'in 'Eclectic Encyclopedia'' Archive
‘Co-’ offers an alternative for families that are in ’step’
Thursday, November 24th, 2005
More than 10 years ago, sisters Kathy McGrath and Jeannie McDonald encountered a dilemma when introducing the members of their new stepfamily.
“We found ourselves dealing with awkward situations when introducing someone: `This is my dad’s wife,’” McGrath said. “There was always a hesitation in our voice. Saying `stepmother’ and `stepson’ never seemed to convey the [...]
Despite White House theme, days numbered for ‘merry’
Wednesday, December 15th, 2004
The White House theme gave a boost to a word that has been lagging lately in the English language: “merry.” As with our Christmas ornaments, we pick “merry” out of our closets this time of year, blow the dust off it, and put it on prominent display in anticipation of Dec. 25. After that, we put it back in a box and keep it in storage for the next 11 months.
Sentence diagramming finds way back into some hearts
Wednesday, December 8th, 2004
Sentence diagramming is the long division of English. It involves a bewildering array of lines and diagonal branches. It is loathed as an elementary school chore. And it is presumed to be obsolete.
Enjoy reading and writing? You have alphabet to thank
Wednesday, November 17th, 2004
What would you say was the most influential invention in human history? The wheel? The light bulb?
How about the alphabet?
We tend to take it for granted, but the alphabet was a human invention. Without it, we wouldn’t read books and newspapers or write shopping lists and e-mails. We would have to rely on recitations and [...]
Newscasters speaking in ‘-ing’ are creating a tense situation
Wednesday, November 10th, 2004
Milk sales are up, reported NBC’s Peter Alexander last month on "Nightly News." What Alexander said was this: "America’s favorite drink at home now becoming a popular choice for families on the go." Not "is becoming," but "now becoming." This strange syntax is getting more common on television news.
Slogan puts Bulls in the thick of it
Thursday, September 30th, 2004
The Chicago Bulls’ slogan for their current season-ticket campaign is “Through Thick and Thin!”
Fact or fiction? ‘Solecism’ history sounds Greek to me
Thursday, August 19th, 2004
The Word of the Day that turned up in my e-mail inbox was “solecism,” meaning a breach of grammar or etiquette. It comes from the Greek word “soloikismos,” for “speaking incorrectly.”
I learned this from Merriam-Webster’s free service for word buffs; you can sign up at www.m-w.com, but I warn you, it launches endless etymological expeditions.
Here’s [...]
At the end of the day, ‘back in the day’ just means ‘past’
Thursday, June 24th, 2004
CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien once owned a lavender Citroen, she recalled on the air June 10.
“Wow! That was back in the day,” her guest remarked.
“That was so back in the day it’s not even funny,” O’Brien replied. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
Which “day” we are talking about is not always clear, but there has been a lot of going back to it lately.
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