January 2013
87 posts
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Double Negatives
A double negative refers to the use of two forms of negation in the same sentence.
Examples:
I don’t have none.
We aren’t never leaving.
Double negatives are not used in American Standard English, but are common in African American Vernacular English and in some regional dialects. Double negatives are also common in some foreign languages.
It is important to note that in most...
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Good vs. Well
Adverbs are disappearing. One of the most neglected is “well.”
Good is an adjective. Adjectives are used to describe nouns—persons, places, things, or ideas. Good can also be a noun, meaning “that which is morally right; righteousness.”
Well is an adverb. Adverbs are used to describe verbs—action words.
So, are you doing good, well, or both?
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Cool Things We Do With Words: Vows, Oaths, and...
What is more special than a promise? As children (and let’s be honest, as adults, too) we valued promises highly among our friends and family. The act of promising and the act of being worth promising something to elevates our relationships. It’s a perfect example of how beautiful and powerful words can be.
There are a lot of amazing activities we do with words and language. Few are...
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How Commas Are (Were) Made
Comma History
“In the 3rd century BC, Aristophanes of Byzantium invented a system of single dots (distinctiones) that separated verses (colometry), and indicated the amount of breath needed to complete each fragment of text, when reading aloud. (1) The different lengths were signified by a dot at the bottom, middle, or top of the line. For a short passage (akomma), a media...
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