Friday Fix: Loose vs. Lose

I was sure I'd done a Fix on this topic before because it's so pervasive and annoying. But a five minute facebook session in which I saw these terms misused enough times to send me into seizure resulted in me scouring my archives in search of said Fix. (Because, ya know, then I'd repost so that some of the offenders might learn something, because, ya know, a link on facebook is all it takes to change the error of our ways.)

Alas! No existing Friday Fix on loose/lose!

So here goes.

L-O-S-E is pronounced "luze", as in If we don't start making some shots, we're gonna lose the game!
As in Man, I hope Illinois doesn't lose again.
As in Sooo, if Illinois DOES make it to the big dance, will it be one and done? How long before we lose?

Oh, sorry. Got a little carried away. March madness, yanno. Go Illini!

L-O-O-S-E is pronounced "luce". As in How loose is your goose?
As in Make the noose loose.
I used "goose" and "noose" on purpose, to illustrate that if in doubt about the extra "o", you can picture a goose or a noose, or hey! Why not a goose wearing a noose ('cause I'm efficient like that), and remind yourself that because you want them both loose, keep the double o. Kay?

What's the time? Quiz, time, my friend! Are "loose" and "lose" used correctly in the following sentence?

His pants are so loose that he'll lose them if he's not careful!

You're right, it IS correct! (Both in usage and in terms of factual content--Tip: Suspenders, Buddy! Or how 'bout tightening that belt above the waistband of your underwear?)

And if that doesn't make sense, well then, you're probably just a looser. ;-)

Awhile vs. A While

This Friday Fix is dedicated to Nicole, to whom I give thanks for catapulting me from blog-neglect to mixin' it up again on the Fix. At least for this week. :-)

The conundrum? Whether to use "awhile" or "a while." And they really are two different beasts.

The oracle at DailyWritingTips.com explains beautifully:

A while is a noun meaning “a length of time”
•“I slept for a while.”
- (compare with “I slept for a bit” and “I slept for three hours”)
“I was away from my desk for a while.”
- (compare with “I was away from my desk for two minutes”)

Awhile is an adverb, meaning “for a time,” or literally, “for a while”.
•“I slept awhile before dinner.”
(compare with “I slept deeply before dinner” and “I slept badly before dinner”.)

As you can see, the words can be used almost interchangeably in some cases – but a while needs to be accompanied by a preposition, such as “for” (“I slept for a while”) or “ago” (“I left work a while ago”). Awhile always means “for a while”.

Dig? So let's practice; which are correct?

A. I had to stop studying awhile because my eyes were crossing.

B. Let's walk for a while and see where we end up.

C. Ugh, that Tobasco sauce had me worried there for awhile.

D. I'd love to spend a while soaking up your awesome presence.

If you chose A & B you are a winner!!! There's no prize, but you are definitely a WINNER! Soak that up for awhile, er. . . a while. :-)

Friday Fix: Cyclists Aren't Necessarily Peddlers

A flower has PETALS.

A person hocking wares (or peddling) PEDDLES.

And a cyclist PEDALS.

Just don't go peddling petals while pedaling or you could end up hurt! ;-)

Friday Fix: Packaging Your Message

This Friday's Fix centers around the packaging with which you deliver your messages.

You may have noticed the new blog template. It's an attempt to jazz up the ol' blah-g.

But just because the presentation--the package, if you will--has changed, doesn't mean the blog itself has changed. Same writer, same types of posts, same pretty much everything else.

But it needed an updated look, if not for readers, then at least for me. It was like I actually looked at the old colors one day and thought, "Yuck-o! Time for a change." And to me, this new look compliments my goals for what's posted here. It's cheerier, no? And a bit wistful?

So enough about that. What does this have to do with you packaging your messages? Simply this: consider the best, most complimentary method to deliver your message.

Case in point. Kids are playing loudly inside and you're trying to get some work done. Goal: get them to continue playing, but outside.

So you say, "Why don't you guys go outside and play?" Right? I mean, you can't convey your message any clearer than that.

But kids aren't stupid. Imbedded in this particular message is, "You're annoying me and I can't work with you in here." And they get that. Do they take it outside? Sure. But they carry a little extra chip with them when they do. Which is NOT the goal.

So then what about this? "Hey, you guys haven't been in the tree house for a few weeks. Why don't you take your game out there and also double-check to see if any critters have moved in?"

The original goal will be met, because, come ON... what kid isn't gonna rush right out, secretly hoping critters DID move in?! But more importantly, the goal was met without injury. It even provides the listeners with a goal of their own. (Adventure!)

If it helps, think of literal packaging, especially if the message you're sharing is important. Would this person like bright, frilly bows or an organic-looking brown bag with pine cones or stalks of wheat sticking out? In other words, and I've said this before, consider your audience.

We Christians talk a lot about meeting people where they are. Our message never changes. But our methods should never be one-size-fits-all. Jesus reponded differently to different people, according to their needs. Paul followed suit. Let's carry that over into our communication choices for maximum impact.

Friday Fix: -ly vs. -ally

1) Incidently or incidentally?

2) Accidently or accidentally?

This Friday Fix is brought to you by my own uncertainty. I have actually avoided using either of these words before because I didn't know the correct spelling and I was too lazy to look them up at the time.

The time has come, my friend.

According to dictionary.com (my fave!), incidentally is the correct form. Interestingly enough, though, both accidently and accidentally are acceptable. Who knew?

Incidentally, the -ally suffix makes perfect sense when you consider that incidental and accidental are adjectives. Slapping on the -ly suffix turns them into adverbs, making the -ally form "most" correct.

Yanno, in case you need a reason. ;-)

Friday Fix: Problem Fixed!

You all, the only fix I can think about today is something that was literally fixed that I'm praising God for! So today's fix won't be the typical "improved communication" fare, but rather a sharing of God's goodness.

What was broken, you ask?

Not exactly broken, but definitely damaged. My computer at work!

I was paralyzed yesterday without it! I couldn't even access my printer to do a mailing. No email! No nothing that I take for granted a hundred times a day--all on my virus-ridden computer. Ugh!

And here's the kicker, a glaring piece of irony if I ever saw one: the cause of the virus was my anti-virus program! Double Ugh! (If you care to read more, here's an article about the actual virus.)

Talk about stress. Our computer guy came to get it and work on it, but he wasn't really optimistic. As I'm prone to do, I started imagining worst-case scenarios about what would happen if it couldn't be restored. Panic had hit full-force.

But I prayed to God to allow the issue to be addressed completely. I claimed in Jesus' Name that I'd have it back today running as well as ever with no permanent damage.

And it was. God is so good! So faithful! And if you think He doesn't care about stuff like that I can assure you He not only does, but He uses "the little things" to wake us up.

I needed woken up as far as taking things for granted. My work station. My health. My relationships. My relationship with Him and thinking for even a little while that I was self-sufficient. HA! I can do nothing but for the grace of God.

Even peck away at my computer.

Thank you, Lord, for fixing my computer. Thank you, Lord, for fixing me. Again.

Friday Fix: Voila'!

I saw a friend use the word Voila' recently and gave her kudos for it. More often than not, you see people simply spell it the way it sounds: Wallah. Or something like that. Which is way incorrect.

Nope, it's not "wallah," ma petite. It's French! Break it down for us, dictionary.com:

voi·là (vwä-lä')
interj. Used to call attention to or express satisfaction with a thing shown or accomplished: Mix the ingredients, chill, and—voilà!—a light, tasty dessert.

[French : voi, second person sing. imperative of voir, to see (from Old French; see voyeur) + là, there (from Old French la, lai, probably from Latin illāc, by that way : illā, ablative sing. feminine of ille, that; see al-1 in Indo-European roots + -ce, deictic particle).]

Okay, now if you're like most people you probably skipped that whole second paragraph (didn't you?!) so I want to point out the origin because it's kind of interesting. Voi means "to see" and la' means "there."

So when you say Voila'! you're literally saying, in French, "See there!" Kind of like "Ta-DA!"

Yay! So be sure you spell it the fancy French way and pronounce it with the "V" sound at the beginning. You want to be sure to get the full effect, ma cherie. *kees, kees* Ciao!

Friday Fix: 2010

This is no cut and dried Friday Fix because I don't know what the correct way to do it is. In fact, I'm pretty sure either way is fine. But I'm curious; which have you been saying?

Twenty-ten?

Or two thousand ten?

If you're saying Oh ten, though, you're definitely wrong. LOL! ;-)

Friday Fix: Breakin' the Rules

You know how Mariah Carey and Beyonce'--and actually, most singers now--do a lot of vocal gymnastics all up and down the octaves instead of just holding a straight note for very long?

They do it for effect. They do it because they oh-so-long ago were gifted and able to carry a single note clearly for eternity. They were then able to build on and add to that skill, all for variety and effect. They do it because they can and they know how to do it artfully for a certain result. But it all started with mastering the basics.

Now, shift that same principle to writing. Grammar school teachers (actually, even on up into college) drilled us on the basics. Ad nauseum. It's where we heard, "Never begin a sentence with a conjunction" (remember when you tried to start a sentence with "because"? Have mercy!) and where red marks bled all over our fragments.

They were trying to help us master the basics, I guess kind of like I do here on the Friday Fix. Like Mariah and Beyonce' though, once you've mastered the rules they're kind of fun to start breaking--at least in informal writing.

In fact, all over my blog you'll find sentence fragments because I find they convey my personality better (C'mon, you always knew I was a little fragmented, right?). That's how I talk. And I like to spell words the way I want my audience to "hear them". Yanno?

So if you know HOW to break the rules and do it intentionally FOR EFFECT and WITHOUT COMPROMISING CLARITY, well then, you've arrived, Mariah! (And really, that's the rub. If you break rules willy-nilly and your readers have no idea what you're conveying, it's all for naught. You'd have been better off following those doggone rules.)

From time to time here on the Fix, then, I'll focus on rules you can break for effect. Won't that be fun, rebels? ;-)

Friday Fix: Comma Splices

See if you can identify what's wrong with this sentence: Larry slammed the refrigerator door, he vowed never to buy Roquefort cheese again.

Okay, other than Larry's deep-seated aversion to Roquefort--which may suggest psychological issues--we've got another problem. Duh duh DUUUUHHHH . . . a comma splice.

See, the problem with a comma splice is that it's used between independent clauses. If they're independent they should be standing alone. As in their own sentence. Or at least joined together by a nice coordinating conjunction. Comma splices can confuse the reader who no doubt innately knows that commas only belong with dependent clauses. (Yep.)

Four ways to "fix" a comma splice:

1) Substitute that sucka for a period and capitalize the next word. Larry slammed the refrigerator door. He vowed never to buy Roquefort cheese again.

2) Substitute that sucka for the under-utilized but highly practical semicolon! (Semicolons join independent clauses! Whoot Whoot!) Larry slammed the refrigerator door; he vowed never to buy Roquefort cheese again.

3) Keep the comma, but add a conjunction to the beginning of the second independent clause. Larry slammed the refrigerator door, and he vowed never to buy Roquefort cheese again.

4) Keep the comma, but make one of the independent clauses dependent (meaning it NEEDS another thought to make it complete--don'tcha just hate when people and clauses are so stinkin' needy?!). Slamming the refrigerator door, Larry vowed he would never buy Roquefort cheese again. OR Larry slammed the refrigerator door, vowing he would never buy Roquefort cheese again.

So see? With so many correct ways to convey the same idea, there's really no good excuse for a comma splice.

AND after typing this Friday Fix, I can now spell "Roquefort" in my sleep! YAY! I love it when there are multiple perks! :-)

Friday Fix: Effect vs. Affect

Get ready to be effected, er. . . I mean, affected.

Ready?

If you find yourself in a quandry, pickle, or other such dilemma about whether to use effect or affect, remember this:

The vast majority of the time use the e when the word is a noun, and a when it's a verb.

There are a few exceptions but let's not clutter things up right now when the above little pearl of wisdom will serve you well about 95% of the time.

Practice:
1. You have no idea how horseradish and sauerkraut (affect/effect) me.
2. You cannot believe the (affect/effect) horseradish and sauerkraut have on me.

Answers:
1. affect
2. effect

How'd ya do?

Friday Fix: Don't Make Promises You Can't Keep

If you caught my post from Christmas Day, you may remember that I told you to be sure and come back the next week (New Year's Day), tantalizing you with the possibility of a Friday Fix that would start 2010 out with a BANG! (Because, yanno, what's more tantalizing than a Friday Fix?)

Scroll down and check. . . is there a post for January 1st? Um, that would be "no," she typed sheepishly.

I knew in the back of my mind that it would be tough to post during the holidays, but I figured I'd also have a little free time to think and come up with something. Wrong-O.

The result? I'm experiencing loser-like feelings of inadequacy, and any readers--I think there are still one or two of you out there--are wondering wassup. I hate not following through, but I guess not enough to make sure I do at any cost.

So learn from my mistake and if you're not 100% sure you can live up to the promise, don't make it. And I vow to do the same.

Friday Fix: It's Christmas!

What on earth are you doing reading Friday Fix today? It's Christmas! The only fixin' you should be concered with today are the turkey fixins and whether or not to have a third helping.

Get off the computer and go spend time with your family celebrating Christ, eating, opening presents, eating, gabbing, and eating some more. (Even I'm not on the computer because I set this for automatic post on Wednesday, thank you very much.) Play with your gifts and if you didn't get any that can be played with, elbow your way into the pack of kids and help them play with theirs. Fellowship. Goodwill. Kay?

Sheesh!

But be sure to come back next week because New Year's Day is ALL about fixing things for the new year. Right? And in the spirit of giving, I'm taking topic requests! Leave a comment if you'd like me to address anything specific.

Merriest of Christmases to all!

Friday Fix: Definitely

To spare you a long read during this busy season, I'll keep today's fix brief:

"Definately" is hereby banned, punishable by torture of constant Christmas music from the Chipmunks! Don't spell it that way.

It's definitely spelled d-e-f-i-n-I-t-e-l-y. Kay? Definitely.

(Hey, why did I just suddenly think of Rainman?)

Friday Fix: Use Regardless

I had planned to simply post the following:

Irregardless is not a word, regardless of what you hear. Don't use it.

Short, sweet, and to the point, right? But then I began to worry that "irregardless" has been misused so frequently that maybe it's now considered okay. (You know, like girls calling their friends "wifey"--if enough people do it, everyone thinks it's alright. I know I'm gettin' old, but there's just something not right about that.)

So you know me. I checked. And what I found is that most sources that acknowledge "irregardless" as a word (and there are many that do not) provide a caveat something to the tune of "improper usage" or "use regardless instead." Hooray!

And I also found out why. Wrap your mind around this brilliant reasoning: "Since the prefix ir- means 'not' (as it does with irrespective), and the suffix -less means 'without,' irregardless is a double negative" (Wikipedia). And everyone knows two negatives make a positive, which means that when people say "irregardless" they are actually saying the opposite of what they mean. Tee hee. I LOVE that.

So, irregardless of what you've heard (c'mon, you know I HAD to do that) use "regardless". It's the single negative choice of experts everywhere. (Thumbs up and big cheesy grin.)

Friday Fix: Ellipses

One of my friends and writing buddies (Hi Marsh!) suggested today's topic: ellipses. You know, those three little dots that are used to show that you . . . words. Hmm . . .why do I feel like I left something out?

Alas, I am no expert on today's topic. In fact, I suspect that I'm one of those who overuse it as illustrated after the "Hmm" in the above sentence. In addition to using ellipses for their original purpose (to show where words in a quote are omitted), I also use them to indicate pauses and a continuation of thinking, especially in informal writing. A lot.

So I decided to do a little digging and here's where I dug:

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ellipsis.aspx

And if for whatever reason you choose not to soil your shovel there, I'll just share a few gold nuggets I unearthed:

1. It's acceptable in informal writing to use ellipses to show pausing and a continuation of thought! Woo Hoo! ('Scuse me while I cabbage patch a bit). BUT, (what is it with big BUTS?) don't over-do it. Apparently, it grates on some readers' nerves when ellipses are used excessively. You know, everything in moderation, blah, blah, blah.

2. You're actually supposed to put a space between the dots! I did NOT know that! And I've been doing it wrong all these years. (*Note, if you're a former student of mine, you're either loving that and doing your own cabbage patch dance OR you're considering seeking reimbursement for your education. Ahem...sorry! I mean, Ahem . . . sorry!)

3. If you're writing formally, you should just check the preferred style manual of your boss, teacher, publisher, or whomever is making you write. Know if it's MLA, APA, Chicago, Turabian, or the current manual de jour.

If you're a hard-core addict like myself, you really might want to go back (seriously!) and check out the article because it contains more interesting points. If not . . . well, be sure to dot your i's and eye your dots! ;-)

Friday Fix: Adapting to Environment

Effective communicators always note their environment and adapt accordingly. That's why we whisper in church, yell at ballgames, and speak with our "goofy voices" only around those we know love us unconditionally (you know, like when you talk to your baby, your love, or your dog...Duzza wovey dovey wanna nice boney woney?).

So when certain communication behavior violates the accepted context of an environment, all KINDS of interesting things can happen. (Imagine if football players, for example, patted other men on the butt OFF the football field!) People around you become uncomfortable and their desire to communicate dwindles. If folks adapted in consideration of others, we wouldn't hear of such craziness as Toys R Us shutting down TWICE on Black Friday due to people fighting. Adapt, people!

Consider this scenario. It's 5:45 a.m. on Black Friday at the local Walmart. One check-out line has filled two perpendicular aisles and I take my place on the end not realizing that hubby found a much shorter line on the other side of the store.

As I whip out my phone to call and see where he is, the woman in front of me turns my direction, glares infrared to a male a few yards behind me and barks,"Just grab the f'ing thing!" (Expletive modified because, you know, I'm adapting to my environment and all and we don't use that language on here, now do we?)

Mr. Unfortunate did indeed grab the thing and took his place beside his lady in front of me. I stood there feeling a little emptier upon witnessing the whole scene. Along with at least 50 other people within earshot.

SHE, my friends, communicated in a way that did not fit the environment. If she talks to him that way at home and he takes it, I guess that's their business (but will you join me in praying for them?). But to taint the air of everyone else in the vicinity? Well, how many of us do you think wanted to engage in joyful chit-chat with her. Um, that would be none.

Glory be. My hubby picked up my call and rescued me by telling me to meet him at his prime check-out real estate location. And do you know there were ALL KINDS of friendly, environment-adapting people to chit-chat with when I got there?

Courteous environment-adapting folks in the short line, loud curse-word spewing non-environment-adapting folks (or at least one) in the looooong line.

NOT a coincidence, I'm sure! ;-)

Friday Fix: Hypen or Dash?

Truth #1: A hyphen separates parts of words. You can even connect words with them to function adjectively. Teddy wants to re-think his career choice. He's in couldn't-care-less mode.

Truth #2: A dash separates parts of sentences, usually for emphasis. Baby, that chili is delicious--I'm talking, the best ever!

Truth #3: You usually have to key in two hyphens to make a dash. Most word processing programs then join them to make one longer line, but on blogger this is a hyphen -, and this is a dash --.

Truth #4: Yes, I'm being totally serious.

It can be kind of confusing for the reader if the wrong one is used-see what I mean? It may bamboozle the reader in a gee--that--doesn't--seem--right sort of way. Mm hmm...

So I hope my in-your-face approach makes sense and that you've come to appreciate the unique distinctions between the humble--yet powerful!--hyphen and dash.

Friday Fix: The Power of Parallelism

Today's Friday Fix is not so much a "fix" as it is a suggestion for improved writing. It also works great in verbal communication situations. And "it" is...

Parallelism!

Oh yeah, baby, this little gem is used for emphasis, making your audience sit up and take notice. It provides sort of a cadence of familiarity while driving home a point.

So I'm sure you're saying to yourself by now oh, Friday Fix Lady, please share how to use parallelism so that I, too, can emphasize my insights and drive my points home to my readers and listeners.

But of course.

Parallelism is simply using parallel structure. It can occur within a single sentence, among several sentences, or even throughout paragraphs. "We came; we saw; we conquered" is more memorable than "We showed up and saw what was going on and then we kicked some butt." Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech makes beautiful use of parallelism throughout, giving each "I have a dream that one day..." segment progressively more power with each repetition as he builds momentum for new, vivid ideas.

Consider this excerpt from the most recent post on the Olive Branch:

If anger is our issue, I can assure you that God wants to help us deal with that because we’ll be a lot happier if we’re not honked off all the time.

If being offended is our issue, I can assure you that God wants to help us with that because we’ll be a lot happier if our feelings aren’t hurt all the time.

If fear is our issue, I can assure you that God wants to help us with that because we’ll have a happier life if we learn to trust God instead of living in a state of worry all the time. (Thanks for your permission to use this, Missy!)

See how each sentence is structured the same way? By the time we read the beginning of the second point, we sense the repeated cadence and tune in a little closer. By the end of the third sentence we feel a sense of completion as all the ideas are unified through parallelism.

Do ya get it? Don't ya love it? Won't ya use it?

A lot of great quotes ranging from historical to pop culture are memorable because of parallelism. I'd love to see you leave a comment of any that come to mind! Let's have a parallelism party; post below! Whoot Whoot!

Friday Fix: Literal vs. Figurative

Overheard: "I was so sick! I literally puked out my guts!"

Ew. Hope not.

Presenting...Dictionary.com's definition of literal:
"adjective 1. in accordance with, involving, or being the primary or strict meaning of the word or words; not figurative or metaphorical: the literal meaning of a word."

Now, contrast that with the definition figurative:
"adjective 1. of the nature of or involving a figure of speech, esp. a metaphor; metaphorical; not literal: a figurative expression."

Let's have a literal round of applause for Dictionary.com! Er, wait. That means we'd be clapping our hands in a circular pattern. You know what I mean!

What the word violator--whose guts are no doubt still firmly intact-- meant was, "I was so sick that I figuratively puked out my guts!" Or "I was so sick that I felt like I was puking out my entire guts!" Or even, "I was like a fly, dizzy from spinning through the air, only to land on a potential morsel on which to expel my innards." Or not.

Okay. So now we see why most people (incorrectly) go with the first option, eh? Even though we speak figuratively all the time, we don't throw that word around like we do the word literally. It just doesn't hit the ear the same way. (Did you catch all that figurative language? Literally, did you?)

So it's okay to say that you were so sick you felt like you puked out your guts, but if you describe the action as literal, don't clean it up yet. I'll be right over to see for myself.