moon
Soil is lower-case “earth.” And in most uses even the planet itself remains humbly in lower-case letters: “peace on earth.” But in astronomical contexts, the Earth comes into its own with a proud initial capital, and in science fiction it drops the introductory article and becomes “Earth,” just like Mars and Venus. A similar pattern applies to Earth’s satellite: “shine on, harvest moon,” but “from the Earth to the Moon.” Because other planets also have moons, it never loses its article.


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Happy Earth Day!

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1 comment:

  1. Happy Earth Day. In 1970, I was a fledging college student [non-traditional at 28 yrs.], and a registered Girl Scout leader (I'm male!). My troop and I took part in the first Earth Day Walkathon, raising some $2,000 for a local nature center. In 1970, $2K was a "chunk of change." Have never stopped being a nature nut since!

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