Archive for March, 2009
March 26th, 2009
These are (some of) the times that try my soul. I’m talking about “-time” words.
Most of them should be written as one word, not two or hyphenated.
It’s “springtime”; before long it will be “summertime”; and all too soon it will be “wintertime” again. However, there’s no “falltime” or “autumntime,” which is actually my favorite time.
We also have “daytime” and “nighttime”; “downtime” and “uptime”; “lunchtime,” “dinnertime” and “mealtime”; “Christmastime”; even “crunchtime” and “showtime.”
However, “leisure time” is two words — that’s time for a break.
March 20th, 2009
I recently encountered the phrase “the upmost confidence.” The correct word is “utmost.”
The confusion is understandable. It probably is heavily influenced by “uppermost,” which is defined as “highest in place, position, power, authority, influence, etc.; topmost; predominant; foremost.”
“Upper” gives it a sense of height.
The adjective “utmost” is also a superlative. But instead of “highest” or “tops,” it means “farthest” or “greatest.”
That “ut” is from the Old English for “out.” So “utmost” is out there, not up there.
As we used to say in the ’60s, far out.
March 19th, 2009
When dealing with compound modifiers, heed this advice from The Associated Press Stylebook:
“Do not use a hyphen between adverbs ending in ‘-ly’ and adjectives they modify.” For example, no hyphens are needed in the following: “a badly damaged reputation,” “a publicly owned company,” “a greatly admired teacher,” “a grossly overpaid actor” and so on.
Just remember that not all words ending in “-ly” are adverbs. “Family,” for instance, can be a noun or an adjective, so a hyphen is recommended in a phrase like “family-oriented programs.”
As always, beware of homonyms. “Holy,” as in “holy orders,” and “holey,” as in “holey socks,” are adjectives, but “wholly,” as in “wholly owned subsidiary,” is an adverb.
And please resist the temptation to use nonexistent adverbs, like “majorly.”
March 18th, 2009
Yes, most of us have two eyes, and we use both of them to see things. But when it comes to idiom, sometimes only one eye will work.
For example, the phrase “whatever catches my eyes” is logical, but it’s improper idiom. In fact, it could even border on the grotesque.
Among the idiomatic expressions using the single-eye approach, in addition to “catch someone’s eye,” are the slang “give someone the eye” and “in a pig’s eye,” and the not slang “have an eye for,” “in the eye of the wind,” “in the public eye,” “keep an eye on (or out for),” “run one’s eye over” and “with an eye to.”
Of course, both eyes can get into the act as well: “feast one’s eyes on,” “keep one’s eyes open (or peeled or skinned),” “lay (or set or clap) eyes on,” “make eyes at,” “open someone’s eyes” and “shut one’s eyes to,” and the informal “have eyes for.”
If you’re going to use idiom, you need to have an ear for it.
March 17th, 2009
Webster’s includes more than a dozen Latin phrases beginning with “ad,” meaning “to, at, toward,” but only three of them are known well enough to be used in general writing.
Unfortunately, one of them is frequently misspelled: “ad nauseam.” Too often a “u” appears in place of the second “a” in “nauseam.” (The same mistaken substitution is all too common for the “a” in “in memoriam” as well.)
In English, “ad nauseam” means “to the point of disgust; to a sickening extreme.”
The other two common ones are “ad infinitum” (”endlessly; forever; without limit”) and “ad hoc” (”for a special case only, without general application”).
Note that a hyphen is not called for when using the latter: “an ad hoc committee.”
Two other “ad” phrases are worth a mention: “ad astra per aspera” (”to the stars through difficulties”), which is the state motto of Kansas; and “ad-lib,” an informal verb meaning “to improvise,” which is derived from the musical direction “ad libitum,” “at (one’s) pleasure; as one pleases.” In other words, “wing it.”
March 16th, 2009
After the entry about “nonprofit,” I was asked about “not-for-profit.”
There is no difference in meaning. If you look up “not-for-profit” in Webster’s, you’ll find a one-word definition: “nonprofit.”
According to “Garner’s Modern American Usage,” “nonprofit” is more common but “not-for-profit” is gaining ground. The thought is that the latter is more accurate, because such entities generally DO make profits but then use them for charitable purposes.
It’s a fine distinction, one I’m not sure is worth the extra keystrokes and two hyphens. But at least it’s better than the term Garner says is preferred in British English: “non-profit-making.” I looked that one up online and found all variations, with and without hyphens and even as two words: “nonprofit making.”
I don’t see any real profit in replacing “nonprofit.”
March 13th, 2009
The word is “nonprofit,” one word, no hyphen, noun or adjective.
The guidelines for “non-” are essentially the same as for all standard prefixes: no hyphen unless the word after the prefix is capitalized (non-European) or to avoid an awkward or potentially confusing repetition of a letter (non-native).
The only somewhat common exception here is the slang “non-starter,” meaning “an expected occurrence, project, etc. that fails to materialize” or “a worthless idea.”
Remember: It’s “nonprofit,” one word; the hyphenated “non-profit” is a “no-no.”
March 12th, 2009
I’ve been seeing this type of phrase a lot recently, especially in business stories: “the highest on records dating to 1994.”
The word should be “record,” singular, not plural.
I realize that logic says there are many records. But idiom says the phrase is “highest on record,” which takes into account all of the records.
March 11th, 2009
Green light, red light, traffic light — each of these nouns should be written as two words.
As a verb for “to approve,” the first one is one word, as in, “The chairman indicated he would greenlight the project.”
As a modifier, the second one is hyphenated: “Police traced the suspect to the city’s red-light district.”
However, the following should all be written as one word: streetlight, stoplight, spotlight, floodlight, footlights, headlight, taillight, highlight, sidelight.
I hope you found this illuminating.
March 10th, 2009
The famed Native American leader for whom many things around these parts are named was Chief Black Hawk. When referring to him or the war in 1832 or the statue of him in Ogle County, it’s “Black Hawk,” two words.
For the names of area businesses, organizations and roadways, it’s predominantly “Blackhawk,” one word.
And one word for the National Hockey League team from Chicago.
So, historical uses, two words; current ones, probably one word.
Also notice above, it’s “predominantly,” not “predominately” — “ant,” not “ate.”
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