by Donna | Feb 22, 2011
Last “Presidents’ Day” post, honest! In discussing how to punctuate Presidents’ Day and when to capitalize and when not to capitalize president, I can’t help but bring up another commonly-miswritten error–that of capitol and capital.
Here is the low-down, along with a trick or two to help you remember the details:
1. Capital
a. Means upper-case letter–most people do not use this word incorrectly here
b. Can be used as an adjective to mean primary–that was a capital idea!
c. Can be used as an adjective to describe punishable by death–capital punishment
d. A city that is the seat of the government for a state–this is where people sometimes use capitol instead
2. Capitol
a. Refers to the building in which the U.S. Congress meets (when it is capitalized)
b. Refers to a state’s main government building (when it is not capitalized)
c. Tricky Trick to Help It Stick: Only use capitol when referring to a goverment building—capitol does not have any other uses; all other uses need capital
by Donna | Jan 20, 2011
In that old hymn, “I Wonder as I Wander,” is the writer thinking while he meanders or meanders while he’s thinking?
When Winnie the Pooh would rather be wondering, would he rather be thinking or would he rather be meandering?
These age-old questions can now be answered—with a quick tip from LL 365!
- Wonder is spelled like ponder—and means the same thing—to think
- Wander is spelled like land—and you wANDer all over the lAND—you roam around (or meander)
Another quick tip—wander has an A in it and Area has an A in it—you wAnder around an Area…
Tricky Tricks to Help It Stick
- wONDER—pONDER—think
- wANDer—lAND—roam the land
by Donna | Jan 19, 2011
Answer Key:
1. The word was so allusive/elusive; it just wouldn’t come to me.
Hint: Elude and exclude look similar. “I excluded that song from the program because it eluded me.”
2. He made an illusion/allusion/elusion to our previous conversation.
Hint: Allusion related to allude. “What he alluded to is ludicrous.” Means to refer to something.
3. The ride gives you the allusion/illusion that you are on a mountain top.
Hint: Illusion comes from illustrate. A picture….gives you the picture or feeling of something else.
4. I excluded the word from the program because its spelling alluded/eluded me.
Hint: Eluded—excluded. Elude means “not able to grasp.”
5. What did he elude/allude to?
Hint: Allude/allusion—something you refer to. “What he alluded to was ludicrous.”
6. They used Kleenexes to give you the allusion/illusion of fabric.
Hint: Illusion is a facsimile or picture. Related to illustrate.
7. What he alluded/eluded to was ludicrous!
Hint: “What he alluded to was ludicrous.”
8. What was his illusion/allusion to your situation?
Hint: Allude/allusion—referring to something else.
9. Allusion/illusion is related to hallucination.
Hint: Illusion is related to hallucination—pictures that are not there.
10. He made an elusion/allusion to our previous conversation.
Hint: Allusion is to refer to something else; elusion is to be out of your grasp. He referred to the previous conversation…not that he couldn’t grasp it.
by Donna | Jan 18, 2011
- The word was so allusive/elusive; it just wouldn’t come to me.
- He made an illusion/allusion/elusion to our previous conversation.
- The ride gives you the allusion/illusion that you are on a mountain top.
- I excluded the word from the program because its spelling alluded/eluded me.
- What did he elude/allude to?
- They used Kleenexes to give you the allusion/illusion of fabric.
- What he alluded/eluded to was ludicrous!
- What was his illusion/allusion to your situation?
- Allusion/illusion is related to hallucination.
- He made an elusion/allusion to our previous conversation.
Answer Key with hints coming tomorrow! Smile…
by Donna | Jan 17, 2011
Adding to the alluded/eluded and allusive/elusive quandary is the illusion/allusion Wacky Word pair! Again, looking at roots and affixes can be a great help.
Let’s start with allusion—since we had alluded yesterday. (Yes, you read that right—the roots are the same!)
1. Allusion (allude)
a. Related to ludicrous: Hint—“What he alluded to was ludicrous!”
b. Related to allusion—“He made an allusion to our previous conversation.”
c. If you remember the allude/ludicrous (What he alluded to was ludicrous!), you will also remember allusion—allusion is something you allude to.
i. Allude is the verb—“What did he allude to?”
ii. Allusion* is the noun—The thing—“What was his allusion to your situation?”
2. Illusion
a. Related to illustrate—See that root?
i. Illustration is a picture
ii. Illusion is an abstract picture
b. Used to mean a facsimile or something that appears different than it is
i. “The ride gives you the illusion that you are on a mountain.”
ii. “They used Kleenexes to give you the illusion of fabric.”
iii. “Her success is just an illusion.”
c. Illusion is also related to hallucination—seeing things that are not really there!
*Note: A more advanced vocabulary technique that you will learn this year on LL 365 is “illustrated” in suffixes—tion and sion generally signify a word is a noun.
