by Donna | Jan 22, 2013
Do you like to read Language Lady everyday or every day? Let me help you with that!
Every day
1. Two words
2. An adjective (every) describing a noun (day)
3. Used when you want to say EACH day or ALL days.
Everyday
1,. One word
2. Usually an adjective together (the entire word is an adjective–everyday)
3. Used when you want to say something is NORMAL or TYPICAL.
Tips:
1. Every day is an adjective and noun together already–do not use these two words to describe another noun! (NO: Those are our every day dishes.)
2. Everyday is an adjective alone–use it to describe another noun. (YES: Those are our everyday dishes.)
Tricky Trick to Help It Stick: A wise grammarian recommends “testing” your words by seeing if you could put the word “single” in between every and day. (EACH single day):
1. If you can put “single” in between the two words, then you want the two separate words meaning EACH day…every single day:
a. I went to the mail box every SINGLE day. I went to the mail box every day.
b. She wrote him a letter every SINGLE day. She wrote him a letter every day.
2. If you cannot put “single” in between the two words, tehn you want the one word meaning typical or normal:
a. I wanted to use the every SINGLE day dishes. NO. I wanted to use the everyday dishes.
b. She is the every SINGLE day kind of gal. NO. She is the everyday kind of gal.
So…to answer the first question: You like to read Language Lady every day (each day) because she is not your everyday (typical) grammar teacher! Smile…
by Donna | Jan 16, 2013
In my language arts series for grades two through twelve, I have a weekly lesson called “Wacky Words.” (Yeah, I’m all about alliteration. Um, Language Lady??!!) Anyway, the title fits a little better than calling them homophone lessons because not all confusing word are true homophones. Some are just, well, confusing–and wacky!
Here are some tricks and tips I have used recently in a Wacky Word lesson. Maybe some of these will help you remember which word is which (not witch!). Smile…
1. Hear—There is an ear in hear.
2. Here—There is not an ear in here.
3. There—It is here and there. There is a here in there!
4. Their—The word heir, which can mean ownership, is in the word their, and their is a pronoun that shows ownership!
5. See—Do you see two eyes in the word see ?
6. Boar–Boar has an a and is an animal.
7. Then—Then has an e and means next. According to one of my students (Isaac!), then means when.
8. Isle— Isle is like the word island.
9. Chord—Chord has an h like chorus (both musical).
10. Compliment—Compliment has an i–I like compliments.
11. Sensor—Sensor relates to the senses.
12. Herd—Herd of deer—almost the same letters in a different order!
13. Heard—Heard has the word ear in it
14. Through—It is rough when you go through hard times
15. Threw— He threw a new screw.
16. Pair—Love is in the air for this loving pair.
17. Pare—After he caught it, he was gong to pare the hare.
18. Pear—A pear half looks like an ear—and has the word ear in it.
19. Desert—has one s and you only want to be stuck in the desert one time!
20. Dessert—has two s’—and you want two desserts!
21. Main—The main (for first) murderer was Cain—both spelled ain.
22. Mane—The lion has a mane and is not tame!
23. Its—pronoun that shows ownership—never use an apostrophe to show ownership to a pronoun; that makes a contraction.
24. It’s—always say the two words uncontracted—if you say it is when you see this word, you will never use it’s for possession—the dog lost it’s (it is!?) collar—WRONG.
25. Sense— He was tense, so he lost his sense.
26. Cents—There are one hundred cents in a dollar and one hundred years in a century.
27. Since— Since the prince was tense he began to wince.
28. Presence— Can you think of a trick?
29. Present—have you ever heard the saying that “the present is a true present”?
by Donna | Mar 25, 2011
Another confusing word pair–cavalry and calvary. And yes, we will see them written incorrectly over the next few weeks as Easter approaches! How can you differentiate between the two in this Wacky Word pair?
As a Christian, I have a unique way of remembering calvary and cavalry–see it helps you!
1. Cavalry–
a. A group of miliary people
b. We often say, “Send in the cavalry” to indicate help is needed
c. I remember this by remembering that the V comes before the L—Victory comes first if the cavalry comes caValry.
2. Calvary–
a. The hill on which Jesus was crucified
b. I remember this by remembering that the L comes before the V–Calvary denotes Love–CaLvary
by Donna | Mar 25, 2011
Another quick tip for you!
- Wonder is spelled like ponder—and they both mean to think
- Wander is spelled like land—and you wANDer all over the lAND (or wAnder has an A in it and Area has an A in it—and you wAnder in an Area)
So…does Winnie the Pooh like to wander or wonder?
- Pooh: “I’d rather be wondering.” OR
- Pooh: “I’d rather be wandering.”
Well, I’ll give you a little hint. My daughter was a thinker—always thinking and/or reading—as a child (and still is!). When she had to do something she didn’t want to do—or her thoughts were interrupted by something, she would say, “I’m just like Winnie the Pooh. I’d rather be wondering!” In other words, she, just like Pooh Bear, would rather be pondering/thinking! J
by Donna | Mar 7, 2011
What “language mishaps” have driven you crazy lately? Mine is how everybody puts up signs that say “Sorry for the inconvenience” without checking how inconvenience is spelled! Agghh…..surely it isn’t that much of an “inconvenience” to look it up! 🙂
Others? Signs that have the following errors are recent ones:
1. It’s when the person means its
2. “There going fast” instead of They’re (say it uncontracted—they are…and you will know if you have the correct one!)
3. No mark between phrases to show that a phrase ended and another one started—
Great Sale on
Tires Get Your
Oil Changed Today
Even this is better:
Great Sale on
Tires—Get Your
Oil Changed Today
Enough complaining for tonight! Have a happily-correct grammar week!
