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Misuse of 'Frequent' is Frequent
Q: Does "frequented" imply often? I have heard "they occasionally frequented" and even "they rarely frequented." Is that possible? — David Markowitz, West Hartford, Conn.
A: What's next? "They rarely …Read more.
'Whom' is Where the Heart is
The "who/whom" dilemma is the health care debate of grammar. The issues involved are so complicated and convoluted that no one really understands them.
That's why the late William Safire threw up his hands in 1992 and advocated a kind of …Read more.
Why Are These Sentences Loony?
What's wrong with these sentences?
1. Like the duck, the loon's nest is built near the shore.
2. The loon is a Bow Lake resident, on which several other loons live.
3. The baby loon is four times smaller than its mother.
That's right; they're loony …Read more.
Phrase Origins Served Piping Hot
Mel Kopel of Windsor, Conn., writes to ask why food is served "piping hot" and a car fresh from the showroom floor is "spanking new" (as opposed to the "clanking old" clunker you traded in for it).
You could conjure up …Read more.
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Correcting the Errors of Your 'Ways'Q. I am writing regarding a recent newspaper headline: "It Is Way Better To Feel Good Than To Look Good." When I was growing up, I would have been told to use the adverb "much" instead of "way" in that sentence. Could you please comment on this usage? — Rob Pease, Hartford, Conn. A: The use of "way" as an intensifying adverb, meaning "to a great degree, much," as in "way off base" and "way more than I expected," has popped up occasionally in English ever since the 1300s. But it didn't become well- established in standard English until the early 1900s. During the early 20th century, commentators frowned on this new use of "way," and it was generally restricted to set phrases involving distance or time, such as "way beyond," "way up," "way earlier," "way later." By the 1950s, respectable writers were using the adverbial "way," even though it still bore a whiff of informality: William H. Whyte — "… and that's way, way down"; William Bundy — "… falls way short of what might have been done"; William F. Buckley — " … the market … was way down." (Given the first name of these writers, you might say, "Where there's a 'Will,' there's a 'way.'") In recent years, however, young people have been using "way" as a general intensifier and applying it to any adjective they can find — "way cool," "way bad," "way random." These extensions of the adverbial "way" beyond the distance and time phrases may eventually become standard English; for now, they're not. This use of "way" as a generational marker has probably made every use of the adverbial "way" sound nonstandard to mature ears. While I won't try to concoct a hard-and-fast rule about when to use the adverbial "way," you're safer doing so when "way" can be replaced with "much" than when it can be replaced with "very." Hence, "way beyond," "way nicer," "way richer" are OK, while "way annoying," "way nice" and "way rich" are, well, way annoying. The "way better" used in the headline, for instance, falls into a gray area. "Much better" would certainly be more traditional. But "way better," while informal, can't really be considered nonstandard. Perhaps the headline writer was trying to appeal to the younger set. "Younger set"? Did I just write that? Now there's a generational marker! Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to Wordguy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. To find out more about Rob Kyff and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS.COM
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