ya’ll/y’all
“How y’all doin’?” If you are rendering this common Southernism in print, be careful where you place the apostrophe, which stands for the second and third letters in “you.” Note that “y’all” stands for “you all” and is properly a plural form, though many southern speakers treat it as a singular form and resort to “all y’all” for the plural.
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Y'all can read Paul Brians' latest blog post here.
The Week's End Extra from the Archives: "Are you an old hat?" (April 23, 2012).
Friday, November 7, 2014
Thursday, November 6, 2014
UFO: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Thursday, November 6, 2014
UFO
“UFO” stands for “unidentified flying object,” so if you’re sure that a silvery disk is an alien spacecraft, there’s no point in calling it a “UFO.” I love the sign in a Seattle bookstore labeling the alien-invasion section: “Incorrectly Identified Flying Objects.”
“UFO” stands for “unidentified flying object,” so if you’re sure that a silvery disk is an alien spacecraft, there’s no point in calling it a “UFO.” I love the sign in a Seattle bookstore labeling the alien-invasion section: “Incorrectly Identified Flying Objects.”
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
attain/obtain: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Wednesday, November 5, 2014
attain/obtain
“Attain” means “reach” and “obtain” means “get.” You attain a mountaintop, but obtain a rare baseball card. “Attain” usually implies a required amount of labor or difficulty; nothing is necessarily implied about the difficulty of obtaining that card. Maybe you just found it in your brother’s dresser drawer.
Some things you obtain can also be attained. If you want to emphasize how hard you worked in college, you might say you attained your degree; but if you want to emphasize that you have a valid degree that qualifies you for a certain job, you might say you obtained it. If you just bought it from a diploma mill for fifty bucks, you definitely only obtained it.
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Paul Brians' latest blog post talks horse sense.
“Attain” means “reach” and “obtain” means “get.” You attain a mountaintop, but obtain a rare baseball card. “Attain” usually implies a required amount of labor or difficulty; nothing is necessarily implied about the difficulty of obtaining that card. Maybe you just found it in your brother’s dresser drawer.
Some things you obtain can also be attained. If you want to emphasize how hard you worked in college, you might say you attained your degree; but if you want to emphasize that you have a valid degree that qualifies you for a certain job, you might say you obtained it. If you just bought it from a diploma mill for fifty bucks, you definitely only obtained it.
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Paul Brians' latest blog post talks horse sense.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
to home/at home: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Tuesday, November 4, 2014
to home/at home
In some dialects people say, “I stayed to home to wait for the mail,” but in standard English the expression is “stayed at home.”
In some dialects people say, “I stayed to home to wait for the mail,” but in standard English the expression is “stayed at home.”
Monday, November 3, 2014
group (plural vs. singular): Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Monday, November 3, 2014
group (plural vs. singular)
When the group is being considered as a whole, it can be treated as a single entity: “The group was ready to go on stage.” But when the individuality of its members is being emphasized, “group” is plural: “The group were in disagreement about where to go for dinner.”
When the group is being considered as a whole, it can be treated as a single entity: “The group was ready to go on stage.” But when the individuality of its members is being emphasized, “group” is plural: “The group were in disagreement about where to go for dinner.”
Friday, October 31, 2014
demure/demur: The Weekend Edition—Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Friday–Sunday, October 31–November 2, 2014
demure/demur
A quiet, reserved person is demure. Its second syllable begins with a kittenish “mew”: “de-MYURE.”
The verb demur has several meanings, but is now used in a sense derived from law to describe the action of someone who resists acting as requested or answering a question. Its second syllable sounds like the “mur” in “murmur”: “duh-MURR.” Note that it is not spelled with a final E. It is used mainly in legal contexts and in journalism, and is unfamiliar enough to many people that they mix it up with the adjective demure. An example of correct use: “If they ask me to make Danish pastries again, I’m going to demur.” Demurs are usually mild, not loud, vehement refusals.
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The Week's End Extra from the Archives: "Mangled menus" (December 13, 2012).
A quiet, reserved person is demure. Its second syllable begins with a kittenish “mew”: “de-MYURE.”
The verb demur has several meanings, but is now used in a sense derived from law to describe the action of someone who resists acting as requested or answering a question. Its second syllable sounds like the “mur” in “murmur”: “duh-MURR.” Note that it is not spelled with a final E. It is used mainly in legal contexts and in journalism, and is unfamiliar enough to many people that they mix it up with the adjective demure. An example of correct use: “If they ask me to make Danish pastries again, I’m going to demur.” Demurs are usually mild, not loud, vehement refusals.
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The Week's End Extra from the Archives: "Mangled menus" (December 13, 2012).
Thursday, October 30, 2014
breakup/break up: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Thursday, October 30, 2014
breakup/break up
A breakup is what happens when two people break up. The one-word form is the result, whereas the two-word form is the action that leads to it.
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Paul Brians' latest blog post considers the Northwest's rainy reputation.
A breakup is what happens when two people break up. The one-word form is the result, whereas the two-word form is the action that leads to it.
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Paul Brians' latest blog post considers the Northwest's rainy reputation.
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