Comments for Pain in the English

Comment on all _____ sudden by Pat Herr

Pat Herr — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:49:22 +0000

Here's another, apparently new usage of a word that I counted wrong on a college student's paper just a semester ago: using "REVEAL" as a noun. For instance, "And now we welcome to our stage... Sarah Palin. She may have a big REVEAL for us about her plans for 2012!" If a person wants to REVEAL some new information, it's OK by me. But when a person has a surprise announcement, that''s a REVELATION, and always has been. So far this week, I've heard REVEAL used as a noun 5 or 6 times. Must we dumb down the English language yet again?

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Comment on Newfoundland Expression by pellet stove pipe

pellet stove pipe — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:08:55 +0000

I recently got a pellet stove. The best part is you don't need to spend a ton of money. I got mine on craigslist for $500. This stove keeps my house very warm.

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Comment on The use of "hey" in place of "hello". by dannool

dannool — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:47:17 +0000

I use "Hey" often. It is familiar and has affectionate overtones. I learned English growing up in northern Idaho. I lived in eastern Washington for the last 10 years and I'm now 25 years old.

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Comment on No Woman No Cry by rueben silver

rueben silver — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:09:55 +0000

we rastas are common sense people.everyone always want the truth to be on their side ,but God fearing people knows that the only real truth is Gods truth.Bob is simply giving people hope (especially woman whom he viewed as the mother of creation).he is also telling us that his not gonna be with us much longer,and that our energy should not be wasted on tears but rather to help create a worldwide situation where everyone can live in ONE harmony. JAH LIVE children

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Comment on Word for Twitter Whores? by Tim

Tim — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:35:59 +0000

I was going to say that something simple like "twats" would do fine, but I think Frank Luo's "twatters" would hold up much better out of context. Dr. Mc, you're kidding! You don't find it cumbersome to say, "I searched up twatters on Google," instead of a much simpler, "I googled twatters"?

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Comment on Fetch Referring to People? by Tim

Tim — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:51:36 +0000

Glynn, I suspect a plate of horse manure might actually be more poorly received if it were embellished with garnish and ketchup. I agree with everything else, though.

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Comment on Colon and semicolon in a single sentence by Carol Dent

Carol Dent — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:30:56 +0000

What a facinating blog. I've bookmarked it and added your feed to my RSS Reader

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Comment on Texted by davd

davd — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:11:15 +0000

It just sounds too ghetto. Use " text " or " sent you a text ". Try to sound like someone who has indoor plumbing.

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Comment on What is the word for intentionally incorrect spelling? by Name (supplied)

Name (supplied) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:58:25 +0000

Well, to be fair, I'd never heard of "malapropism" before. I should also allow that Wikipedia, which was my source, isn't necessarily accurate. I also usually look for alternative sources to see if they match up with Wikipedia. I somehow missed doing that this time. So, according to Wikipedia, the words must sound similar with no concern over whether it's intended. Ian's example does sound similar, but that doesn't mean that all of he and his friend's replacements do. He didn't state that they all do. Having corrected my previous failure to examine other sources, it seems that it's common that they sound similar, not required. It also does not seem to be required that it be intentional, especially considering the source of the word: "Mrs. Malaprop." In short, my bad. However, in light of a more in-depth search, I have to disagree on the arbitrary replacement. I would consider the above example of "I'm having a 'lamppost,'" rather than a "coronary," to be a malapropism as well.

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Comment on "I'm just saying" by Gene Faber

Gene Faber — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:44:56 +0000

Over 50 years ago, Col. John R. Stingo, The Honest Rainmaker, told the story of “the White Robin Authenticity setup.” Rumors of the unique bird’s appearance in South Jersey began a betting frenzy among the New York gambling crowd. Finally, after observers from both sides made the trip and a photo was taken in evidence, all bets were paid off. Turns out, though, the original rumor-monger’s brother had done “a little Rembrandting on the good horse Ahmadoun” a decade before. Col. Stingo explains: “Made this Ahmaudon look like a certain $1500 Claimer entered in a race that same afternoon. The conspirators got the Price and they reaped the harvest. Without customary Easel or Pastel, somebody could have done as neat a Job on White Robin. I’m only Saying, that’s all.” [From Stingo’s column, Yea Verily, March 3, 1945 in the Enquirer, according to A.J. Liebling in The Jollity Building, The Library of America edition, p. 479.]

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