tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-209388752024-03-08T10:01:19.891-08:00The Page of AchillesPHILOSOPHY, LITERATURE, LANGUAGE, MUSIC, AND TECH ALL IN ONE INDIGESTIBLE PACKAGEAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-9773445272840541232014-01-30T21:15:00.000-08:002014-01-30T21:15:09.503-08:00Google All Play Music<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After the disappointment with Beats Music service last week, I took another look at the state of subscription based music services. Not much has changed. The world is still waiting to see what Amazon and Apple will do to address this market. In the meantime, the usual players are still... well, playing.<br />
And, just a reminder, we're not talking about radio services like Pandora (a very different category). <br />
So, let's look at the players.<br />
For some reason, I never hit it off with Rhapsody, who is now the grandaddy of this space. Instead, I always considered it to be a three way race between rdio, Spotify, and the now about-to-be-defunct Mog. Other candidates are Microsoft's Zune service and Sony's Music Unlimited.<br />
But when looking at the features, usability, and the variety of devices on which the service runs, it pretty much comes down to rdio, Spotify, and Google. Unfortunately rdio's fantastic interface is nullified by their truly subpar sound quality. Their attempt at double-speaking their way around this issue on the user forum isn't helping them either.<br />
<br />
I had taken a quick look at Google's music service when it first launched. I wasn't to impressed. Like many of their products, it seemed to be "by engineers, for engineers" (though that is not always a bad thing). No, it seemed like their music service suffered from over simplification. It's like they are honoring Steve Jobs' relentless focus on simplicity without giving equal weight to intuitive usability.<br />
That said, I took another look at Google's service this week and I am blown away by how complete an offering it is. No surprise that they have nailed the search function as well as the categorization of music. So far their "I'm feeling lucky" station and their custom radio stations have been on the money. There are apps for iOS now too. Plus it has a music manager which uploads my personal collection of music and mixes it seamlessly with their subscription offerings. This alone is a killer feature No more is my music fractured between what I can stream and what I own. I just type the name and hit play. It is one of those features which makes you wonder why we would put up with it any other way.<br />
So far the music selection seems good too (but, of course, my own tracks fill in some of the gaps).<br />
So what is missing from the service? For one thing, I can't find a way to fine tune the radio stations. Like say I only want to hear songs from a specific artist. It lacks the ability to indicate how far I want to stray from the seed. The only social aspect is through Google+, but that's is probably okay. Finally, the service lacks scrobbling to last.fm. Fortunately there are plugins for the browser and alternate apps on the devices that allow you to send your scrobbles to last.fm. <br />
<br />
I am really surprised by the terrific music service that Google has built so quickly. Since they've come this far this fast, I can't wait to see what they do in the next six months.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-34796046252682944152014-01-22T09:28:00.000-08:002014-01-22T09:28:06.521-08:00The New Beats Music Service<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I thought I would document my initial impressions with the new <a href="http://beatsmusic.com/">beatsmusic</a> service. As a big music fan and semi-audiophile, I've bounced between most of the major music services. For instance, I love <a href="http://rdio.com/">rdio</a>. It feels friendly and alive, but the sound quality is terrible compared to the others. I usually drive my stereo systems from my laptop or iOS devices and sound quality really matters.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://mog.com/">Mog</a> was cool. Never had a huge following, but had good sound quality and you could tell they cared about music. <a href="http://spotify.com/">Spotify</a> is certainly the most famous. They have upped their bitrates (mostly to 320kbps) and have some exclusives (Led Zeppelin) plus their own internal app store.<br />
<br />
This year brings us some new music subscription services. <a href="http://mypono.com/">Pono</a> should be coming soon. They will balance high sound quality with a proprietary format. We'll see how that goes.<br />
<br />
That brings us to beatsmusic.com. This is the company that makes the headphones (disclaimer: I have never tried them myself) and the company who bought MOG. I had pretty high hopes and maybe that is part of the problem. While the service sports some great ideas, especially for someone who doesn't want to think about exactly which tracks to listen to at a given moment, overall the service feels very unfinished. The web interface is clearly an afterthought. It lacks functionality found in the mobile app (can't create a playlist?) and is sluggish. I understand that a company might want to build mobile first, but that's no excuse for releasing an unfinished product on the web. They should have waited until it was ready. And, on the topic of mobile first, where is the iPad app. Are you kidding? It's 2014 and you want me to hit that freaking 2x button?<br />
<br />
If you want to 'publish' a track to your social network, the interface is slick. If you want to 'share' your music with a follower or specific friend? You are out of luck they don't know what "share" means. This is disappointing. And for a service based so heavily on curation and a tuned, personalize listening experience there is a surprising lack of fine tuning options. Other than a few bubbles indicating genres and artists during sign up, the user is limited in how to set a baseline for music selection. Then, when tracks are playing, you can only 'love' or 'hate'. Seems like love should be for your very favorite tracks while some kind of thumbs up/thumbs down, like/dislike would be useful. Also, here's a tip: if I hit "hate" on a track, stop playing the track. Sheesh.<br />
<br />
Of course, for me, this is all moot as without the ability to scrobble my tracks to <a href="http://last.fm/">last.fm</a>, the entire service is a non-starter. I am not alone in this based upon a quick read of their discussion forum.<br />
<br />
Bottom line: some great ideas with shoddy execution. Despite all of the talk and waiting for this service, it seems half-baked. From a technology standpoint, it is ready for beta at best. It will be interesting to see where this service goes. Most of the issues I've listed should be pretty quick fixes. I will keep and eye on this one. While I might sound pretty negative here, it's mostly disappointment based on my expectations for the service and the clunkiness of the initial experience. I really believe they have a few good ideas. If they can execute on them, it could be an interesting service.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-63043670389611515532014-01-20T12:26:00.003-08:002014-01-20T15:29:12.630-08:00Myths Are Not False<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sometimes you will be asked a question, the wording of which, tells you that the person asking the question doesn't understand the fundamental questions of the topic. A computer salesmen being asked by a customer how many windows he will need for his new computer. This indicates to the salesman that the customer doesn't understand that Windows is an operating system and, perhaps unintuitively, a non-count noun. Someone could ask when the weather ends. Ummm...the weather never ends. A particular storm or weather system might end, but never the weather.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Defining your terminology before engaging in a deep discussion (and certainly before an argument or debate) is critical.</blockquote>
<br />
We see this when someone clinging to an unsupported belief claims that "science was wrong." Fundamental misunderstanding of science? Science is always our current best explanation for natural phenomena. It, like the weather, is never finished. As better tools are invented, our findings get more accurate and often uncover new questions to be answered. Science is a process. So, you might ask, how can an ongoing process that makes no claim to absolutely right or to have a final answer be wrong? It can't. The person making the statement suffers from a fundamental misunderstanding of the concepts involved. The best they could say would be that a particular, point-in-time measurement or hypothesis was later proven incorrect.<br />
<br />
Which brings us to myth. I have heard many people dismiss myth because it is "false". Uh oh. Myths are stories about a similar, often idealized, world to our own where ideas about the meaning of life can be tested. The best myths, like any great story, not only entertain but also guide us through our mortal walk of life. Why are we here? What does it mean to live a good life? What is the good? How can we open jars of peanut butter and carefully lace our shoes knowing that we are mortal and will, on some not too distant day, cease to be? Myths provide models from which we can select elements of the person we want to be and the journey we want to take.<br />
<br />
It makes no sense to attempt the assignment of truth values (true or false) to a story. Is a novel false? It is a work of art, a product of the imagination which makes no claims to journalistic accuracy. What would it even mean for a novel to be true or false? The same applies for myths. They are neither true nor false. This confusion could arise if a person started believing some myths as true. This would create confusion in that person's mind and they might expect other myths to believable as true statements concerning our physical universe. How they would select which myths to believe as accurate statements about our physical universe and which to reject as mere stories, I have no idea. It is a category mistake from top to bottom and they would be better served by understand the definition of myth, to appreciate their beauty, their timelessness, and their wisdom.<br />
<br />
Perhaps, if more people begin to understand that myths aren't false, they will start paying more attention to these thought experiments. One can be entertained while being shown possible ways to live a meaningful life. Whether you use myths or not, the jar of peanut butter needs to be opened and your shoes need laces. And someday you will die. How will you live until then?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-65579731972707732552011-10-02T12:37:00.003-07:002011-10-02T12:37:30.548-07:00Social Networks and Nifty Online Tools<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;">
I’m always on the lookout for new tools to help me get organized (while being careful not to fall into “tool churn” and the mental trap that a new tool will “solve” things). So, there is a balance between trying new things and pruning those which are not bringing value.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;">
I’ve been surprised to find myself using <a href="http://stumbleupon.com/">stumbleupon</a> almost every day. I do sometimes stumble upon something cool that I would never have found otherwise.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;">
I always went from not <em style="margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;">getting</em> <a href="http://twitter.com/">twitter</a> six months ago to using the service throughout the day.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;">
The native <a href="http://producteev.com/">Producteev</a> app has been killer for my to do lists over the last month or so.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;">
I use <a href="http://spotify.com/">Spotify</a> almost continually for music. (with last.fm keeping track of everything for me).</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;">
New this week: <a href="http://penzu.com/">penzu</a> (a nice online journal) and <a href="http://fleetly.com/">fleetly</a> (a game layer over fitness). Time will tell if either of those stick and bring me daily value.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;">
I’m always open to suggestions.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-68428092391379977862011-04-01T07:15:00.001-07:002011-04-01T07:15:13.345-07:00I Love Springpad!<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>I have only been using it for a few days, but it has already become an integral part of how I work each day. <a href="http://www.springpadit.com" title="Spring Pad" target="_blank">Springpad</a> is great. I keep notebooks for the different projects I'm working on or topics that I'm studying. It's replacing Evernote and some of the functions of our household wiki. Great interface and amazingly consistent across platforms (iPad, iPhone, web,...). Did I mention that it's free?</p> <p>They have a social element if you want to use it, a web clipper for grabbing stuff while you're browsing, email notes to yourself, share stuff with others, etc...</p> <p>Some of the features I've just started playing with include a board layout for spatially manipulating items and product lookup for creating lists of things I want to keep an eye on.</p> <p>Great tool. Highly recommended.</p></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-82071902241326111722011-03-30T07:28:00.001-07:002011-03-30T07:28:46.345-07:00Getting Organized<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>Over the last two weeks, I've been looking at different technologies to help further organize my life. After being a loyal Toodledo user for years, I've looked at a million task managers. Finally, I settled on Producteev. Cohuman and HiTask both have some really interesting ideas and could develop into strong contenders. But Producteev is the most usable right now (lack of a native iPad app notwithstanding). </p> <p>Why switch from Toodledo? Well, I was looking for something more collaborative. All three products listed above allow multiple people to work together on tasks, assign tasks, and converse as the task progresses. Been using it for a week and have noticed a big difference.</p></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-71653798055182687712010-12-28T07:39:00.001-08:002010-12-28T07:39:38.613-08:00My Holiday Reading Renaissance<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>I didn't read quite as many books this year as I normally do (but I came pretty close). However, December has been a good month for me. During this vacation alone, I've finished <span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Death of Ivan Ilyich</span> (Tolstoy), <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Walden</span> (Thoreau), <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Lost Books of the Oddysey</span> (Zachary Mason), and <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Swann's Way</span>, Volume 1 of Proust's masterpiece <span style="text-decoration: underline;">In Search of Lost Time</span>. For icing on the cake, I've got a few more in flight.</p> <p>No doubt this is partly due to having some free time to sit down and read. But, I can't underestimate the "Kobo effect", which encourages me by giving rewards (think Xbox achievements or Playstation trophies), giving frequent discounts on ebooks, and giving me all kinds of statistics on my reading habits.</p> <p>Hopefully I can carry this momentum into next year and will continue to read many books. </p></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-6545385400603333982010-12-25T05:32:00.001-08:002010-12-25T05:32:13.079-08:00The iPad Before Christmas<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>I spent most of yesterday configuring my wife's new iPad. I've had mine for a few months, so I was pretty familiar with the device. It still took most of the day to get all of the applications she wanted, to log into everything for the first time, and to get everything customized to her liking.</p> <p>When registering, Apple asked what was the primary reason for purchasing the device. We selected "eReader". It really was the best choice though I would have laughed at this suggestion just a few years ago. Being hardcore bibliophiles (who can appreciate an exquisitely crafted volume) and owners of first generation Kindle devices, I didn't really see much need in using the iPad as a reading device. But, that is what I do. Everyday. All the time. I would say I easily do ninety-five percent of my reading on the iPad now (and I read quite a bit).</p> <p>Multiple eReading apps have arisen (iBooks, Kindle, Nook, Google Books, Kobo, Stanza,...) to give plenty of options. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it really comes down to which features are important to you. I do most of my reading of late using Kobo.</p> <p>Of course the devices do many other things too. Today we will reap the fruits of yesterday's configuration. We can sit down and have some fun with the devices. And get some reading done too. </p></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-21816734167477963822010-12-23T08:32:00.001-08:002010-12-23T08:32:55.768-08:00Reflections on Walden<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>I finally got around to reading Thoreau's <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Walden</span>. Good book, but I can't believe they have high school kids reading it. The very beginning and the very end contain most of the philosophical bits, while the middle is a pleasant meditation on getting away from society and observing nature. With no discernible plot, I don't think this book would hold most people's attention.</p> <p>Still, if you're in the mood for that sort of thing some winter's day, it is a worthy read.</p></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-50116021904055000392009-04-04T04:51:00.004-07:002009-04-04T05:22:13.168-07:00The Frequentive Aspect and Being DisgruntledHow many of you have had a coworker say something like the following?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> "I'm disgruntled. I wish I could be gruntled." I know I've heard it several times. Gruntled seems like a fun play on words, but what does it really mean? Would you even want to be gruntled?</span><div><br /></div><div>We'll do another post soon and discuss how verbs not only have tenses, but also aspects and moods. For now, let's just keep in mind that while a tense indicates the time of the verb's action, its aspect indicates something about how the action was done. Today we're discussing one type of verb aspect, the frequentive.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another question. Have you ever sat in front of a fire and heard a log pop? Once the flame becomes hot enough, the wood begins to crack. When this occurs over and over, it establishes a soothing rhythm. When something occurs over and over like this, we can say that it occurs frequently. We can then switch the verb 'crack' into the frequentive aspect and it becomes 'crackle'.</div><div><br /></div><div>In English, the frequentive is formed by applending '-le' to the verb. Let's look at some more examples.</div><div><br /></div><div>wrest --> wrestle</div><div>sniff --> sniffle</div><div><br /></div><div>This may seem like a subtle topic, but perhaps it will help you to better choose your words when you think about what an '-le' word indicates. Did she wrest the letter from him? Or did they wrestle over it? (Wrest being a one time action).</div><div><br /></div><div>By now you've probably picked up the pattern and have worked backwards from gruntle to grunt. Grunt is a normal, one-time action. Gruntle means to grunt repeatedly or frequently. That part is pretty straightforward.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's the 'dis-' prefix that causes the confusion. Dis- normally negates the verb, but occasionally it has the mean "very" or "a lot". So while disgruntle may appear to mean "not repeatedly grunting and grumbling", it really means "a lot of repeated grunting and grumbling." So if someone wants to be gruntled, they're really not improving much from being disgruntled.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now that we've looked at the frequentive aspect, keep watch for it in your daily lexical travels. When you see a word ending in '-le' think about that indicates and what the root (without the -le) might mean. Waffles anyone? </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-82188276683091765332009-01-19T14:57:00.004-08:002009-01-19T15:13:43.599-08:00Minimalist LanguagesMinimalist languages do not occur naturally. They represent one type of constructed language and have the design goal of reducing the number of available words in the lexicon.<br /><br />A minimalist language can be either <span style="font-style: italic;">a priori</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">a posteriori</span>. <span style="font-style: italic;">A priori</span> languages are created independently of any existing language and often attempt to implement a philosophy. Many <span style="font-style: italic;">a priori</span> languages organize their lexicon around some sort of taxonomy.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A posteriori</span> languages have a lexicon based upon an existing language. These languages often attempt to simplify the perceived complexities of the base language's grammar or to create an easily understandable auxiliary language. A famous example of an <span style="font-style: italic;">a posteriori</span>, auxiliary language is Esperanto, although it is not a minimalist language.<br /><br />As stated, a minimalist language can be either <span style="font-style: italic;">a priori</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">a posteriori</span>. Here, we will focus on a few examples of a posteriori, minimalist languages. Some examples are Newspeak and Toki Pona.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Newspeak</span><br /><br />The minimalist, <span style="font-style: italic;">a posteriori</span> language called Newspeak was created by George Orwell in his novel 1984. It is <span style="font-style: italic;">a posteriori</span> because its lexicon is based upon an existing language, English, and it is a minimalist language because it attempts to reduce the number of words available in the vocabulary. This reduced vocabulary probably qualifies Newspeak as a philosophical language, too. The intent of the language's fictional creators was to control the concepts available for people to use for thinking.<br />The fictional language Newspeak was based upon an actual language called Basic English. Orwell opposed this experiment (after originally supporting it's goals of reducing the abuses of the English language perpetrated by politicians).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Toki Pona</span><br /><br />Another <span style="font-style: italic;">a posteriori</span>, minimalist language is Toki Pona. This language was created in 2001 by Sonja Elen Kisa. It is an <span style="font-style: italic;">a posteriori</span> language because its vocabulary is based upon words from several existing languages. Toki Pona is also minimalist due to it's remarkably small vocabulary size, weighing in at only one hundred twenty root words.<br /><br />Toki Pona is also a philosophical language. The creator wanted to make a "happy" language and infused it with Taoist concepts. Many speakers of Toki Pona feel that the simplicity of the language forces them to break down their thoughts into smaller components. For instance, the vague term "heaven" has no root word equivalent in Toki Pona. Instead, one might say "big sky place".<br /><br />It is in many ways an experiment with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapir-Whorf_hypothesis">Sapir-Whorf hypothesis</a>. In a nutshell, the hypothesis states that characteristics of the language one is speaking affects one's thoughts. Speakers of Toki Pona are forced to build up concepts from the one hundred twenty root words. According to Sapir-Whorf, this would have an effect on their thoughts, probably causing them to focus less on specific labels (because these are absent from the lexicon) and more on the concept they are attempting to convey.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Conclusion</span><br /><br />Minimalist languages can come in many types and sizes, but they all try to create a system that is capable of communication through the use of a restricted lexicon (and often a restricted grammar). At first glance, this might seem to be an obvious direction in which to move our cluttered and complicated languages. However, it should be noted that, while admirable and well-constructed, none of these minimalist languages has ever gained real popularity.<br /><br />Perhaps after the initial glee at having such a small list of words to learn, the machinations required to express all but the most routine concepts causes people to return to more complex, but more precise languages. Perhaps it's something else entirely.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-8524983797103560532009-01-11T05:26:00.004-08:002009-01-11T05:58:02.889-08:00Lay Versus Lie<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 20px; "><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=heasspeficjou-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0451627121&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></span><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div>This morning as I was lying in bed and the clouds were laying snow on the ground, I was thinking about the next topic on which to post. The northeast lies buried in snow and it's so cold that chickens will lay ice cubes instead of eggs today.<div><br /></div><div>I thought, why not write a quick review of "lay" versus "lie"?</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, it's definition time.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">transitive verb</span> - a verb which transfers its action to an object (see <a href="http://pageofachilles.blogspot.com/2006/02/todays-object-subject.html">the post on subjects and objects</a> if you need a refresher). In short, a verb that is transitive requires an object.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">intransitive verb</span> - a verb which does not take an object. Think of an intransitive verb as a "stand alone" verb.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let's look at some examples:</div><div><br /></div><div>I have <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">(transitive verb)</span> a hammer <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">(object</span>).</div><div>You cried <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">(intransitive verb)</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you think about more examples, you will quickly find that there are many verbs which take two objects (a direct object and an indirect object) and some verbs can be either transitive or intransitive. We'll cover these situations another time. Right now I want to focus on two specific verbs: lay and lie.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's the most important thing to remember about "lay". Lay is a transitive verb. Let's say it again just to make sure it sticks in our memory. Lay is a transitive verb. And a transitive verb takes an object. So, lay always takes an object.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Lie" is an intransitive verb. Lie does not take an object. Most of the time when you are saying "lay", you probably mean to say "lie".</div><div><br /></div><div>Some examples:</div><div><br /></div><div>The chicken <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">lays</span> an <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">egg</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="">.</span></div><div>I was <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">lying</span> down. (Note that "down" is NOT an object!!)</div><div><br /></div><div>The second most important thing to remember is that "down" is not an object. It is a preposition. If the verb is followed by a preposition (on, in, down, ...), you probably want to use "lie".</div><div><br /></div><div>Why do so many people get confused about this? There are probably a few culprits. </div><div><br /></div><div>The first is that old prayer that children are taught, "now I <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">lay me</span> down to sleep." Here, lay is used correctly as transitive verb with "me" as its object. Normally we don't talk like that (using lay as a reflexive verb), but somehow "lay" became associated in our minds as the correct verb to use.</div><div><br /></div><div>The second reason for confusion might be that the past tense of "lie" is "lay". So, right now I <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">lie</span> on the bed. (Notice the preposition following the verb?) But, earlier today I <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">lay</span> on the bed. This definitely contributes to confusion between "lay" and "lie".</div><div><br /></div><div>Try to remember the main points stressed above and you won't lay an egg next time you lie down.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-50318874176212942732009-01-01T11:32:00.006-08:002009-01-01T12:37:14.120-08:00Coordinate Versus Non-Coordinate Adjectives<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 20px; "><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=heasspeficjou-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0451627121&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></span><br /></div><br /><br />Adjectives modify nouns. Some sentences contain nouns so worthy of description that they require multiple adjectives. Now, everyone knows the rule that multiple adjectives are separated by commas when modifying the same noun. (Remember not to place a comma between the final adjective and the noun).<br /><br />For example:<br /> He ate the <span style="font-style:italic;">hard, chewy</span> cheese.<br /><br />Both "hard" and "chewy" are adjectives that modify the noun. Easy, right?<br /><br />Not so fast. A comma is only needed between <span style="font-weight:bold;">coordinate</span> adjectives. This aspect of the rule is quite easy to break. Coordinate adjectives can be placed in reverse order or separated by the word "and". If you can do those two things without affecting the sense of what you are saying, then you have coordinate adjectives.<br /><br />In the example above, we could have easily said:<br /><br /> He ate the hard <span style="font-weight:bold;">and</span> chewy cheese. <br /> Or<br /> He ate the chewy, hard cheese.<br /><br />Neither one robs the sentence of any meaning, so we have coordinate adjectives and they should be separated by a comma.<br /><br />Non-coordinate adjectives, on the other hand, should not be separated by a comma. Non-coordinate adjectives are not equal. One takes precedence over the other.<br /><br />An example using non-coordinate adjectives:<br /><br /> He drives a blue metal car.<br /><br />Notice the absence of a comma? We would not say "a metal blue car" and we would not say "a blue and metal car", so we do not have coordinate adjectives.<br /><br />As a rule of thumb, adjectives of size generally come first, followed by adjectives of age, color, then material.<br /><br />When you're writing, it's easy to just start wedging commas between any two adjectives without thinking about whether they are really needed. We've all done it. Hopefully this little refresher will help us remember about coordinate versus non-coordinate adjectives.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-715160886910907092008-12-27T15:01:00.005-08:002014-01-20T17:37:03.790-08:00Agenbite of Inwit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Let's talk about using the wrong word.<br />
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You writers and public speakers out there are always striving for the right word, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">le mot juste</span>. But is the right word the most precise one which indicates the concept, or a more widely known one that comes close? Is the right word perhaps the one which creates a visceral connection with the concept in the mind of the reader?</div>
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In his book "Ulysses", James Joyce occasionally uses the term "agenbite of inwit." Let's look at why this is the wrong word and why Joyce was right to use it.</div>
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Agenbite of inwit is misspelling of ayenbite of inwyt, the title of a French treatise. In 1340, a monk translated this treatise into English a bit too literally. Agenbite, or 'again bite', is a sort-of English rendering of the Latin verb <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">remordere</span> (to bite again). Inwit, inner wit, is the inner sense of morality, that little voice inside of you that knows right from wrong. So agenbite of inwit is the nagging of one's conscience.</div>
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This is the "wrong" word because the title was poorly translated and Joyce's spelling is off. But, it is the right word too. Used in the context of Leopoold Bloom, the protagonist of Ulysses, and his day about Dublin, the phrase packs some very visceral punch. Joyce's 'ayen' to 'agen' consonant change renders the word closer to modern English. Once the reader understands this phrase, it is much more potent than writing "my conscience is nagging me" amidst Bloom's stream of thoughts. Instead we get "agenbite of inwit." And we know. We're right there with him.</div>
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It was gutsy of Joyce to use this phrase throughout his novel, but I think it paid off. He single-handedly revived this phrase and it is now used occasionally by modern authors. It's not instantly recognizable to those who haven't previously encountered it, but it is oddly familiar and similar to common English words. It's one of those phrases that gets into your head and doesn't want to come back out. Perhaps when you're having an agenbite of inwit?</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-16552806744848723872008-12-21T07:21:00.004-08:002008-12-21T09:24:00.652-08:00The Sword As A MetaphorIt's been a while since we talked about myth. Let's take a look at the idea of the sword as a metaphor.<div><br /></div><div>Since swords play such a prominent role in ancient literature, poetry, and fantasy, it seems fitting that we take a moment to examine this symbol. A sword could easily be construed as a phallic symbol. It is long and straight and directly related to its wielder's sense of power.</div><div><br /></div><div>Young Arthur couldn't fully ascend to his position as a leader until he had become master of the blade, Excalibur. When he is mortally wounded and can no longer wield the sword, he orders it to be thrown into the lake.</div><div><br /></div><div>In Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings", Aragorn is the rightful king, but his sword is broken. Narsil was the sword of his fathers, but remains broken after being shattered in battle. It is only when the elves reforge Narsil into Anduril that he accepts his role as leader. His sword is whole again.</div><div><br /></div><div>In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker is a small town boy yearning for adventure. When his guide (Obi Wan Kenobi) gives Luke his father's sword (albeit a laser sword), he learns to wield it and becomes a man. Later, he uses his sword against his father, who chops off his sword bearing hand.</div><div><br /></div><div>The sword as a phallic metaphor seems seems fairly obvious. The danger is that of interpreting ancient symbols through a modern lens. Perhaps a sword could more rightly be seen as the martial version of king's sceptor, a symbol of power, held by a ruler. In this case, it is a warrior-king who holds the staff of the ruler. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-81368136413274607702008-12-18T20:13:00.004-08:002008-12-18T20:28:13.355-08:00IrregardlessThis one came as a surprise to me. I was speaking with a colleague at work. <div><br /></div><div>I said something like "Irregardless of the cost..." and my colleague stopped me.</div><div>"There is no such word." He said.</div><div>"Really?"</div><div>"Just use 'regardless'." He advised.</div><div><br /></div><div>It made sense immediately. The prefix ir- doesn't add any semantic weight to the word. The tricky part is our natural instinct to add some negation, but regardless already contains the -less suffix. This, of course, creates a double negative.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irregardless">Merriam-Webster</a> says that the word originated in American speech in the early twentieth century and has never been accepted as correct. The common theory is that irregardless is a confusion of "irrespective" and "regardless".</div><div><br /></div><div>I certainly learned something new today. Regardless of what I thought, irregardless isn't a word I'll be using any longer.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-47833524696814450382008-12-17T17:08:00.003-08:002008-12-17T17:21:09.288-08:00How Much Does a Swear Word Weigh?From time to time, I'll be engaged in a conversation about language with a non-native English speaker. Actually, this occurs pretty frequently. Sometimes another person will enter and say something like "I only know one word in your language" and proceed to say the equivalent of the "f word".<div><br /></div><div>Reactions to this vary. </div><div><br /></div><div> I always tell people not to swear in a foreign language until they are fluent in that language. The problem is that it seems like a fun game to you. You're saying a cute, little naughty word that doesn't carry any baggage. For you. To the other person, you probably just said something offensive or, at least, wildly inappropriate.</div><div><br /></div><div>Imagine that the situation were reversed. You're walking down a street in Italy, someone recognizes that you are an English speaker, walks up to you and says the following:</div><div><br /></div><div>Mi dispiace, non parlo l'inglese ma F!@# you.</div><div><br /></div><div>What part of that is going to resonate viscerally? Now you know what it sounds like to them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Further, each culture assigns a different weight to swear words. In some cultures, one would never swear in a public setting. In others, swearing might be considered a very mild issue.</div><div><br /></div><div>Each word (or phrase) also carries an individual weight. So just make sure that you know the potential impact of what you are saying before you say it.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-87050258819095379322008-12-15T04:42:00.004-08:002008-12-15T04:59:49.762-08:00Bona Zamenhof DayHappy Zamenhof Day! Bonan Zamenhofan Tagon!<div><br /></div><div>Yes, today (December 15th) is Zamenhof day, the birthday of Ludwig Zamenhof.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> He is the man who created <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/esperanto">Esperanto.</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>This "holiday" stretches back to 1878, when Zamenhof first told birthday well-wishers about his new language. Today, most esperantists celebrate by purchasing a book in Esperanto.</div><div><br /></div><div>While Esperanto is hardly the universally spoken second language that it was intended to be, it is far and away the most successful constructed language with several million speakers. And, more importantly, in an increasingly international world, where people from various cultures mix on a daily basis, the idea of a neutral auxiliary language has never seemed more apt.</div><div><br /></div><div>Zamenhof grew up in a city divided by multiple languages, where the people mistrusted one another due to incomprehension. His idea was to create this neutral second language for them so that they could begin to communicate. He thought that most conflict arose from misunderstanding and from the fear produced by not communicating.</div><div><br /></div><div>The discussion of English as a global language must wait for another post. Today we simply acknowledge Zamenhof and his ideals.</div><div><br /></div><div>Estu bone kaj havu bonan Zamenhofan tagon. <br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-26902604233375600852008-12-13T09:12:00.002-08:002008-12-13T09:34:20.808-08:00Ending Sentences With PrepositionsFirst off, apologies for the long silence. During the gap between this post and the prior post I changed jobs and bought a house. Life has a crazy way distracting one from such pleasurable pursuits as blogging. A big thank you to everyone who has been checking back for new posts and to all of those who have found the blog useful.<div>------</div><div><br /></div><div>Today, let's talk about ending sentences with prepositions. Your English teacher told you not do it. Your textbooks told you not do it. But, is this really a rule that you should follow?</div><div><br /></div><div>It turns out that a sentence ending preposition is a rather divisive issue. Increasingly, people are questioning this basic rule of grammar. The argument usually centers around the fact that avoiding a preposition at the end of a sentence really has nothing to do with the English language. This practice comes from Latin. Encouraging people to write this way produces a style that is closer to the style of Latin. This is undoubtedly true. </div><div><br /></div><div>As many of you know, English has several roots, but the lexicon is primarily derived from Anglo-Saxon and French words. French is a direct descendant of Latin. Throughout the history of Modern English (and still persisting today) is a stigma against the blue collar Anglo-Saxon words. Latin derived words are perceived as more intellectual and indicative of the upper class. J.R.R. Tolkien was frustrated by the use of the word "autumn" (French) when there was a perfectly good word for the same concept, "fall" (Anglo-Saxon). This is fodder for a separate discussion. For now we just need to remember that this stigma exists and that several of our grammar "rules" exist to perpetuate this stigma.</div><div><br /></div><div>Still, I'm not sure that this is reason enough to throw out this particular rule. Is structuring a sentence like Latin such a bad thing? In my opinion, a better argument against this rule is the fact that it applies only to written English. I rarely end a sentence with a preposition when I'm writing, but, mindful as I am of the rule, I often break the rule when speaking. There's something mildly unsettling about that kind of division.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the end, what should you do? That is, of course, up to you. My advice is to try following the rule. Like any rule of grammar, if you break it, break it consciously. Being more mindful of how you are structuring your sentence can't be a bad thing.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-90710948366382714442007-11-05T15:25:00.000-08:002007-11-05T15:36:14.152-08:00Commenting on commentsYou may have noticed that I disabled comments on this blog. This was mostly to protect the people posting comments from future embarrassment.<br /><br />Each year, around the time that school goes back in session, I receive several helpful comments about the blog that insult me and make me question the time and effort that goes into making any future posts. I mention schools being back in session because I suspect that these comments are coming from students VERY early in their linguistics studies.<br /><br />For example, not long ago a comment came that was so full of assumptions that I had to read it twice to make sure it wasn't a joke. To the person who posted that "ALL languages have..." and made assumptions about baseball and the like: linguistics is a science and one needs to develop scientific thinking. If you find yourself using words like "always", "never", "all languages", you probably haven't yet developed your skills of scientific thinking. By the way, you'll realize why you were incorrect when your class gets up to constructed languages.<br /><br />Ah, the confidence of the neophyte.<br /><br />Tonight, I received a comment calling me an "idiot" from a person who cannot tell the difference between Latin and Italian. Having lived in Italy for years myself, I can assure that your "correction" was indeed Italian. You kind of missed the point of the post, it seems. What stuns me is that he took to write and submit the comment demonstrating this fact.<br /><br />I guess it might be better if a single one of these helpful comments had been spelled correctly or had correct grammar. And, I know that many people have found the blog helpful and interesting (thanks for those comments). But, sometimes I wonder why I take the time.<br /><br />Thanks for listening to the rant- it was a long time in the making. Next time: back to real linguistics.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-72152862774843293392007-01-25T09:59:00.000-08:002007-01-25T10:26:15.937-08:00Which Language To Learn? A colleague of mind recently told me that his daughter's school had asked her to choose which language to study for the next three years. Knowing my interest in language, he came to me for advice. What an interesting question, I thought. And it goes far beyond being a choice that only high school students face. University students attempting to pick up a language that will bolster their choice of career, adults wishing learn something new, people wanting to connect more with their heritage, people who are relocating, people wishing to keep their minds sharp by learning something new- all face this same question.<br><br>In this case, his daughter had the choice of Latin, French, or Spanish. High school students, perhaps, have an easier choice than most because the choices are limited to the few languages that the school actually offers. But, even here some interesting decisions must be made. Of the three languages above, one can obviously divide them in Classical Languages (Latin) and Modern Languages (French and Spanish). So the first decision might be whether she wants to learn a classical or modern language.<br><br>Classical languages can be more difficult to learn (especially at the beginning) for a couple of reasons. First of all, you cannot find stories, novels, DVDs, and popular music in that language. These are great tools for learning a language. Not only is understanding a culture a crucial aspect of truly learning new language (see the post on <span style="font-style: italic;">Language and Culture</span>), but the desire to understand what you are hearing or reading is a great motivator. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Desire</span> is an important part of learning a language. Everyone performs better when they have a desire to learn instead of treating language learning as a chore.<br><br>Additionally, classical languages can be more difficult because they often use explicit case endings which involve a high level of memorization initially. These languages also sometimes lack modern language features such as definite articles, making them seem awkward to modern speakers. However, there can be a thrill when learning a language that reaches back into the history of humanity. Once mastered, modern languages which are based upon a classical language will be easier to learn. But remember, <span style="font-weight: bold;">difficulty</span> is an important factor when choosing a language. Difficulty can also be measured by how different the language is from languages that you already speak.<br><br>If she chooses to study a modern language, she still faces an interesting choice. Both French and Spanish are amongst the top ten most spoken languages in the world. And each of them is spoken in many countries around the world. Thus, they are both quite useful. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Usefulness</span> is a major factor when choosing a language.<br><br>Both of these languages could provide opportunities for employment or career advancement. Both of them have a huge pool of films, music, and literature to enjoy. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Location</span> might be a factor when choosing a language to study. Here in New York City, Spanish would be of more use than French as there are many Spanish speakers living here. However, I would caution against allowing one's current location to heavily influence the choice of a language. It's easy enough to move somewhere else or get transferred.<br><br><span style="font-weight: bold;">Regularity</span> might be a factor when choosing a new language, but again I would urge caution. Some languages (like English) are riddled with exceptions and special cases. This can make mastering a language difficult (though might not be a factor for beginning students regardless of the language).<br><br>Finally, <span style="font-weight: bold;">personal aesthetics</span> are an important factor when choosing a language. Everyone has some language to which they've always been attracted. Maybe it's a language your family used to speak or it's the language of a country where you had a fantastic vacation. Maybe you don't consciously know the reason. But, you've always loved the sound of that language, always wanted to learn it.<br><br>So, we've looked at some factors to consider when choosing a language:<br><br><ul><li>desire</li><li>difficulty</li><li>usefulness</li><li>location</li><li>regularity</li><li>personal aesthetics</li></ul><br>My colleague said that his daughter's teacher was pushing her study Latin, but that she was leaning in the direction of Spanish. Between those two choices, I recommended Spanish as it was useful here in NYC and would be easier to learn. She could always go back and pick up Latin later, having a great head start from all of the common roots that the two languages share. Personally, I would have chosen French. Though less useful here in New York City, I love the way it sounds and I absolutely love reading in French. This would fall under the "personal aesthetic" category from above.<br><br>Ultimately she chose Latin. I wish her <span style="font-style: italic;">bona fortvna</span>.<br>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-72570844231251183832007-01-17T10:40:00.000-08:002007-01-17T10:41:03.038-08:00AdjectivesAdjectives modify nouns. This means that they decorate nouns by adding some characteristic. The adjective <span style="font-style: italic;">big</span> can make the noun <span style="font-style: italic;">dog</span> much more interesting when it becomes a <span style="font-style: italic;">big dog</span>. Rabid, scary, and ghost might be interesting too.<br /><br />Adjectives can never modify verbs or any other part of speech. They are crazy about nouns and don't have time for any other part of speech.<br /><br />In some languages, adjectives change their endings to agree with the noun they modify. Often adjectives will agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. For example, in French feminine nouns end with an 'e'. So if I'm an adjective that's decorating a feminine noun, I too must end with an 'e'.<br /><br />French nouns are made plural by appending an 's'. So, if I'm a French adjective modifying a plural noun, I must end with an 's'.<br /><br />Many languages exhibit this type of noun-adjective agreement.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">exercise #1</span></span>: What are the first five adjectives that come into your head when you hear the word "water"? What about "fire"?<br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-style: italic;">exercise #2</span></span>: Does English have the kinds of noun-adjective agreement mentioned above?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-9019184043404384962007-01-12T09:51:00.000-08:002007-01-12T09:52:28.657-08:00Language and Culture: You Can't Have One Without the OtherLet's clear up a common a misconception. If you properly learn a language you will not (cannot!) forget it. You might get a little rusty and forget a few less common words, but you will not lose the ability to speak that language. Anyone who tells you otherwise has memorized words and phrases, but has not truly allowed that language to become a part of them.<br /><br />So what do we mean by properly learning a language? Learning the grammar, the vocabulary, idiomatic usage, and... the culture. Learning a language means that you also learn a culture. Luckily for you, this means that you'll get to watch some films and listen to some songs. That's not so bad is it? How about food? Yep, you'll need to try some new recipes (or find a new restaurant). You've got to get in there and allow this new culture to become less foreign.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">exercise #1</span></span>: Try to find a DVD spoken in your chosen language. Set it to speak in the original voices and simply put the subtitles on English. Start to listen to the rhythm of the words and phrases. At first it will seem like a high-speed jumble, but eventually it will start to seem more natural.<br /><br />Enjoy the film. How did the film differ from an American film?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">exercise #2</span></span>: Find the word for "bread" in your new language. From now on, that is your <span style="font-style: italic;">only</span> word for bread. Your friends and family will get used to hearing you say it. Don't worry. Start using this word exclusively. Even if all of the other words you say are still in English, it will help your brain to associate the concept of bread to this new word. Words are only labels, after all. Attach a new label to the underlying concept of 'bread'.<br /><br />Do the same thing for "milk" and "water". These are good words because the occur frequently in daily life.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">exercise #3</span></span>: Eat a meal at a restaurant which specializes in your target country's cuisine. If this is impractical for where you live, download a recipe. Enjoy the meal. Did you like the food? Do you think that people who live there eat that kind of meal of every day?<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-style: italic;">exercise #4</span></span></span></span>: Find some songs from your target country. Order an album or purchase some tracks online. Enjoy the music.<br /><br /><br />The point of all of these exercises is to make the foreign culture seem less foreign. The words themselves will make more sense when you understand the people who speak them. Besides, a new perspective is never a bad thing. In my experience, every culture has some things that they do particularly well. Find those things. Allow the strengths from this new culture strengthen your own life. You never when something that you try for a few weeks while learning language might become a permanent part of your life.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-1167935137210696462007-01-04T10:25:00.000-08:002007-01-04T10:53:56.614-08:00Less and FewerThis one is pretty straightforward, but I hear people getting these two words confused. Time for a quick review.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Fewer</span></span> is an adjective. Period.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Less</span></span> can be either an adjective or an adverb. I've never heard anyone mistake <span style="font-style: italic;">fewer</span> for an adverb, so this is not where the confusion lies.<br /><br />The question is which of the two adjectives to use when modifying a noun. Is it "fewer problems" or "less problems"? They both sound like they could potentially be correct. At least, neither adjective seems jarringly wrong.<br /><br />Here's the rule:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Use "fewer" with countable nouns and "less" with non-count nouns.</span><br /><br />What is a non-count noun? Anything which wouldn't normally be counted in individual or finite items. Water is an example of a (usually) non-count noun. You would ask for <span style="font-style: italic;">some water</span> and not <span style="font-style: italic;">three water</span>. This means that you would use "less" to modify water. For example, the tub holds less water (not fewer water). The same holds true for gas.<br /><br />On the other hand, you don't want to use "less" to modify a countable noun. I heard an advertisement the other day state that something had "less calories". They really meant to say "fewer calories". It's not that they were incomprehensible. I understood what they meant, but they didn't exactly fill me with confidence.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20938875.post-1157047164485321972006-08-31T10:59:00.000-07:002007-01-17T10:42:19.238-08:00Comma ConfusionLately, I've noticed a few different species of comma users. It interesting to see the way people misuse them. Let's take a look at some of the groups of comma abusers that you might encounter in the wild:<br /><br />1. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Overusers</span> - This group is probably the largest group of comma abusers in existence. They sprinkle extra commas everywhere. When in doubt, they always drop in an extra comma.<br /><br />2. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Abstainers</span> - This group shuns commas entirely. Their motto seems to be: when in doubt, leave it out. Also, when you're sure, leave it out. It is a bit jarring to see an appositive phrase naked against the word it modifies.<br /><br />3. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Guessers</span> - These people are very inconsistent in their comma use. They can't quite remember the rules. Each sentence is a new adventure with them.<br /><br />4. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Conjunctioners</span> - This is a rare species of comma abusers. A conjunctioner will isolate each and every conjunction in a sentence with commas. (<span style="font-style: italic;">We'll look at this below</span>)<br /><br />So, when should one actually use a comma? Let's look at the most obvious cases and keep things simple.<br /><br />When to use a comma:<br /><br />1. To indicate a pause - This is the raison d'etre of a comma. Anytime you want to indicate a slight pause, use a comma. For a full stop, use a period.<br /><br />2. To directly address someone or something - Use a comma before the person or thing being addressed. (<span style="font-style: italic;">see the post "Goodbye, Vocative" for a more detailed explanation</span>).<br /><br />3. Before a negating conjunction - Do not use a comma with "and" or "or". Use a comma with "but", which indicates a negation or exception to the previous clause.<br /><br />4. Before a modifier - The "which" in the previous sentence is a good example. It introduces a modifier (in this case, a clause). For an appositive phrase (another type of modifier), use a comma both before and after the phrase. Look at the following sentence. Jane's friend, Billy, eats marshmallows. "Billy" is the appositive phrase.<br /><br />5. Before a verb in the present progressive - A verb in the present progressive ends in "-ing". This is sometimes incorrectly called the "gerund", but a gerund indicates a nominal form (not a verbal form). An example of this usage might be: Susan walked into the room, eating a handful of popcorn.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581838473876527516noreply@blogger.com0