Yesterday we attended church. That sentence makes perfect sense in English, yet attend comes from a French verb meaning wait. We did not go to church to wait. In French we would use the verb assister to tell you that we were present at church during the worship service. Assister also went through a change … Continue reading The secret life of words
grammar
The sad state of education in Canada in 1953
The bored "graduates" of elementary and high schools often are ignorant of things that they might be expected to know, and they do not care to learn. They lack an object in life, they are unaware of the joy of achievement. They cannot read, write or think. They can often type, but too often they … Continue reading The sad state of education in Canada in 1953
Gifts my mother gave me
The Nelson Gage Dictionary has this note about teaching: Teach emphasizes giving information, explanation, and training, by guiding the studies of the person who wants to learn. Every little child is a question box, wanting to learn about the world in which he finds him/her self. The questions become wearisome for parents. We don’t have … Continue reading Gifts my mother gave me
To better understand English, learn a little French
In its grammatical structure, English belongs to the Low German language family, a group of languages that developed from a common early Germanic root. The group includes Flemish, Dutch, Frisian, Afrikaans (the Dutch that is spoken in South Africa), Plautdietsch, English and Scots (not Gaelic but the variety of old English spoken by the lowland … Continue reading To better understand English, learn a little French
Writng tips #2: 10 tips for writing more simply
[I have borrowed, translated and adapted these tips from a French website. That explains the references to French authors, in case you were wondering. These tips are intended for use in writing for the web, but would be useful in many other types of writing as well.] 1. Thou shalt write short sentences. You are … Continue reading Writng tips #2: 10 tips for writing more simply
Writing tips #1: Say what you mean
Writing carries a message by telling something to someone who isn't handy for conversation. That seems simple enough, but the simplicity is deceptive. Start putting the message on paper, and trouble is looking over your shoulder with every word. You know what you want to say; you could say it in conversation with little difficulty. … Continue reading Writing tips #1: Say what you mean
It takes a village to raise a book
The difference between a bad writer and a good writer is that a good writer knows he needs help. Publishers used to have people on staff to provide that help. Not anymore. We are on our own. Yet we dare not trust to our own evaluation of how good our writing is. There are three … Continue reading It takes a village to raise a book
The Editorial Burden That Weighs on the Author
This is the title of an excellent article on the need for editing, posted today by C.S. Lakin. Every aspiring writer should take this seriously, including myself. We have a natural tendency to be blind to the flaws in our own writing. You will find the article here.
Peace and joy in the subjunctive mood
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, is one of the oldest English Christmas carols, going back at least 500 years. Not many people sing it today because of scruples about “Ye Merry Gentlemen.” Those words conjure up a picture of old English gentlemen at their ease, their merriment fuelled by great flagons of wine. Except that … Continue reading Peace and joy in the subjunctive mood
Things they didn’t teach us in school: W is a vowel
Most of the time w is used as a vowel. They didn't teach me this in school; I'm not sure it's being taught in school even now. Consider the following: Fawn / faun: aw has exactly the same sound as au. Can you think of any words in which aw is not a vowel sound? … Continue reading Things they didn’t teach us in school: W is a vowel
Flatlander Faith 