Monthly Archives: October 2008

Complete Lack of Tolerance for Tolerance

Tolerate means to allow or to permit, and a person has no more right to allow or to permit another person (or group of people) to be different from himself or herself than I have to permit or to allow you … Continue reading

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True Patriotism

The terms patriotic and unpatriotic have been tossed around in recent years more than a drunken rookie bull rider, with its most common usage being a repeated assertion by the McCain campaign (on many fronts–by himself, Governor Palin, campaign workers, … Continue reading

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Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

Verbs are either transitive or intransitive. That essentially means that they either need a direct object or they don’t. With a transitive verb, the action (verb) is being done to something else or someone else—a direct object. With an intransitive … Continue reading

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Storm Chasers–I Don’t Think So

Storm chasing is one of the rare instances where science and cool seem to meet, which is evidenced by the preponderance of television shows that highlight storm chasers. In fact, there is at least one reality show based on storm … Continue reading

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Vetting

Vetting is just like the Olympics–there’s a lot of talk about it every four years whether we want to hear it or we don’t. Vetting means to subject to a thorough examination or evaluation, and the only vetting that ever seems … Continue reading

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Let Us Proceed from the Preceding

I’d never really considered that proceed could ever be used incorrectly to mean precede—until I saw it on a job application—for a university—a major university that prides itself on admitting only those students with the highest scholastic records. The application … Continue reading

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McCain Condescension

Senator John McCain accurately made the point in the final presidential debate last night that you need to look closely at the words people use. He did it in reference to a point about Senator Barack Obama, but I’ll do … Continue reading

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A Buck Ten Left in the Game

Oy. I don’t know if any trendy announcer-speak is more annoying than the tendency for announcers to start referring to the time left in a game in terms of money, such as There’s a buck ten left in the game. … Continue reading

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Does This Happen Everyday or Every Day?

Everyday is an adjective; it describes a noun and answers the question what kind of, as in the old song I Am Everyday People (what kind of people are you?), so it normally comes right before the noun. Temper tantrums … Continue reading

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Exact Opposite

An oxymoron is a word or phrase that is contradictory. My favorite is jumbo shrimp–although I’m not sure that this is actually contradictory. You have your small shrimp. You have your medium shrimp. You have your large shrimp. Finally, you … Continue reading

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