Author: kiwi

In English, connotation is as important as denotation. When a person says “I am very tired,” the implication is that the level of tiredness could be described specifically. However, “I am so tired,” indicates that the level of tiredness cannot be measured or specifically expressed. The words “so” and “very” seem to serve the same purpose, but their meanings are taken slightly differently.

In the same way, the phrase “Thank you very much” indicates that the gratitude felt reaches an expected extent. On the other hand, “Thank you so much” indicates a longing to express immeasurable gratitude.

For example, A singer who receives an award might tell those bestowing the award, “Thank you very much.” She achieved the award on her own merit, so her gratitude is extended for the recognition which she knows she has earned. When the same singer addresses her fans at the awards ceremony, she might say “Thank you so much,” because without the fans, her talent might not have been noticed. She cannot express the level of gratitude she feels toward those who recognized her first.

As with many English expressions, these connotations are not hard and fast rules. As a general guideline, if you wish to be formal, use “very” and if you wish to move your listener, use “so.” Imagine the singer again, before she was famous, when complimented by a reporter: “Thank you very much.” And again, by strangers who stopped to listen: “Thank you so much.” The difference should be clear.

The phrase “yea or nay” has a long and storied history, dating back at least to the Middle English. It was used in archaic voting contexts. A person would ask a jury, electorate or other group of people if they wished to do a certain thing or not, then follow with the phrase “Yea or nay?” It meant that they wished the people to answer yes or no, and this meaning has survived to the modern day.

Although the colloquial speech of the Internet is dynamic and ever-changing, the terms which we use to express ourselves have long histories outside of the World Wide Web. It is acceptable, in common Internet conversation, to write the phrase “yea or nay” as “yay or nay.” It may even be, according to context, broadly amusing. It is, however, incorrect, and it is not appropriate for creative writing, serious conversation or educational contexts.

The word “yay” also has a specific meaning. The two words “yay” and “yea” are pronounced exactly the same and cannot be distinguished from each other in spoken speech. However, “yay” is considered to be more of an excited interjection, and it is more often heard aloud. “Yea” is almost never encountered outside of this particular phrase. This is one of the reasons why spelling is so important on this issue. Any educated reader who is aware of the existence of the phrase will immediately recognize that “yay” is a misspelling, and it will give them the impression that the writer is not well versed in grammar and spelling.

It is a common question that many turn to Google to answer. Whether you are writing a professional letter to an institution or an established individual, when is it appropriate to open with ‘To whom it may concern’ versus ‘Dear Sir or Madam’? Truthfully, the answer isn’t exactly black and white.
Generally, ‘To whom it may concern’ should be used when writing to, or written by, someone without regard as to the recipient, whether it be a company, institution, or person. Additionally, it is best when the recipient is a third party to the matter at hand and if you do not know who’s hands it will come to.
‘Dear Sir or Madam’ should be used when the letter is a bit more specific, such as when the individual has a direct involvement in the matter at hand. This opener also is best suited when writing to someone specifically, whose identity you know, but are unable to obtain the name of.
The former opener is considered more impersonal while the latter is considered more personal and still polite. However, it is always best to try to find out the name of the person you are seeking to address, if applicable. It is understood that sometimes that is not possible. It is also important to consider that both of these forms of address are considered dated to some and that it may be worth finding an alternative. Both ‘Dear [the individual’s job title]’ or ‘Greetings:’ would be acceptable in these cases.

In academic-type works, you may have frequently seen citations to a mysterious ‘Ibid.’ and wondered who it was. It is not an ancient Greek philosopher, but rather a handy referencing tool. ‘Ibid.,’ when found in references or footnotes, is referencing a source that was cited in the preceding footnote or endnote. Essentially, it means “same as previous source.” If something references Ibid., you must look at the note that came before it to find the source.

For example:

Endnote:
[1] J. Smith, How to Reference Your Sources (New York: Academic, 2016), p. 102.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid. p. 151.

In the example, the second endnote referenced the same source and same page as endnote [1]. The third endnote references the same source but a different page.

Ibid. is short for the Latin word ibidem, which means “in the same place.” Since it is an abbreviation, a period (or full-stop) must always be placed at the end of the word. Since it is a foreign word, Ibid. is traditionally used in italics, though some styles, such as ‘Harvard,’ do not require italics.

In the ‘Harvard’ referencing style, Ibid. can also be used for references within the text. However, it should only be used if there is a close by and obviously visible citation from the same source. Some writing styles, such as APA, forgo the use of Ibid. all together in favor of the author-date format to reference repeated source.

Sources:
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/ibid?r=67
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Documentation/faq0242.html
http://www.hup.harvard.edu/resources/authors/pdf/hup-author-guidelines-notes.pdf

In the past, historians would commonly refer to dates as either BC or AD. The acronym BC was generally meant to refer to times before Christ while AD was shorthand for the Latin phrase Anno Domini or Year of the Lord.

Today, many people use BCE or CE to refer to historical events. When someone says CE, they are referring to the common era, or roughly the same time period after Christ was purported to exist. The use of BCE is meant to refer to the time that is commonly articulated of as the time before the birth of Christ.

There are two reasons why the shift from BC and AD to BCE and CE has occurred. First, using the terms common era and before common era has less of a Christian overtone, which may be beneficial when talking to those who may have a different religious point of view.

There is even evidence to suggest that the use of BC/AD occurred mostly during the Victorian Era and that earlier Christians didn’t use those terms frequently. Second, there is no way to be sure exactly when Jesus was born. Some believe that he was born anywhere from four years before the common era to seven years into the common era.

The shift from BC/AD to BCE/CE has mostly gained traction among academics and other groups who embrace a more secular view of the world. However, many people understand both uses to describe the time periods, and both may be considered correct depending on the audience.

In the English language, there are three types of dashes with slightly different lengths: hyphen (-), en dash (–), and em dash (—). The each serve different purposes in writing.

Hyphen (-)

Hyphens are used for forming compound words. They are usually used with words that, when tied, become a single concept. Some examples of hyphen use are: check-in, state-of-the-art.

A hyphen is also used when two or more words are used as an adjective before a noun. For example, “a thirty-three-year-old woman.”

En Dash (–)

En dashes are use to specify a range of dates, numbers, or time. An en dash is used with Monday-Friday, or January-December, or pages 13-72. However, if you introduce the range with from or to, do not use an en dash. For example, it is correct to either use “2010-2013 were excellent years for our grapes” or, “Our grapes grew exceptionally well from 2010 to 2013,” but not “We had good harvests from 2010-2013.”

Another use of the en dash is to report scores or contest results, such as “we won the game 10-7.” It is also used to represent direction, as in “the Chicago-Atlanta flight,” or “the east-west railway line.”

Em Dash (—)

The em dash has many uses. Two em dashes can be used instead of commas in a sentence, to provide a more emphatic tone.

Two em dashes can also replace a pair of parentheses, for a less formal and less subtle tone. Similarly, an em dash can replace a colon to provide extra emphasis on the end of the sentence.

Em dashes can also be used as bullet points in a list format.

Source:
http://www.thepunctuationguide.com/hyphen-and-dashes.html

It is not uncommon to hear someone say “I agree” or “I concur”, seemingly interchangeably in fact. On the surface, the expressions seem possibly interchangeable as such – but are they really? Could it be that “agree” and “concur” are just another example of synonyms in the English language, or is there more to the story than what there may seem?

The reality is that both “agree” and “concur” can in fact be used interchangeably. You can say: “I agree”, or “I agree with you”. You can also say: “I concur”, or “I concur with you”. Literally all of these examples convey an identical message. So is there any difference in their use at all? Grammatically speaking, no. Popularity wise, however, possibly. I should seem that more people prefer saying “agree” and view “concur” as less informal. It also is less likely for the English speaker to include “with you” when simply using a verb fulfills its function in the sentence. For this reason, it is much less common to hear “I concur with you” than it is to hear “I agree”. Does that mean one should be used more than another? No, it just comes down to personal speech preferences.

It is true that many people view “concurrence” as more eloquent and less causal than “agreeing”. It may even be true that you’ll receive more strange looks if you use the former over the latter in casual conversation. However, the key is to remember that neither is more correct.

Amongst the many words in English that are similar in sound but vastly different in meaning includes “supposedly” and “supposably”. Although “supposedly” is more commonly used, and “supposably” causes a red flag in Word processor grammatical checks, the two are actually real words. Their definitions are similar enough to cause additional confusion in understanding how to use each word properly.

“Supposedly” refers to something that can be assumed or generally believed accordingly. For example, “I will supposedly have enough time to finish my assignment later”. In this sentence, “supposedly” serves to imply a potential for something to happen, yet there is no guarantee that it will actually happen in that way. Another example would be “He supposedly told them the event was at 9am, but I recall him saying 10am”. In this example, the implication is that one group of people claim one thing as having been said which is being questioned by someone who remembers a different story.

On the other hand, “supposably” is something that is capable of being supposed. In other words, the idea of said thing is conceivable or possible. Although this word is much rarer than “supposedly”, it is an adjective form of the word “suppose” or “supposable”. The word’s Latin origins imply that “supposably” and its related forms are developed from language describing “to substitute” or “to place below”.

This word is just one of many examples in the English language where subtle differences in spelling and meaning can completely alter attempts for communication.

The English language isn’t always very predictable. A lot of times, this has to do with word patterns adapted from other languages. Most commonly these trends can be located as having origins in the Latin language. Countless nouns have deep roots in these ancient origins, as do many numeric words. Perhaps that is what makes it so difficult to predict certain words such as single, double, triple, quadruple,… the question is, what comes next?

These first four words are common enough in the English language to understand that single means one, double means two, triple means three, and quadruple means four. The question then becomes what comes after “quadruple”? These subsequent numbers follow very closely the patterns reminiscent of the Latin language. As a result, the number following “quadruple” is “quintuple”. After “quintuple” comes the number “sextuple”, having been derived directly from the Latin word for “six” (“sex”). “Septuple” represents the seventh entry, “octuple” for the eighth. “Nonuple” serves as the ninth, “decuple” the tenth. After those entries, eleventh through twentieth exist as “undecuple”, “duodecuple”, “tredecuple”, “quattuordecuple”, “quindecuple”, “sexdecuple”, “septendecuple”, “octodecuple”, “novemdecuple”, and “viguple”.

Although these terms can be generated for virtually any number needed, it is exceedingly rare for larger values to be used in everyday language. Generally speaking, “quadruple” is not often exceeded. Even in describing babies, terms like “triplets” may be occasionally used, but it is far less common to talk about “quadruplets”, or “quintuplets”, and especially “sextuplets”. Regardless of usage, however, these words all remain important.

When people talk about being in accordance with someone or something, they may choose to say the word “agreeance” to describe it. However, it must be noted that “agreeance” does not agree with Word processors. How is it that a word so commonly heard and used is not accepted by these grammatical tools? Well, simply put, it’s because terms like “agreeance” are not actually proper words.

Sometimes, creating words becomes second nature. If someone wants to expressing agreeing with someone, it is instinctive to take the word “agree” and make it into a noun. Due to the nature of a vowel ending on a word like “agree”, a natural step might be to transform “agree” to “agreeance” without considering its possible irregularity in transforming between parts of speech.

Although many dictionaries might recognized “agreeance” as being a word for “the act of agreeing”, they also often identify the word as slang or as a bastardization of “agreement” – the real term to be used in this case. In other words, no, it is not recognized as a proper word in the English language. This, however, does not mean it is not comprehensible when used in speech or written work. It merely falls into a category of words that are commonly used that are really just part of learned behavior and learned speech.

Remember, the next time you discuss your “agreeance” with something”, the word you’re searching for is “agreement” – a subtle but meaningful difference.