TO MAKE YOUR HAIR CURL

Something that makes your hair curl shocks or horrifies you.

 Examples

 “The shocking pictures will make your hair curl, even more so when you discover that the City Guest House are currently charging £142 a night for a stay in what customers say is a bed bug-infested property.”

 “There are some monsters that will absolutely make your hair curl.”

 “Dyson straighteners’ cost will make your hair curl” (This title uses the idiom as a pun as straighteners can be used to curl hair, while the price of £399 might horrify potential buyers.)


 Photo credit: Jess Gibson (Creative Commons)

WHAT IS A GROCERS’ APOSTROPHE?

A grocers’ apostrophe is an apostrophe that is misapplied to a plural. This error is frequently seen in grocers’ shops, hence the name; however, to be fair, it is seen in many other places.

 Examples:

 “First thing’s first: nobody does a collaboration quite like ASOS.”


 “In the video, the singer can be seen holding a bunch of banana’s.”


 “We have to get the window’s boarded up”


 (All these apostrophes are used incorrectly - apostrophes should not be used for plurals.)


 Photo credit: Miria Grunick (Creative Commons)

HOW TO USE “ALREADY”

As an adverb, “already” is used in to show that:
 (1) something is currently happening;
 (2) something was finished before something else happened;
 (3) something was completed earlier than expected.

 Examples:

 (1)

 “We already work a 32-hour week on average (pretty much a four-day week); it’s just that it’s predominantly women who work part-time.”
 When using the simple present tense, as above, “already” is normally placed before the verb.
 This article discusses the possibility of a shorter working week; “already” is used here to indicate that, on average, people do work a shorter working work than the 40 hours that is classed as full-time work. In other words, the shorter working week in question is currently happening.

 “Upland farming is already delivering a plethora of ‘public goods’ but the expertise to manage the land will be lost without long-term public funding, a new report warns.”
 Here, the present continuous tense is used, and “already” is placed between the present tense of the verb “to be” and the -ing form of the verb.

 (2)

  “I had already packed the girls’ bags and bought their school uniforms.”
 Here, the past perfect tense is used; “already” is placed between “had” and the past tense of the verb “to pack.”

 “The members had already voted unanimously to declare a ‘climate emergency’.”

 (3)

 “A man in his 20s is already working on his Christmas light display - in October.”

 “Tesco is closing its Jack’s Supermarkets already”
 Here, “already” is placed at the end of the sentence. It would also be correct to place it before “closing.”


Photo credit: Steven Feather (Creative Commons)

DESCRIBING HOW THINGS CHANGE IN RELATION TO ONE ANOTHER: using “the” with comparative adjectives

We can use the following construction to describe how things change in relation to one another:

 the + comparative adjective + clause + the + comparative adjective + clause.

 The author A A Milne uses this many times in his “Winnie the Pooh” books, e.g.
“And all the time Winnie-the-Pooh had been trying to get the honey-jar off his head. The more he shook it, the more tightly it stuck.” [1]

 Possibly the most well-known example is: “The more it snows (Tiddely pom), The more it goes (Tiddely pom), The more it goes (Tiddely pom), On Snowing.” [2]



 This construction can be useful in scientific writing. For example,

 “The larger the diameter, or aperture, of the telescope, the greater its ability to gather more light and the higher its resolution (or ability to image fine details).”

 Other examples:

 “And the more different pairs of socks you start with, the higher the odds of producing odd socks becomes.”

 “the more people who travel, the cheaper the journey becomes for everyone.”



 The construction is sometimes shortened to take the form:

 the + comparative adjective + the + comparative adjective.

 An example is the commonly used phrase, “the more the merrier,” meaning that a situation will be improved by more people or things, e.g. “It’s all about raising awareness so the more the merrier and if people wanted to get some sponsorship as well, that’s an added bonus.”

 Other examples:

 “The smaller the better, especially when it comes to carbon-rich fibrous materials such as cardboard, straw, newspaper, plant stalks, woody stems and autumn leaves which should ideally be shredded or chopped up before being added.”

 “Weddings are one of those days brides are expected to look as delicate as a flower, but when it comes to bows on your gown—the larger, the better.”

 [1] Milne, A. A.; Shepherd, E. H.; Winnie-the-Pooh (pp. 68–69). Egmont UK. Kindle Edition. 
 [2] Milne, A. A.; The House at Pooh Corner (p.4). Egmont UK Ltd. Kindle Edition.

 Photo credit: Marco Verch (Creative Commons Licence)

THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL

The phrase “the writing is on the wall” is a signal that something unpleasant is about to happen.

  Examples of use:

  “The writing was on the wall for Jenners toy shop”

 “Why the writing’s on the wall for Berlin’s murals”

 “He said that firms like Cadbury have ‘seen the writing on the wall’ after the government introduced a sugar levy on drinks earlier this year.”


 This phrase has a biblical origin; the book of Daniel, chapter 5, describes how writing appeared on the palace wall during a feast given by Belshazzar, the last king of Babylon, foretelling that he would be killed and the city ransacked [1].

 The words written were MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN; Daniel interpreted this as ‘God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end’ (MENE), ‘you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting’ (TEKEL), and ‘your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians’ (PARSIN).


 [1] “writing on the wall, the” In The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press, 2005.

 Photo credit: Barb Nerdy

DOWN TO THE WIRE

The phrase “down to the wire” is used to describe a situation whose outcome is not decided until the last minute.

 This expression is related to horse racing and originated in the late 1800s in the US, where racecourses have a wire stretched across and above the finishing line; in a race that goes down to the wire, the horses are neck and neck right to the end [1].

 Examples of use:

 “As the United Kingdom’s labyrinthine Brexit crisis goes down to the wire, May is making a last-ditch effort to get changes to the divorce package but lawmakers may try on Wednesday to grab control of Brexit in a series of parliamentary votes.”

 “The Royals had some gilt edged chances late on but couldn’t take them and it’s looking more and more likely their relegation fight will go down to the wire.”

 “But the decision went down to the wire after the Tory opposition attempted to vote down the budget.”

 [1] Cresswell, Julia. “wire” in The Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins. Oxford University Press, 2009.

 Photo credit: Donnie Ray Jones

WHY DO WE SAY THAT SOMETHING IS PIPING HOT?

We use the term “piping” hot to describe extremely hot food or liquid, but where does “piping” come from?

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms, piping describes the hissing or sizzling noise made by very hot food taken  from an oven. The earliest recorded use of the phrase was in The Miller’s Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer: “And wafres, pipyng hoot out of the gleede” (And cakes, piping hot out of the fire) [1]. (You can find a free copy of this at Project Gutenberg.)

Examples of use:

“And of course, nothing says a Burns Night supper party menu like mounds of piping hot haggis and tatties - it’s what Rabbie would have wanted.”

“With clean hands, crush the tofu between your fingers into the pan (or mash it in with a potato masher) and cook for a few minutes more, until it’s piping hot and well mixed with the other ingredients.”

“When it arrived, the lasagne was piping hot with the perfect amount of cheese, four pasta layers, smoky bacon and mince, and it tasted delicious.”


[1] “piping” in Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms, edited by Ayto, John. Oxford University Press, 2009.

Photo credit: Edsel Little

DO WE NEED APOSTROPHES?

Apostrophes are mainly used in contractions and to denote possession.
(They should not be used for plurals – apostrophes used incorrectly in this context are known as grocers’ apostrophes.)

Tiger Webb argues that we should get rid of them. His main point appears to be that they contribute nothing to clarity in writing.

While it can be argued that the meanings of some possessives would be obvious without the apostrophe, this is not always the case.

David Marsh, writing in the Guardian, gives an excellent example of apostrophes being essential for clarity in the following four phrases, which differ only in the placing of their apostrophes and have completely different meanings.

The guitarist’s friend’s CD (refers to one guitarist and one friend).
The guitarist’s friends’ CD (one guitarist with more than one friend).
The guitarists’ friend’s CD (more than one guitarist; one friend).
The guitarists’ friends’ CD (more than one guitarist; their friends).

While the contraction “don’t” is not a valid word without its apostrophe, omitting apostrophes from she’ll (shell), he’ll (hell) and we’re (were), among others, would cause confusion.

Regarding Mr Webb’s suggestion that eliminating apostrophes from our language would stop grammar vigilantes from committing property damage, that would be using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. I would also argue that while the activities of the vigilante in question might not be strictly legal, his corrections were done extremely carefully, and “property damage” is a slight exaggeration.

Sorry, Mr Webb; I disagree — let’s not get rid of the apostrophe!

HAVING A WORD/WORDS

If someone asks if they can have a word with you, they would like to briefly discuss something, probably using more than one word!

However, if someone wants to have words with you, expect an argument – they are probably unhappy about something you have said or done.

ACADEMIC WRITING: USING NOUNS AS ADJECTIVES

When a noun is used as an adjective, it should (almost) always be singular, e.g. "metal-modified" rather than "metals-modified" and "electrode-based" rather than "electrodes-based".


Exceptions are:

• materials science – Although the Oxford Dictionary includes both "material science" and "materials science", the latter is more commonly used in scientific writing.
• use of "data" and "media" as adjectives, e.g. "data acquisition" and "media company". [1]
• clothes (clothes hanger), sports (sports bag), customs (customs office), accounts (accounts book), arms (arms store) [2]

If you are unsure whether a plural or singular noun should be used as an adjective, you can use Google Scholar to check this. For example, a search for "nanoparticle arrays" gives 26,000 results, while a search for "nanoparticles arrays" gives 1,200.

Using nouns as adjectives can improve the flow of your writing and also reduces the word count; for instance, "reaction product" (2 words) is more concise than "product of the reaction" (4 words).

It should be noted, however, that some publishers do not like nouns to be used as adjectives [3], so it is best to consult the author guidelines for your chosen journal before writing your paper.

PLACING OF 'USED'

Before a noun

When 'used' is placed before a noun as an adjective, it generally means 'second-hand' (used by someone else).

e.g. This garage sells used cars.

"Good quality used toys are also very welcome." (Article in The Bolton News)

After a noun

e.g. All chemicals used were of analytical grade.

The above sentence is found in many scientific papers. It means that all the chemicals that were used in a particular experiment or series of experiments were of analytical grade. In this context, 'used' should always be placed after the noun.

All used chemicals were of analytical grade.

Placing 'used' before the noun implies that the chemicals are 'second-hand'. Although this grammatically incorrect phrase has crept into some published papers, 98% of papers containing this phrase (according to Google Scholar) place 'used' after the noun.

CONTRACTIONS

A contraction is "a shortening of a word or group of words" (Collins English Dictionary). Usually, the missing letters are replaced by an apostrophe.

For example:

cannot → can't

does not → doesn't
we will → we'll
would not → wouldn't

Contractions can be used in informal writing or in conversation. When used in conversation, they help to make speech sound more natural.

Contractions are generally not considered acceptable in formal writing, such as academic papers or job applications. In formal writing, words and phrases should be written out in full.

BEWARE OF THE THESAURUS!

A piece of writing can be dull if adjectives are used repeatedly. We can use a thesaurus to add variation to our writing; however, this should be used with caution as no two words have exactly the same meaning.

Here's an example; you are writing a scientific paper and you want to describe the performance of a catalyst. You want to find an alternative to 'good' and 'excellent' because you have used those words a few times already.

You get out your thesaurus (or access one online) and discover that 'distinguished' is a synonym of 'excellent', so you write,

"X gives a distinguished performance as a catalyst for . . . "

Unfortunately, this is not quite right. As an adjective, 'distinguished' is normally used to describe people. The Collins online dictionary defines 'distinguished' as,

1. noble or dignified in appearance or behaviour
2. eminent; famous; celebrated

http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/distinguished

A good strategy is to use a dictionary in combination with a thesaurus to make sure that a word is suitable for your purpose. Using Google to see how words are used in sentences can also be helpful.

ALWAYS READ ALOUD

As an editor, I find that reading documents aloud helps me to spot mistakes; errors in grammar generally spoil the flow of the text, so reading aloud makes them stand out. (Fortunately, I work from home, so only my family hears me talking to myself. 😊)


The saying "there is nothing new under the sun" comes from the book of Ecclesiastes (1:9), and it is true. Reading aloud was something I worked out for myself 'on the job', but I've since found many articles advising proofreaders (and others whose work is concerned with English grammar) to read work aloud. Here are just a few examples:

To help develop an instinctive feel for the flow of a sentence, try reading it aloud and insert a comma when you pause . . .

(Let’s eat Grandma! How to use, and not use the comma, David Marsh, The Guardian)

Even if you’re just whispering away at your desk, reading aloud is a great way to find and spot mistakes, especially missing punctuation or repeated words.

(3 Things You Should Do When Speed Proofreading, Grammarly)

Read aloud - small errors of expression and punctuation are more likely to become obvious if you read aloud.

(Effective proof reading, University of Reading)

. . . when you read out loud, you can't help but stumble over typos and missing words.

(My Favorite Editing Tip: Read it Aloud, Kate Kiefer Lee)

ARTICLES

One of the most frequent corrections I make as an editor is to add or remove direct and indirect articles. How do we know when to use articles, and whether to use definite or indefinite articles?


Indefinite articles:
These are “a” and “an.” Indefinite articles are generally used when the speaker is referring to a non-specific item.
e.g. I would like a coffee. (Any coffee)

We use “an” before a word beginning with a vowel (a, e, i, o or u) sound and “a” before a word beginning with a consonant (non-vowel) sound.
e.g. a car, an umbrella
Note that it is the sound a word begins with when spoken that determines whether “a” or “an” is required, so it is best to say a word aloud to decide which one to use.
e.g. even though “unicorn” is spelled with an initial “u” (a vowel), it is pronounced “you-ni-corn,” so we say “a unicorn.”
Similarly, although “hour” is spelled with an initial “h” (a consonant), this is silent (i.e. “our”), so we would say “an hour.”


The definite article:
This is “the,” and it is generally used to refer to something specific.
e.g. Would you bring me the bill? (Specifically my bill and not someone else’s)


For a more comprehensive guide to using articles, including situations in which they are not used (the zero article), I would recommend A Short Article on Articles by David Appleyard


Photo credit: kate mccarthy (Creative Commons)

RESPECTIVELY

Some writers seem to be particularly fond of the word, “respectively,” so much so that they scatter it, like confetti, within their documents. 😊 Alternatively, it is tagged, indiscriminately, onto the ends of sentences.

It is stated in the Oxford Dictionary that “respectively” means “in the order already mentioned.”


Example

The estimated populations of Scotland and England in 2013 were 5.3 million and 53.9 million, respectively.

The use of “respectively” in this sentence indicates that the population estimates are listed in the same order as the countries. (It was estimated that there were 5.3 million people in Scotland and 53.9 million people in England.)


It would not be correct to write:

In the year ending 30th June 2013, there were 792,400 births and 580,300 deaths in the UK, respectively.

In this case, the word “respectively” is redundant as both figures refer to the UK.


(Figures are provided by the Office for National Statistics.)


Other appropriate uses of “respectively” are:

“The Lego Movie sequel is pencilled in for a 2018 release, with the Ninjago and Batman films pegged for 2016 and 2017, respectively.”

(“Respectively” indicates that the expected release years, 2016 and 2017, refer to the Ninjago and Batman films, in that order.)


“The cost of filling up the tank and stocking up on groceries fell year-on-year by 16.2% and 2.5%, respectively, in January and led to the lowest levels of consumer price inflation seen since the 1960s.”

(The cost of filling up the tank fell by 16.2%, while the cost of stocking up on groceries fell by 2.5%.)


“Respectively” should be used only when two or more pieces of information refer back to the same number of previously mentioned items. (In the previous examples, the two release years refer to two films, and the two percentages refer to two budget items.)


Photo credits: Jörg Brinckheger (Creative Commons) & Minale Tattersfield (Creative Commons)

Updated Saturday 21 March 2020

PROTECTION OF, AGAINST OR FROM?

Many organisations exist to protect people, animals, things or values.

e.g. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB),

Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB)


When we use the phrase, “protection of” in this context, we mean that whatever follows “of” (such as birds or ancient buildings) must be protected.


The phrase, “protection of” can also be used in another context.

A recent article in the Glasgow Herald was entitled, “Whistleblowers need full protection of the law”. This means that whistleblowers must be protected by the law.


We also use the phrases “protection against” and “protection from.”

A government document published last year is entitled: “Improving protection against meningitis C leaflet”. This is about protecting people from a dangerous illness, by vaccination and vigilance.

“Urgent calls for protection against storms; mountain roads closed” was published in the Cyprus Mail today, indicating that people and property need protection from storms.

The word, “against” could be replaced with “from” in either of these titles, without changing the meaning.

Similarly, “from” in “Protection from online bullying and harassment” could be replaced with “against”.

Generally, “protection against” and “protection from” are interchangeable.

Photo credit: Jimmy Edmonds (Creative Commons)