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Better Wordpower

July 27, 2009 by Roy Johnson

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Better Wordpower is a popular language guide based on a simple notion – that a deeper grasp of language and the way words are used is the sure route to more efficient and effective communication. It offers several different approaches to what Reader’s Digest used to call Improve your Wordpower. It begins by showing you how to use dictionaries, encyclopedias and other language books effectively.

Then it goes through the basic rules of spelling; lists of words which are commonly confused (affect and effect for instance); a list of foreign words and phrases; and a list of antonyms – words which mean the opposite, as in eager and apathetic or winsome and repulsive.

One of the most useful sections for increasing your wordpower is that listing prefixes and suffixes (what they call ‘word parts’) which help in the formation of new terms (auto- self, or automatic – as in autobiography, automobile or -ectomy surgical removal – as in vasectomy, appendectomy).

This is followed by an explanation of words used in common areas of human activity – animal life, architecture, art, astronomy, botany, computers, diseases, finance, geology, language, mathematics, music, physics and chemistry, psychology and psychiatry, shipping, and weather.

There are even illustrations in these sections, making the book like a mini-encyclopedia. Some of these categories seem somewhat arbitrary, but at least they point the user in the direction of intellectual categories – which is one of the prime purposes of the book.

The compilation ends with another very useful list of difficult, obscure, and what they call ‘hard’ words. These range from the reasonably well-known (alopecia ‘baldness’) to more abstruse terms such as (loricate ‘having an armour of scales or plates’).

All in all, it’s an accessible and readable guide which helps you through some of the most common pitfalls and complications of the English language. Ideally suitable for beginners, users in the classroom, or self-improvers of any kind.

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Janet Whitcut, Better Wordpower, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000, pp.329, ISBN: 0192801082

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Brackets – how to use them

August 30, 2009 by Roy Johnson

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Brackets – definition

Brackets are used to show that a word or phrase has been inserted into a sentence.

The technical name for this device is a ‘parenthesis’.

Examples

Most of the suspects (seven in all) were questioned by the police.
Put your scrap paper (or cardboard) into the dustbin.
The next person to arrive (a very attractive woman) caused a sensation.

Use

The words inserted between brackets are usually an explanation, an illustration, or an aside.

They often carry the meaning ‘that is to say’.

NB! Brackets are always used in pairs. Once they are ‘open’, don’t forget to close them.

Round brackets are used to represent an aside or an extra piece of information which is closely related to the main subject of the sentence.

Goodwin argues that Thompson’s policies (which he clearly dislikes) would only increase the problem.

Square brackets are used to indicate that something
is being added by the author. This is usually for clarification or comment.

The reporter added that the woman [Mrs Wood] had suffered severe injuries.

A mother wrote that her son was ‘fritened [sic] to go to school’.

When brackets are used at the end of a sentence, the full stop falls outside the bracket (like this).

Statements inside brackets should be grammatically separate from the sentence. That is, the sentence should be complete, even if the contents of the brackets are removed.

The republican senator (who was visiting London for a minor operation) also attended the degree ceremony.

If a quotation contains a mistake in the original you can indicate that the error is not your own. This is indicated by the use of square brackets.

The senior government minister who was recently acquitted of kerb-crawling claimed that at long last his ‘trails [sic] and tribulations’ were at an end.

The expressions within brackets should be kept as brief as possible, so as not to interrupt the flow of the sentence.

The use of brackets should be kept to a minimum. If used too frequently, they create a choppy, unsettling effect.

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Capital letters – how to use them

August 30, 2009 by Roy Johnson

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Capital letters – definition

Capital letters are used to show the importance of particular words.

They are always used for proper nouns (people’s names) ; at the start of sentences ; and for places and events of a public nature.

Examples

He entered the room, accompanied by Christine Bowman.
John wrote a letter to the Bishop of Chester.
We will visit Sherwood Forest at Easter this year.

Use

Capital letters are always placed at the beginning of a sentence.

They are also used to indicate names and titles, as well as holidays and well-known public places.

NB! Avoid continuous capitals.

THEY LOOK VERY UNSIGHTLY AND ARE HARD TO READ

Capitals are used to denote the names of particular or special things.

days of the week Wednesday, Friday

places East Anglia

rivers the river Mersey

buildings the Tate Gallery

institutions the Catholic Church

firms British Aerospace

organisations the National Trust

months of the year April, September

However, when such terms are used as adjectives or in a general sense, no capital is required:

the King James Bible / a biblical reference

Oxford University / a university education

the present Government / governments since 1967

Capitals are used when describing intellectual movements or periods of history:

Freudian – Platonism – Cartesian – the Middle Ages
the Reformation – the Enlightenment

They are also used in the titles of books, plays, films, newspapers, magazines, songs, and works of art in general. The normal convention is to capitalise the first word and any nouns or important terms. Smaller words such as ‘and’, ‘of’, and ‘the’ are left uncapitalised:

A View from the Bridge
The Mayor of Casterbridge
North by Northwest
The Marriage of Figaro

Notice the difference between the same term used in a general and a particular sense:

The children’s Uncle Fred is seventy.
Their uncle is the oldest in the family.

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Case agreement – how to understand it

August 29, 2009 by Roy Johnson

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Case agreement – definition

There must be grammatical logic or case agreement in the links between parts of a sentence.

This coherence is called ‘case agreement’ or ‘concord’.

Examples

The boy is swimming.
[singular subject, singular verb form]

The boys are swimming.
[plural subject, plural verb form]

Use

Agreement may be required in tense, number, or case.

Problems are more likely to occur in writing than in speech.

NB! To avoid such problems in writing, keep your sentences short.

If the subject of a sentence is singular, then the verb form must be singular as well:

The shop [singular] opens at nine o’clock.
On Thursdays the shops [plural] open late.

Sometimes confusion occurs because a statement begins in the singular but then drifts into the plural:

wrong
It can be argued that a person has the right to know when they are dying.

The easiest solution to this problem is to make the subject plural and its verb plural as well:

correct
It can be argued that people have the right to know when they are dying.

Sometimes a singular noun is used to denote a plural or a collective thing – such as ‘government’ or ‘parliament’.

Either the singular or the plural verb form may be used – but the important thing is to be consistent.

wrong
The government prefers to let matters rest, but events may make them change their minds.

correct
The government prefers to let matters rest, but events may make it change its mind.

correct
The government prefer to let matters rest, but events may make them change their minds.

Agreement is necessary in English because the language is ‘uninflected’.

That is, most words are not given separate endings to indicate which part of the statement they represent.

English relies very heavily on grammatical rules and syntax [word order] to make sense.

[In some languages — classical Latin, for instance — word order is not important.]

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Clauses – how to understand them

August 31, 2009 by Roy Johnson

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Clauses – definition

Clauses are parts of a sentence which make sense independently because they contain a finite verb.

There are main clauses and subordinate clauses.

Examples

There are two clauses in this sentence:

Come in, put your coat on that chair, and sit down.

The main clause is ‘Come in … and sit down.’

The subordinate clause is ‘put your coat on that chair’.

Use

It is natural for language to structure itself into manageable parts which make complete sense in themselves.

As speakers we create comprehensible clauses spontaneously and automatically.

Written language can have a greater complexity of clauses than speech within sentences.

This is because writing can be reconsidered by the reader at any time and at any speed.

Speech on the other hand must be taken in immediately by the listener.

NB! The difference between a clause and a phrase is that a phrase does not contain a finite verb.

The term ‘clause’ belongs to the discipline of descriptive grammar. This approach is very traditional and has been taught in grammar schools for the past few hundred years. It is still considered useful as a term by which to identify the components of a sentence.

Descriptive grammar sets out with a preconceived blueprint of sentence structure and attempts to force all utterances into it.

Recently, the term was introduced into the National Curriculum for the teaching of English in schools. This states:

‘pupils should be given opportunities to develop their understanding of the grammar of complex sentences, including clauses and phrases’

This development illustrates a return to old conventions which has been brought about by conservative values. It is also based on the belief that standards of literacy have been falling due to the lack of basic grammar teaching.

‘Transformational Grammar’, pioneered by the American linguist Noam Chomsky, is an alternative and more functional approach to understanding grammar. This discipline focuses on the relationship and function of parts in an utterance and seeks to accommodate an infinite variety of expression and usage.

For instance, the sentence John is easy to please is identical in structure to the sentence John is eager to please. In terms of meaning however, the two utterances are quite different. This example demonstrates that there is more to understanding grammar than being able to spot clauses.

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Cliches – how to recognise them

August 31, 2009 by Roy Johnson

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Cliches – definition

Cliches are hackneyed phrases or expressions.

The phrases might once have been fresh or striking, but they have become tired through over-use.

Examples

“He was over the moon about that goal.”
“Yes please. I don’t mind if I do.”
“Far be it from me…”
“I would be the last person to cast aspersions.”
We will leave leave no stone unturned in our search.

Use

Clichés are often used unconsciously in casual speech.

They usually suggest mental laziness or the lack of original thought.

They should be avoided in writing.

NB! Beware. Cliché may sometimes be used consciously for ironic effect.

Clichés circulate in the spoken language very readily, because they save people having to think.

When written down, they appear even more tired and vacuous than when spoken.

Traditional examples are expressions such as it takes the biscuit, back to square one and a taste of his own medicine.

Current favourites (in the UK) include the bottom line is …, a whole different ball game, living in the real world, a level playing field, and moving the goalposts.

Clichés present a temptation, because they often seem to be just what is required to make an effect. They do the trick. They hit the nail on the head. They are just what the doctor ordered. [See what I mean?]

Here is a stunning compilation, taken from a provincial newspaper. The example is genuine, but the names have been changed to protect the innocent. [That’s a deliberate example!]

By their very nature cabarets tend to be a bit of a hit and miss affair. And Manchester’s own ‘Downtown Cabaret’ is ample proof of that. When it was good it was very good, and when it was bad it was awful. Holding this curate’s egg together was John Beswick acting as compere and keeping the hotchpotch of sketches and songs running along smoothly. And his professionalism shone through as he kept his hand on the tiller and steered the shown through a difficult audience with his own brand of witticism. Local playwright Alan Chivers had previously worked like a Trojan and managed to marshal the talents of a bevy of Manchester’s rising stars.

It isn’t always easy to see where an idiomatic expression ends and a cliché begins.

The essential difference between them is that an idiom is not being offered as original thought. We say ‘fish and chips’ because people do not normally say ‘chips and fish’ (because it’s more difficult to say). But anybody who says he’s ‘over the moon’ about something has chosen the expression, no doubt thinking that it’s impressive.

A vogue word is very close to the cliché. This is an item of vocabulary whose meaning is becoming blurred, distorted, or inflated [that is, emptied] through over-use.

The term ‘vogue’ implies that the word is currently fashionable.

That’s a fantastic dress! [very nice]
We’re in a war situation. [at war]
It’s a brilliant novel. [interesting]
She’ll get paranoid about it. [become worried]
What a fabulous car! [remarkable]

The use of these terms is very common in everyday speech. They should be avoided in formal writing.

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Collins French-English Dictionary

June 11, 2009 by Roy Johnson

talking dictionary dual-language software

Don’t be misled by the title of this program. It’s is two books in one – a French-English dictionary as well as an English-French. And it’s very easy to switch between the two. The program installs effortlessly and takes up 44MB of hard disk space. In terms of sheer vocabulary there are over 80,000 words and phrases, and over 120,000 translations. It can be used with any other computer application to translate words and phrases, as well as for listening to the pronunciation of French and English words.

The word-base comes from the Collins paper dictionary, and you can easily add other dictionaries into the same basic program. There’s a talk-through introduction explaining all these functions – done by a very fruity-voiced woman, who even started playing jazz piano part way through. Each entry has a sound file attached giving the correct pronunciation. The sound files can either be run from the CD or copied permanently onto your hard drive. If the program reads the sound files off the CD, there’s a teensy time-lag first time you click on a word, but after that each successive selection plays instantly.

The program can sit in a small window in the corner of your screen, so you can keep it open unobtrusively whilst working on another document. I liked the fact that you can locate a term easily, simply by typing the first few letters into a dialogue box.

You can also work with the dictionary in condensed or expanded mode – which means that less or more details are shown for each entry. And you can test your grasp of the language as you go along with either a shooting gallery exercise or a crossword.

The AudioPad feature gives you the chance to practise your speaking skills with the help of professionals. You compare your pronunciation with the expert speaker, and see the result in sound waves on screen.

There’s a full HELP system which explains how to use and configure the program. It also lists keyboard shortcuts. Useful tips, answers to frequently asked questions, and database updates are available at the publisher’s web site.

Who is it for? I would say beginners to intermediate, as well as professional and business users. I’ve been using it to brush up my restaurant-level French skills, so that I can get closer to the goodies of Provencal gastronomy. And it works.

Buy the CD at Amazon UK

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Collins Talking French-English Dictionary, Intense Educational, 2004, CD-ROM

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Colons – how to use them

August 31, 2009 by Roy Johnson

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Colons – definition

Colons are used to introduce strong pauses within sentences.

The colon is the longest pause short of a full stop.

Examples

Colons are used to introduce lists:

The car has a number of optional extras: sun roof, tinted windows, rear seat belts, and electrically operated wing mirrors.

The colon separates two clauses which could stand alone as separate sentences, but which are linked by some relationship in meaning:

My brother likes oranges: my sister hates them.

The colon is also used before a long quotation or a speech:

Speaking at Caesar’s funeral, Anthony addresses the crowd: “Friends, Romans, countrymen …”

It is also used before a clause which explains the previous statement:

The school is highly regarded: academic standards are high, the staff are pleasant, and the students enjoy going there.

Use

The colon can be used to provide emphasis, or to create dramatic effect:

There can be only one reason for this problem: his total incompetence.

It is also used at the end of a statement which is followed by an illustration:

The vase contains beautiful flowers: roses, tulips, and daffodils.

NB! The colon followed by a dash (: —) is never necessary. The colon alone is sufficient, even before a list.

Notice that the items which follow a list are punctuated with commas if they are a succession of individual words.

You will need four ingredients: flour, butter, milk, and sugar.

If the items in the list contain clauses or phrases these may be punctuated with semicolons:

You will need the following materials: some scrap paper; a pen, preferably blue or black; some envelopes; and some good, white, unlined writing paper.

The colon requires careful handling. If you are in any doubt, use separate sentences.

The colon is also used between the title and the sub-title of a book:

Magical Realism: Latin-American fiction today.

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Commas – how to use them

August 31, 2009 by Roy Johnson

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Commas – definition

Commas are used to show slight pauses in a sentence.

Commas are the lightest marks of punctuation.

Examples

He will never do it, whatever he says.
She bought some butter, a pint of milk, and some jam.
Cars should turn left here, whilst vans should turn right.

Use

The comma is used to separate words, clauses, or phrases in a sentence.

It is used to help clarify the sense of statements and to prevent ambiguity.
It is also used to separate the items in lists.

NB! Use commas to clarify meaning. Don’t scatter them around like confetti.

The comma is used to separate two clauses when the first is not closely associated with the second:

She is a famous singer, whilst her husband remains unknown.

It is used to introduce a pause where the eye might otherwise continue and mistake the sense of what is written:

In the valley below, the villages looked small.

It is used to separate a sequence of adjectives which qualify a noun:

He was an arrogant, pompous fellow.

However, when the adjectives are of a different order or type, no comma is necessary:

He was a distinguished foreign visitor.

The comma is used to mark the start and finish of a parenthetical phrase within a sentence:

I am quite sure, despite my reservations, that he’s the best man for the job.

A very common use for the comma is to separate the items in a list:

The box contained a book, some pencils, and a knife.

Opinions differ on the need for the final comma in such examples. If the items are all of the same kind, it can usually be omitted. If they are not, it is usually safer to retain the comma.

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Compact Dictionary for Students

July 27, 2009 by Roy Johnson

dictionary + writing and study skills

Despite record-breaking results in GCSEs and A levels, many employers, colleges, and universities complain that they have applications from people who cannot spell or write good English. This is not to say that ‘standards are falling’ – which I don’t believe. On the contrary it seems to me that standards are actually rising – because we are surrounded in print, on screen, and everywhere else by high-quality writing. But more employers and teachers now expect people to be able to produce similarly clear prose, free from ambiguity and grammatical errors.

So Oxford University Press have come up with a brand-new dictionary to help students in colleges and universities not only grasp the meanings and spellings of words, but to understand their origins. With over 144,000 words, phrases, and definitions, it offers comprehensive coverage of current English and is perfect for student reference and everyday study needs. They have also done their best to reduce the normally intimidating appearance of pages in a dense book of reference. Each headword is printed in blue instead of the usual black, and this gives the page a lighter tone. It makes the twelve hundred page book (not so compact!) much easier to use.

The really big bonus however is an additional central section which explains how to brush up your English, and how to produce essays and dissertations. It also covers reports and summaries, advice on note-taking and referencing, and preparing CVs and job applications.

Throughout the text there are also notes giving advice on the use of good English, and highlighting the differences between commonly confused words such as empathy and sympathy, and affect and effect, as well as thousands of example phrases showing words in context.

There are also boxed explanations of common problems and misunderstandings. So – the entry on forbear runs as follows:

forbear¹ /for-bair / verb (past forebore; past. part. forborne) stop oneself from doing something. – ORIGIN Old English.

USAGE Do not confuse forbear with forebear. Forbear means ‘stop oneself from doing something’ (he doesn’t forbear to write about the bad times ) while forebear (which is also sometimes spelled forbear) means ‘an ancestor’ (our Stone Age forebears).

There is guidance provided on which verbal register a word belongs to – that is, if it’s formal or informal, dated (rotter) literary, technical (dorsal), derogatory (bimbo), offensive, or euphemistic (powder room).

If you were just embarking on a course at college or university, this would be a very good investment. It’s comprehensive, completely up to date, and with Amazon’s discount, a bargain at the price.

Buy the book at Amazon UK

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Compact Oxford English Dictionary for Students, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006, pp.1210, ISBN: 0199296251

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learn how words are formed, written, and used

free pages from our English Language software program

Brackets – definition

Examples

Use

free pages from our English Language software program

Capital letters – definition

Examples

Use

free pages from our English Language software program

Case agreement – definition

Examples

Use

free pages from our English Language software program

Clauses – definition

Examples

Use

free pages from our English Language software program

Cliches – definition

Examples

Use

talking dictionary dual-language software

free pages from our English Language software program

Colons – definition

Examples

Use

free pages from our English Language software program

Commas – definition

Examples

Use

dictionary + writing and study skills

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