Entries by Matt Wright

Grammar: All about (J)

Grammar (J)Grammar: Which word to use (J)

https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-observer-style-guide-j

1. CORRECT USAGE

1.1. Similar words mean different things…

1.2 Use the right word in context…

2. SPELLINGS

2.1 To hyphenate (or not)?

YES

EXCEPTIONS

jack-in-the-box BUT jack of all trades

jump-jet BUT jumbo jet

2.2 One word or two?

One word

Two words

2.3 Frequently misspelt

jewellery in British English, not jewelry

jibe NOT gibe, meaning taunt

jokey NOT joky

2.4 Change with form or plural

jihadi

noun (plural jihadis) and adjective

jihadist

noun and adjective

2.5 Take note of capitals

[ic = initial capitals | lc = lowercase]

ic

John o’Groats = place name

judges – “Judge John Smith said” or “the judge, John Smith, said” are both fine; “judge John Smith” is wrong.

lc

jack russell (dog breeds are lc…BUT ic if named after a place: Alsatian dog, Siamese cat). read more read more

April 15, 2018 /0 Comments/by
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BLT: Hold a mirror up to yourself…what are your strengths?

Nowadays, we’re all very accustomed to ‘selling ourselves’ online – our websites, our LinkedIn profiles, our job applications…even our dating profiles (for those ‘out there’!) We loudly proclaim our strengths and even contrive to make a virtue out of our weaknesses.

But what about when we’re face-to-face with our friends…our colleagues…people who know us rather better – are we so confident then about our strengths? And, more to the point, how do they perceive us – what do they regard as our strengths?

This was the topic for our most recent BLT(*) meeting.

What do we mean by ‘strengths’?

I’m going to take a step back for a second, and look at what ‘Strengths’ are traditionally sought after.

First of all, there are CV strengths; i.e. the ability to do a job. These tend to be more functional, business-like qualities. read more read more

April 3, 2018 /6 Comments/by

Grammar: All about (I)

Grammar (I)Grammar: Which word to use (I)

https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-observer-style-guide-i

1. CORRECT USAGE

1.1. Similar words mean different things…

imply or infer?
To imply is to suggest; to infer is to conclude – Many people use infer when they mean imply:

Homer: “What are you inferring?”

Lisa: “I’m not inferring anything. You infer; I imply.”

Homer: “Well that’s a relief.”

immigrate or emigrate?

immigrate to arrive in a country; emigrate to leave one

Hence immigrant, immigration, emigrant, emigration

impracticable or impractical? read more

March 31, 2018 /0 Comments/by

Grammarian: All about (H)

Grammar (H)Grammar: Which word to use (H)

https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-observer-style-guide-h

1.CORRECT USAGE

1.1. Similar words mean different things…

ha ha or ha-ha?

ha ha laughter; ha-ha concealed ditch in a garden or park.

hail or hale?

hail fellow, well met; hale hale and hearty.

hangar or hanger?

hangar aircraft; hanger clothes.

hanged or hung?

“the woman was found hanged; the sheet was hung out to dry”.

hazard or risk?

Scientists use hazard to mean a potential for harm and risk to mean the actual probability of harm occurring.

historic or historical? read more

March 15, 2018 /0 Comments/by

Darts descriptions…about as predictable as a wasp on speed!

There aren’t many commentators who can transcend their sport, who become known and revered at large beyond the confines of their boundaries.

The late-lamented Sid Waddell was one such commentator; a Geordie whose mellifluous tones combined a fierce intellect (he graduated from Cambridge with a degree in Modern History) with a razor sharp wit that saw him become more popular than most of the darts players he covered.

Sid Waddell

….[a man who] looked like he’d punched his way through the windows of Ratners with glue on his fists.

-Sid Waddell on Bobby George

There are numerous lists of Waddell’s quotes available on the internet, but what interests me is what sets him apart from other commentators with his descriptions.

Is it possible to break down and analyse the genius of Waddell?

Taking the Mickey…

Waddell would frequently (but always light-heartedly) send up the darts throwers ‘unique’ physique…

Big Cliff Lazarenko’s idea of exercise is sitting in a room with the windows open taking the lid off something cool and fizzy.

He may practice 12 hours a day, but he’s not shy of the burger van!

darts funny

Food fetishes

To start with, this is a relatively easy structure to break down – simply apply an adjective to a type of food…the more incongruous the better: read more read more

March 13, 2018 /0 Comments/by

Grammarian: All about (G)

Grammar (G)Grammar: Which word to use (G)

https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-observer-style-guide-g

1.CORRECT USAGE

1.1. Similar words mean different things…

gaff or gaffe?

gaff hook or spar, also slang for house; gaffe blunder

“To blow the gaff” means to give away a secret.

giro or gyro?

giro banking; gyro navigation aid

grill or grille?
grill on an oven; grille on a car or a gate

grisly or grizzly?

grisly gruesome; grizzly bear

grownup or grown up?

grownup (noun), grown up (verb):

“You become a grownup when you have grown up”

1.2 Use the right word in context…

Gb

Gb gigabits; GB gigabytes [note: a byte is 8 times bigger than a bit]

geriatrics read more read more

February 28, 2018 /0 Comments/by

Grammarian: All about (F)

Grammar (F)Grammar: Which word to use (F)

https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-observer-style-guide-f

1.CORRECT USAGE

1.1. Similar words mean different things…

farther or further?

farther and farthest are the comparative and superlative of far as in distance (eg farther away, the farthest point north): “a few miles farther, and we will reach the farthest point”.

further and furthest are the comparative and superlative of far as in degree (eg further discussion, the candidate furthest to the left).

fatal or fateful?

fatal deadly; fateful momentous. read more

February 15, 2018 /0 Comments/by

Haiku – the romantic Twitter form of poetry

Haiku: a Japanese verse form most often composed, in English versions, of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables. A haiku often features an image, or a pair of images, meant to depict the essence of a specific moment in time.

Source: Poetry Foundation

Is haiku poetry?

Yes, but not in the traditional rhyming sense that we usually associate with romantic poetry.

The haiku became increasingly popular in the Western world during the 1900’s, when its strict format began to be adopted by modern poets – Erza Pound’s ‘In a Station of the Metro’ (1913) is a famous early example:

The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.

It was then taken on by the ‘beat poets’ of the 1950’s who were fascinated by Asian culture and Buddhism: Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, and most famously Jack Kerouac who set haikus to jazz accompaniment. read more read more

February 13, 2018 /1 Comment/by