Grammar Revolution is a documentary Kickstarter project by David and Elizabeth O’Brien, aimed at changing the way people think about grammar.
From the Kickstarter page:
“Dear Backers,
$22,000 is the minimum we need to finish the Grammar Revolution documentary. This fundraising campaign is all or nothing. We have to meet our goal of $22,000 by February 7. Your credit card will only be charged if we reach our goal.
We’ve already filmed many amazing interviews, but we need your help if we are going to finish filming and do all the work needed to produce, edit, release, and distribute it! Please contribute what you can and share this video with your friends. Thank you for your support!”
This brings up a valuable question: why is grammar important? Tell us what you think!
Double Comparatives and Superlatives
The comparative and superlative of mountains!
There are times in writing when a comparison is necessary. A description gives the reader specific details in order to provide them with an image. Making a comparison is another way of providing the reader with imagery within a descriptive narrative. The usage of both comparison and description helps in to keep the reader engaged with the text.
Comparative sentences contain adjectives and adverbs that tend to end in –er, ‑est or have the words “more” and “most”. As a refresher, adjectives describe a noun or pronouns; while adverbs describe a verb, adjective or other adverb. The Standard English language has different forms that coincide with the endings –er, ‑est, and the words “more” and “most”. Some common mistakes with the construction of comparative sentences are not finishing the comparison, or trying to compare things that should not be compared. This may seem simple enough, but there are some exceptions and things to note.
Double Comparatives
A double comparative is a sentence that compares two things. Forming adjectives and adverbs in the comparative degree can be a little tricky.
Adjectives in the comparative degree end in -er, such as newer in the previous sentence “My car is newer than his car.”. Adverbs that end in -ly use “more” instead to form the comparative degree, as in more highly in the sentence “Mary speaks more highly of the iTouch than the iPod.”.
The most common error with double comparatives is the usage of both the -er ending and the word “more”. These sentences generally sound awkward when read out loud. Consider the following sentence:
“Mary speaks more highlier of the iTouch than the iPod.”
In this case it would be best to remove the -er and use the adverb in its comparative degree. Now, reconsider the sentence:
“Mary speaks more highly of the iTouch than the iPod.”
Double Superlatives
Adjectives and adverbs in the superlative degree are similar to the comparative degree, but use the -est ending and the word “most” instead. In addition, the article “the” must be placed before the adjective or adverb in the sentence. Comparative sentences using the superlative degree are saying that something is the most when compared to the rest of the group.
Consider the following sentences:
Justin is the fastest runner on the track team.
Mr. Copeland spoke the most highly of Juan than the other interview candidates.
Generally speaking, the superlative degree is used when something is being compared to three or more things.
A common mistake with double superlatives is using both the ending -est and the word “most” in the same sentence. Errors with double superlatives can also be identified when the sentence by reading the sentence out loud. For example, the prior sentence would be incorrect if it was written as follows:
“Justin is the most fastest runner on the track team.”
It would be best to remove “most” and keep fastest in the superlative degree.
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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?
Cool Things We Do With Words: Vows, Oaths, and Promises
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 as sacred or important as the vows or oaths that we make throughout our lives. Whether vocalized or put into writing, these words are something more than words alone; they convey an emotion and intent that is exclusive to the act of promising, the act of commitment to values and action.
This weekend, the President of the United States will be taking the Oath of Office for his second term. It is a very important promise to the U.S., but as we found out last week there are other vows and oaths that people believe have a larger impact in one’s life.
Which vows, oaths, or promises do you think carry the most weight?
Which of these promises do you think are the most beautifully worded?
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 distinctio dot was placed mid-level ( · ). This is the origin of the concept of a comma, although the name came to be used for the mark itself, instead of the clause it separated.
The mark used today is descended from a diagonal slash, or virgula suspensiva ( / ), used from the 13th to 17th centuries to represent a pause, and was first used by Aldus Manutius.” (2) (3)
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Found at Wikipedia.
Citing:
(1) Truss, Lynn (2004). Eats, Shoot & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. New York: Gotham Books. p. 72. ISBN 1-59240-087-6.
(2) Reading Before Punctuation – Introduction to Latin Literaturepamphlet, Haverford College
(3) Manuscript Studies, Medieval and Early Modern – Palaeography: Punctuation glossary
The Subjunctive Mood
The subjunctive is a grammatical mood. Many languages use subjunctive verb forms to indicate varying degrees of uncertainty and unreality.
It is sometimes difficult to distinguish subjunctive in English because the verb form is identical to forms in the indicative mood. In some other languages, like Spanish, the subjunctive verb forms are visually and functionally distinct from the indicative forms. The following is a classic example of the subjunctive mood in English.
“I wish I were a movie star.” (Subjunctive)
(“I wish I was …” is incorrect as it does not use the subjunctive verb form, which looks the same as, but is functionally different from, the past simple for both second person singular and third person plural.)
Here are some more subjunctive examples:
“Maybe he went to the game.”
“I wish this car went faster.”
“If I were you, I would read your homework.”
Reblog if you’re a sapiosexual.
Double negatives are OK (even necessary) in a lot of other languages, but not in English.
For more about double negatives visit: http://bit.ly/dblngtives
What if you really were allergic to spelling and grammar errors?
