Dr. Grammar - Specials

Special #1 - REASONS WHY THE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE IS HARD TO LEARN

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Special #2 - Non Errors? - "Those usages people keep telling you are wrong but which are actually standard in English."

Special #3 - Words Ending in "-GRY"?
Aside from "angry" and "hungry" there are no more common words ending in "-gry." Do not waste your time searching or asking others to find them. Want to know more? - click here

Special #4 - William Safire's Rules for Writers

1. Remember to never split an infinitive.
2. The passive voice should never be used.
3. Do not put statements in the negative form.
4. Verbs have to agree with their subjects.
5. Proofread carefully to see if you words out.
6. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be by rereading and editing.
7. A writer must not shift your point of view.
8. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction. (Remember,too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.)
9.Don't overuse exclamation marks!!!
10. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
11. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
12. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
13. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
14. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
15. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
16. Always pick on the correct idiom.
17. The adverb always follows the verb.
18. Last but not least, avoid clichés like the plague:seek viable alternatives.

Special #5 - According to Richard Lederer and Richard Dowis, "Dr. Thomas Clark Pollock, of New York University, has been working for decades on a study of the most common misspellings by high school and college students. Dr. Pollock found that just nine words account for more than 7 percent of mistakes in the test. These devilish demons are: their (there), too )to), receive, believe (belief), all right, separate, coming, until, and character.

In order of the frequency of their misspelling, here is the second battalion of spelling demons:

definite
appearance
writing
necessary
whether
convenience
interest
thought
occurrence/occurred
principal/principle
decide
criticism
privilege
probably
tried/tries
quiet
description
realize
beginning
rhythm
finally
acquainted
humorous
clothes
occasion
describe
friend
& disappoint
recommend
women
stopped
than
experience
immediately
(Sleeping Dogs Don't Lay 132-133)

Special #6 - The Verbivore-Richard Lederer
Want to know more? - click here

All material © 2001 to James HiDuke. Dr. Grammar grants you use of the information contained on the Dr. Grammar website free of charge if a) you are a student, faculty member or staff member of an educational institution (K-12, junior college, college or university); b) you are a United States federal, state or local government employee; or c) your use of the information is exclusively at home for non-commercial purposes. If you do not meet the requirements for free use of the information, you may make a request to:
James HiDuke; Department of English; Baker 115; University of Northern Iowa;
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0502; Phone: (319) 273-2821 Fax: (319) 273-5807