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More Than an Army...
The Salvation Army stands ready to help needy people all year long. A great deal of their budget is raised during this time of year, and we figured we'd help them again this week by giving them visibility here. Click the shield to give securely to the good causes the Salvation Army supports. Thank you for your generosity!
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Have a Fifth on the Fifth?
Our Episcopal priest once said, "Wherever you see four Episcopalians, there's usually a fifth nearby." Perhaps some of them, and many others, will celebrate this Friday, December 5, as Repeal Day, marking the date in 1933 when Prohibition was repealed in the United States of America. Celebrate or don't celebrate, it's up to you. But alcohol is a fact of life, and so if you are an alcoholic, or you have to put up with an alcoholic, or you know an alcoholic, here are some common words on the subject.
1. abstemious: (a) habitually or obsessively drawn to consume alcohol; (b) inebriated; (c) marked by restraint especially in the consumption of food or alcohol; (d) none of the above.
2. cirrhosis: (a) widespread disruption of normal liver structure by fibrosis and the formation of regenerative nodules that is caused by any of various chronic progressive conditions affecting the liver (as long-term alcohol abuse or hepatitis); (b) the condition of chronic alcohol abuse; (c) the condition of addiction to alcohol; (d) a college drinking sorority.
3. gasohol: (a) ethyl alcohol; (b) a fuel consisting of a blend usually of 10 percent ethyl alcohol and 90 percent gasoline; (c) a fuel consisting of a blend usually of 50 percent ethyl alcohol and 50 percent gasoline; (d) alcohol derived from gasoline.
4. applejack: (a) brandy distilled from hard cider; (b) apple wine; (c) corn whiskey spiked with apple juice; (d) applejill's brother.
5. crapulous: (a) behavior characterized by alcohol-induced bravado; (b) (capitalized) a Roman general famous for going into battle intoxicated with wine; (c) sick from excessive indulgence in liquor; (d) not fabulous.
6. delirium tremens: (a) a rock band from the seventies; (b) spinning-room syndrome; (c) Latin for "poor decision"; (d) a violent delirium with tremors that is induced by excessive and prolonged use of alcoholic liquors � called also d.t.'s.
7. dipsomania: (a) an uncontrollable craving for alcoholic liquors; (b) another rock band from the seventies; (c) concomitant craving for alcohol and disco dancing; (d) craving for salsa.
8. porter: (a) a shot glass of whiskey; (b) a heavy dark brown beer brewed from browned or charred malt; (c) an oversized barrel made of teakwood specifically to store stout; (d) a tall one-handled drinking vessel.
9. porterhouse: (a) a cheap drinking and usually dancing establishment; (b) a dormitory for railroad workers; (c) a restaurant whose specialty is beefsteak and liquor; (d) a house where malt liquor (as porter) is sold.
10. jake leg: (a) a case or sideboard for holding bottles of wine or liquor; (b) a paralysis caused by drinking improperly distilled or contaminated liquor; (c) an accomplice in a bootlegging ring; (d) jim beam's cousin.
If errors in printed publications are, er, hanging over you, driving you to drink, and blurring your sense of quality, ProofreadNOW has the perfect remedy to get your marketing documents back in focus and your marketing people on their feet again. We examine the spelling, punctuation, and clarity of your ad, proposal, Web page, brochure, annual report or anything else in print. Our sober approach to mistakes is just what you need.
Answers: 1:c 2:a 3:b 4:a 5:c 6:d 7:a 8:b 9:d 10:b Rate Yourself: Wicked bad hangover.
3 to 5 correct: You're slurring your speech.
6 to 7 correct: Buzzed.
8 to 9 correct: "I only had just one drink, Occifer."
All 10 correct: Sharp, clear, BAC of 0.0.
Never...EVER...mix drinking and driving.
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| Weekly Grammar Tip |
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Active or Passive Voice? Take a Side
Guideline. Unless you have a good reason for doing otherwise, express verbs in the active rather than the passive voice.
A verb is in the active voice when its subject is also the performer of the action. It is in the passive voice when its subject is something or someone other than the doer of the action. While there is nothing grammatically wrong with either construction, expressing verbs in the active rather than the passive voice usually produces sentences that are smoother and more concise.
- The emperor called our office today while you were at the baths. (Called is in the active voice because its subject, emperor, is the doer of the action.)
- Our office was called this morning by the emperor. (Was called is in the passive voice because its subject, our office, did not perform the action. The emperor did.)
Its drawbacks notwithstanding, the passive voice has several legitimate--and even preferable--uses. When a verb is expressed in the passive voice (as it was just then), the emphasis shifts from the doer of the action to the object of the action. Here are three reasons you might want this shift to occur:
Emphasis. Use the passive voice when the intent of your sentence is better served by giving more emphasis to the receiver of the action than to the doer of the action.
- The plan to relocate the employee hot tub to the warehouse was met with stiff opposition. (In this sentence, the plan and the fact that it met with stiff opposition are more important than the identity of the people opposing it.)
- I will not be ignored. (Whoever might be doing the ignoring in this situation is less important than the person who doesn't want to be ignored.)
Tact. Use the passive voice to soften the impact of a rejection.
- It was felt [rather than we felt] that your proposal did not sufficiently meet our needs. (Not mentioning the doer of the action takes some of the sting away from the rejection.)
Convenience. Use the passive voice when you want to avoid using "you."
- The form is to be filed immediately. (The passive voice is used here to avoid the use of you, as in "You should file the form immediately.")
Source: Grammar for Smart People by Barry Tarshis.
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| Word of the Week |
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emolument
Pronunciation: im-MOL-yu-ment
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin emolumentum advantage, from emolere to produce by grinding, from e- + molere to grind
Date: 15th century
Definition: the returns arising from office or employment usually in the form of compensation or perquisites
Example: "What's a little matter like the Constitution among friends? That's a question a few legal eagles are asking as they note that Hillary Clinton can't become Secretary of State thanks to something called the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution."
- Wall Street Journal, 12/4/2008, p. A16.
Definition source: Merriam-Webster's Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary.
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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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