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Star-Spangled Banner Info
For those patriots at your party who wish to sing on after the first verse, here's the second:
On the shore dimly seen, thro' the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Written by Francis Scott Key, September 14, 1814. Tune: Anacreon in Heaven.
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Super Bowl XLII
The Super Bowl is considered by many to be the world's greatest single sports event. It certainly glues more people to the idiot box for a couple of hours than any other single event, including the Olympics. So we're giving in again this week to Super Bowl obsession. Today's list will help you stay afloat in that inevitable, intense first-quarter conversation in which each person tries to establish himself or herself as the house's leading expert on all things football.
1. Tom Brady: (a) Giants' QB coach; (b) lead referee for Super Bowl XLII; (c) Patriots' QB; (d) Peyton's older brother.
2. Site of the first Super Bowl: (a) Los Angeles Coliseum; (b) Orange Bowl; (c) Lambeau Field; (d) New Orleans Superdome.
3. Played in the most Super Bowls: (a) John Elway; (b) Charles Haley; (c) Mike Lodish; (d) Preston Pearson.
4. Winning player's earnings in 1970 Super Bowl: (a) $10,000; (b) $15,000; (c) $20,000; (d) $50,000.
5. Super Bowl XLII halftime entertainment: (a) Paul McCartney; (b) the great post-rock band Caspian; (c) Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers; (d) Madonna.
6. In every Super Bowl from 1991-1994: (a) Buffalo Bills; (b) Denver Broncos; (c) Minnesota Vikings; (d) Dallas Cowboys.
7. Max cost of a 30-second TV ad during Sunday's game on Fox: (a) $3 million; (b) $2 million; (c) $1 million; (d) $500,000.
8. Bridgestone/Firestone 3rd-quarter ad stars (you'll see): (a) Alice Cooper; (b) a deer; (c) Richard Simmons; (d) all of the above (oh my gosh!).
9. noseguard: (a) a mask attached to a helmet covering the face; (b) an offensive lineman in football who plays opposite the defensive center; (c) a Breatherite strip that holds the nasal passage open; (d) a defensive lineman in football who plays opposite the offensive center.
10. strong side: (a) the side on which the heavier of the two tackles plays; (b) the side on which the tight end plays; (c) an offensive football formation in which one back plays as a flanker and two backs line up four or five yards behind the line in position to receive a direct snap from center; (d) the area of a football field inside an opponent's 20-yard line.
If errors in printed publications are causing you to fumble your major accounts and sit out the second half in complete humiliation, ProofreadNOW has the perfect offense to keep you in the game and get you on your way to Disney World afterwards. We examine the spelling, punctuation, and clarity of your ad, proposal, playbook, Web page, brochure, or anything else in print. We're hovering over the entire field with our high-tech camera, ready to find and fix even the slightest mistake in your game plan.
Answers: 1:c 2:a 3:c 4:b 5:c 6:a 7:a 8:d 9:d 10:b Rate Yourself: You can only watch the SciFi channel Sunday night.
3 to 5 correct: Watch the Super Bowl -- in the basement on a battery-operated black & white TV.
6 to 7 correct: You get a spot on the floor, pillow included, to watch the game at the big party.
8 to 9 correct: You get the Barcalounger for the whole game.
All 10 correct: You get the entire couch, plus food and drinks brought to you, and control of the clicker during the game.
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| Weekly Grammar Tip |
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Negative Constructions
Today's tip is short and sweet. How you will use this at your Super Bowl party is anybody's guess.
Use the singular form of the verb when a subject is followed by a negative phrase. The exception: when the subject is plural.
- Jack and not Jill is going to climb the hill. (The verb is singular because Jack is a singular subject followed by a negative construction.)
- Jack and not the Republicans is going to climb the hill tomorrow. (The verb remains singular even though Republicans is plural and even though it is closer to the verb than Jack: Jack is still the subject.)
- Good feelings and not a physical workout are our main concerns with this morning's climb. (The verb is plural because its subject is feelings.)
Source: Grammar for Smart People by Barry Tarshis.
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| Word of the Week |
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Gnostic
Pronunciation: NAH-stik
Function: adjective
Etymology: Greek gnosis, literally, knowledge, from gignoskein
Date: ca. 1703
Definition: pertaining to a belief in spiritual knowledge over faith; possessing intellectual or spiritual knowledge; cognitive (Gnosticism was a philosophical and religious movement that valued inquiry into spiritual truth above faith.)
Definition source: Rare Words and ways to master their meanings by Jan and Hallie Leighton.
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Copyright 2008 by ProofreadNOW.com, Inc., 447 Boston Street, Topsfield, MA 01983 USA. Published weekly (we try) by the editors at ProofreadNOW.com, Inc. and sent to customers of record and to opt-in guests. Many readers find it is best to read a portion, put it aside, then come back and read more.
Please rate this GrammarTip (10=high, 0=low):
10 - Like having all your picks win the bowl games.
8 - Like having half the day off after New Year's Day.
6 - Like finding a parking space at the mall.
4 - Like finding a parking space near the mall--across the street.
2 - Like working all day the day after New Year's Day.
0 - Like staying home and forgetting the office was open all day the day after New Year's Day...until they tracked you down.
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