Contranyms

contranym (noun) = a word with two opposite meanings



http://www.natalieseredaphotography.com/2038529-on-language

According to Daily Writing Tips - 

 

The English language includes an interesting category of words and phrases called contranyms (also spelled contronyms, or referred to as autoantonyms) — terms that, depending on context, can have opposite or contradictory meanings. When you use these words, be sure the context clearly identifies which meaning is intended:

 

Aught: All, or nothing

Bill: Payment, or invoice for payment

Bolt: To secure, or to flee

Buckle: To connect, or to collapse

Clip: To fasten, or to detach

Custom: A common practice, or a special treatment

Dust: To add fine particles, or to remove them

Enjoin: To impose, or to prohibit

Finished: Completed, or destroyed

Fix: To repair, or to castrate

Garnish: To furnish (food preparation), or to take away (wages)

Handicap: An advantage provided to ensure equality, or a disadvantage that prevents equal achievement

Hold up: To support, or to impede

Left: Remained, or departed

Model: An exemplar, or a copy

Overlook: To supervise, or to neglect

Put out: Extinguish, or generate

Quantum: Significantly large, or a minuscule part

Quiddity: Essence, or a trifling point of contention

Refrain: To desist from doing something, or to repeat

Rock: An immobile mass of stone or figuratively similar phenomenon, or a shaking or unsettling movement or action

Sanction: To approve, or to boycott

Sanguine: Confidently cheerful, or bloodthirsty

Screen: To present, or to conceal

Strike: Hit, or miss in an attempt to hit

Throw out: To dispose of, or to present for consideration

Trim: To decorate, or to remove excess from

Trip: A journey, or a stumble

Variety: Particular type, or many types

Wear: To endure, or to deteriorate

 

For more great contranyms, visit: http://www.dailywritingtips.com/75-contronyms-words-with-contradictory-meanings/

Why Writing Skills Matter

It's important to know basic grammar skills, and here's a great graphic from Grammarly to explain why:

  

Grammar Rules - #AtoZChallenge 2013 Revisited

Do you love grammar? Do you struggle with grammar? If you're working to improve your writing and speaking skills, below are links to dozens of worthwhile tips for you. Knock yourself out with the brain-loads of fun. ;)

Apostrophe S
Do You Misuse Your BUT?
Use a Freaking Comma!
The Dash
EXCLAMATION POINT ! ! ! ! !
Figures of Speech
Grammar Makes You Stammer?
Hyperbole: Extreme Exaggeration
Italics = Insecure Writing
Just Joking - There Are No Rules!
I KIND OF like you ...
Lay or Lie?
Me or I?
Not Only, But Also
Oxford Comma
Prepositions
Questions About Quotations?
Reflexive Pronouns
Split Infinitives
That or Which
Underlining
Vulgarisms
Well Versus Good
Xceptions to Grammar Rules
Years
Zombie Grammar Rules

Is there a grammar rule not on the list that you'd like some help with? Let me know in the comments, and I'll follow up with it!

Word Crimes

In case you missed it ... here's an awesome video to make you smile and laugh:

U is for University of Chicago Grammar Resources

 

So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.


U is for University of Chicago Grammar Resources

Unless you're perfect, we all have questions when it comes to proper or correct grammar. University of Chicago offers a website with helpful information.

University of Chicago Grammar Resources

Where do you turn when you have grammar questions?
Do you just google it and trust the first website that comes up on the list?

Ellipses

(This post was originally published on 4/5/12. I'm revisiting the topic because I'm currently reading a book that uses a LOT of ellipses. I'll post the review of the book soon; until then, let's brush up on our knowledge of punctuation.)

 

 

That's right ... you love them ... so do I! ...

But what is the correct way to use them? A space before? A space after? No spaces? Only three dots? As many dots as you please?

From the University of South Carolina's Editorial Guide:

Ellipses
1) In general, treat an ellipsis as a three-letter word, constructed with three periods and a regular space on either side of the ellipsis, as shown here ( … ).

2) When the grammatical sense calls for a question mark, exclamation point, comma, or colon, the sequence is word, punctuation mark, regular space, ellipsis, e.g., “Will you come? …”

3) When material is deleted at the end of one paragraph and at the beginning of the one that follows, place an ellipsis in both locations.

4) In writing a story, do not use ellipses at the beginning and end of direct quotes that form complete sentences.

“It has become evident to me that I no longer have a strong enough political base,” Nixon said.

not

“ … it has become evident to me that I no longer have a strong enough political base … ,” Nixon said.
---
And, from Grammar Girl:

Also, usually there is a space on each side of an ellipsis. The ellipsis is typically standing in for a word or a sentence, so just imagine that it's a word itself, and then it's easy to remember to put a space on each side.

If you're omitting something that comes after a complete sentence, meaning that your ellipsis has to follow a period, put the period at the end of the sentence just like you normally would, then type a space, and then type or insert your ellipsis. Again, you're treating the ellipsis as if it were a word: the first word of the next sentence. This will result in four dots in a row with spaces between each dot, but this is not a four-dot ellipsis—there's no such thing. It is a period followed by a regular three-dot ellipsis.
---

And yet, all over the web-o-sphere and throughout many novels, we'll find...with no spaces...before or after.
 
What do you think?
 
Should an ellipsis have a space before and after it?

Awhile or A While?

Awhile is an adverb.

A while is a noun phrase.

An adverb modifies a verb. For example: I sat awhile. ... Meaning I sat a short time. Since "awhile" is modifying the verb, you could exchange it with another adverb. Like: I sat quietly.

My awesome daughter. :)

The noun phrase "a while" refers to a period of time. For example: We walked for a while. You could replace the noun phrase with another one. Like: We walked for a month.

Still my awesome daughter. :)

I still think it's confusing, and it will be for a while. But contemplate awhile, and maybe it will make more sense.

bwhahahaha

or not

Now I'm off to search out these words in my manuscript and make sure I used them correctly.

How about you? Do you struggle with the difference between "awhile" and "a while" ... or is it a piece of cake for you? ;)

GRAMMAR: Apostrophe S

[Originally posted on March 16, 2012.]

- - - - - -

There is a BIG difference between a plural noun and a possessive noun.

Right?

For example: Hero's vs. Heroes

...

The hero's sword is big and shiny.

source: www.marvel.com

The heroes band together to fight for their right to wear spandex.

source: www.trackingwonder.com

What?

It seems obvious to you?

What about the possessive singular form of Charles?

Well ... according to THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE by Strunk and White, the correct answer is:
Charles's friend

Did you get it right?

That tricky little apostrophe S can get the best of us sometimes.

What about you?
Do you ever struggle with possessive nouns?

Grammar Rules Revisited: Do You Misuse Your BUT?

I always benefit from a refresher lesson when it comes to grammar. So here's one for you, and if you'd like to see more click on the grammar tag at the bottom of this post or on the sidebar. This post was originally published here back in April 2013.

 

... ... ... ... ... ...



 

Admit it: You thought BUT was merely a conjunction. Right? No big deal, but wait! There's more to learn here, but first let me interrupt myself ...

This month is the A to Z Challenge, and each day (skipping Sundays) I will be posting a grammar tip for the letter of the day. So if you'd like to polish your grammar (or debate mine) come back often and share in the fun.

Since yesterday was the letter A, I chose to feature Arlee Bird, founder of the challenge, but if you'd like a grammar tip for the letter A - CHECK THIS OUT: APOSTROPHE S!

... but for today ...

The too-frequent use of but can lead to problems.

"Particulary awkward is one but closely following another, thus making a contrast to a contrast, or a reservation to a reservation. This is easily corrected by rearrangement."

AWKWARD: "Our country had vast resources but seemed almost wholly unprepared for war. But within a year it had created an army of four million."

BETTER: "Our country seemed almost wholly unprepared for war, but it had vast resources. Within a year it had created an army of four million."

(Taken from THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE by Strunk and White, page 42)

What do you think? Is the second example easier to understand? Easier to read?

Zombie Grammar Rules

1. According to Rebecca Johnson: "If you can insert "by zombies" after the verb, you have passive voice."

2. "What are zombie grammar rules? They are misconceptions about the English language that, for whatever reason, refuse to die. ... Don’t be a zombie! Consult your dictionaries and style and usage guides (preferably ones from this century). And the next time you encounter one of these nonsensical rules, get out your metaphorical literary hatchet, baseball bat, or what have you, and strike down these myths until they’re dead instead of undead" (lernerbooks.blogspot.com).

3. Arnold Zwicky, a linguist, in 2009 developed Zombie rules. "A proscription that has died in practice but continues to lumber about in odd corners of usage advice.”

4. "... zombie rules: Though dead, they shamble mindlessly on. The worst thing about zombie rules, I believe, is not the pomposity of those advocating them, or the time-wasting character of the associated gotcha games, but the way they actually make people’s writing worse. They promote insecurity, and nervous people worrying about their language write worse than relaxed people enjoying their language" (chronicle.com).


...

I think #4 is my favorite.

Bottom line: RELAX. Enjoy writing.

Years

How old are you?
I am nineteen years old.

A 19-year-old writer? Wow!

:)

Yup, here we go again. Do you know the correct way to hyphenate (or not) and spell out (or not) an age in a sentence?

Here's the quickest tip I found while researching:

From Grammar Girl ...

Many people get confused about when to use hyphens when writing ages. Here's a Quick and Dirty Tip that will help: When the age is an adjective that comes before the noun and modifies the noun, or when the age is a noun, hyphenate.

• My eight-year-old neighbor wrote a poem about commas for National Grammar Day.

• That 70-year-old with the purple hoodie loves Justin Bieber.

When the age is part of an adjective phrase after the noun, don't hyphenate.

• Charlie Sheen is 45 years old

• His twin sons are nearly two years old.

...

Any questions?

Xceptions to Grammar Rules

Yes, there are eXceptions to just about any rule ever made ... probably. :) I've been typing a lot about grammar rules this week. Your turn.

What's your favorite grammar rule EXCEPTION?

List it below in the comments, and I will give away a prize to a random winner. Yes, list more than one exception, get entered into the drawing for each entry.

What's the prize?

Actually, there's no prize.

Let's just play for fun. Come on. You can do it.

List your favorite exception to a grammar rule.

WELL versus GOOD

How are you?
I'm good.

How are you feeling? Have you gotten over the flu?
Yes, I'm well.

How does that steak taste?
Mmm, it tastes well.
Oh, did they overcook it?
No, it tastes good.

How does that rose smell?
It smells good.

...

Do you know when to use the word WELL versus the word GOOD? Are you sure?

The basic rules:
Good is an adjective. Use it to describe nouns.
Well is an adverb. Use it to describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

Except:
** When describing senses like taste and smell, it is more common and acceptable to use GOOD instead of well (see examples above). It makes more sense to say the steak tastes good. Saying it tastes well leads to confusion.

** And when someone asks you how you are feeling either during an illness or after an illness, it is acceptable to say "I am well." It indicates how you are feeling (a verb).

Of course, there are a million more details to the topic, but this covers the basics.

Good luck with your writing; I hope it goes well.

:)

Vulgarisms

Seriously.
What is a vulgarism and how does it relate to grammar?


According to merriam-webster.com:
A vulgarism is "... a word or expression originated or used chiefly by illiterate persons."

:-)

Okay.


Strunk & White think vulgarisms include wrong word choices:
Wrong: small, home-type hotels
Right: small, homelike hotels
(THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE, p. 62).


Punctuation can also be used in error and result in a vulgarism:
"Question marks . . . have their own vulgarism, an attempt to attribute sarcasm to a word by putting a query in brackets after it: 'We attended a really cultured (?) dinner-party last night, at which the other guests could talk of nothing but film stars and football pools.' This habit should be strangled at birth. . . .

"There is, however, one other misuse of the question mark that deserves more serious comment, namely its intrusion in indirect questions, such as:

He asked me why I was so silent?

This is definitely wrong. The original question mark of 'Why are you so silent?' must give way to a full-stop [period] when the question is converted by 'He asked me' into its indirect form, for the sentence as a whole has now become a statement."
(C.V. Carey, Mind the Stop. Pelican Books, 1971)


...

So, really, any grammar error would be like fingernails on a chalkboard to an astute person of grammatical expertise (not me, by the way).

A vulgarism.


Does making an word choice error, punctuation error, or grammar error designate you as an illiterate person?

Underlining

Back in the stone ages (or merely before the personal computer), underlining served as a useful tool to emphasize words and to indicate titles. As word processors have simplified the writing process many people now italicize a word instead of underlining it.

Is there any difference between underlining and italicizing?

According to grammar.ccc.commnet.edu:
"We use italics (characters set in type that slants to the right) and underlining to distinguish certain words from others within the text. These typographical devices mean the same thing; therefore, it would be unusual to use both within the same text and it would certainly be unwise to italicize an underlined word."


According to grammarbook.com:
"The Chicago Manual of Style says: When quoted in text or listed in a bibliography, titles of books, journals, plays, and other freestanding works are italicized; titles of articles, chapters, and other shorter works are set in roman and enclosed in quotation marks.

"Example: That Time magazine article, “Your Brain on Drugs,” was fascinating.
Note that the word “magazine” was not italicized because that is not part of the actual name of the publication.

"Newspapers, which follow The Associated Press Stylebook, have their own sets of rules because italics cannot be sent through AP computers."

...

There you have it.
And remember: Never underline and italicize at the same time.


How about you?
Do you prefer to underline or italicize?

That or Which

(originally posted 2/22/13)
...


Yup, I'm still knee deep in revisions ... okay ... I'm actually up to my ears in revisions. How's that for a couple of cliches? haha.

But this post is NOT about cliches. It is about grammar.

When do you use the word THAT, and when do you use the word WHICH? Does it matter? While revising, I recalled that a middle-school teacher told us to write a paper that did NOT include the word THAT. (Yes, I intentionally used that word that many times in that sentence.) Because often times, we throw THAT into a sentence where it is not needed, simply because we use the word so much in everyday dialogue.

So I had the bright idea to highlight all of the THATs in my manuscript. I wanted to eliminate all of the unnecessary ones, but as I was revising, I started to wonder if some of those THATs should actually be replaced with the word WHICH.

CONFUSING!

...

Here's what I found:

The simplest explanation came from: OxfordDictionaries.com

I bought a new dress, which I will be wearing to Jo's party. [non-restrictive]
I was wearing the dress that I bought to wear to Jo's party. [restrictive]


The best explanation came from: Grammar Girl

Restrictive Clause--That

A restrictive clause is just part of a sentence that you can't get rid of because it specifically restricts some other part of the sentence. Here's an example:

• Gems that sparkle often elicit forgiveness.

The words that sparkle restrict the kind of gems you're talking about. Without them, the meaning of the sentence would change. Without them, you'd be saying that all gems elicit forgiveness, not just the gems that sparkle. (And note that you don't need commas around the words that sparkle.)

Nonrestrictive Clause--Which

A nonrestrictive clause is something that can be left off without changing the meaning of the sentence. You can think of a nonrestrictive clause as simply additional information. Here's an example:

• Diamonds, which are expensive, often elicit forgiveness.

And the best tip came from: Writing Forward

The Easy Way to Remember the Difference Between That and Which

I Needed That

If you need the clause to maintain a sentence’s meaning, then use that. A quick trick for remembering this grammar rule is the phrase “I needed that.”
Which?
Because which is also an interrogative pronoun used to mark questions, it is questionable. You can take it or leave it. It’s not necessary. Think of the word which with a question mark (which?) to remind yourself that if the clause’s presence is questionable and can be removed, then you should use the word which to introduce the clause.

...

Of course, each website referenced above contains much more detail than what I've shared here. Check them and learn more than you ever wanted about these two words! Then go back to your manuscript and highlight them all and double check your usage!

Are there any grammar issues you're struggling with?

Split Infinitives

A split infinitive is when an adverb or adverbial phrase is placed between the word to and its companion verb.

Most common example of breaking this rule comes from Star Trek: "To boldy go where no man has gone before."

Sometimes the meaning or emphasis can change when the split infinitive is fixed. For example:

You have to really monitor the gauge on the pressure valve.
You really have to monitor the gauge on the pressure valve.

Where's the emphasis placed in each sentence? In the first example, the importance is monitoring the gauge. In the second example, it would seem only you can handle the job.

Researching this topic, I discovered there is quite a bit of controversy regarding split infinitives. Some people say you should NEVER break this rule, while others say its an archaic rule based on Latin structure and isn't always applicable to current day usage in the English language.

What you think?

Reflexive Pronouns

Simple tips borrowed from: www.grammarbook.com


Reflexive pronouns - myself, himself, herself, itself, themselves, ourselves, yourself, yourselves- should be used only when they refer back to another word in the sentence.

Correct:
I worked myself to the bone.

Incorrect:
My brother and myself did it.
The word myself does not refer back to another word.
Correct:
My brother and I did it.

Incorrect:
Please give it to John or myself.
Correct:
Please give it to John or me.



Are there any remaining grammar rules that still confuse you? What? Split Infinitives? I guess you'll need to come back on Monday! :)

Questions About Quotations?

Do you have questions about quotation marks? Or do you think they're a piece of cake?

Here are the simple rules:
1. Commas and periods go inside the quotation marks. (U.S. rules; U.K. rules differ)
2. Colons and semicolons go outside the quotation marks.
3. Question marks and exclamation marks can go on the inside or the outside, depending upon the meaning of the sentence.


Examples:

1.      "Grammar rules are extensive," she said, "but they seem to be necessary."

2.      "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening": A beautiful poem of wintertime.
         I love "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"; it is my favorite poem by Robert Frost.

3.      I love "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"!
         She said, "I love stopping in the woods on a snowy evening!"
         Have you read "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"?
         "Have you ever stopped in the woods on a snowy evening?" she asked.


Did that answer all of your questions about quotation marks? :)

Prepositions

(originally posted March 2012) ...



I was taught in high school (a gazillion years ago) to never end a sentence with a preposition. Okay. It requires effort, but it is very possible. Nonetheless, best-selling authors leaving those little critters at the end of sentences all the time.

Then I read Strunk & White (I know ... I quote their advice like it's the Bible):

"Years ago, students were warned not to end a sentence with a preposition; time, of course, has softened that rigid decree. Not only is the proposition acceptable at the end, sometimes it is more effective in that spot than anywhere else" (THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE, pp.77-78).

What do you think?
Do you even care where writers place their prepositions?
Or do you just want to read a great plot?