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Faithfully Execute or Execute Faithfully?
Grammarians reading today's GrammarTip might be interested in the NYT article on the recent inaugural oath split. Click the photo to view it. And if you can recount the actual wording leading up to Jimmy Carter's 1980 reference to Hubert Horatio Hornblower, do so and copy us on it at info@ProofreadNOW.com. Perhaps we'll send you a ProofreadNOW designer t-shirt, if we have any left!
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Crazy Cracies.
If the government were a proofocracy (government by those who seek perfection), life would be good: your mortgage would be paid for you every month, your doctor would pay you when you're ill, the entire Arctic would be a mile deep in prehistoric ice, and the only terrorists would be fictional ones cavorting on TV's 24. What kind of government do you want?
1. kleptocracy: (a) government by felons; (b) government by kleptomaniacs; (c) government by those who seek chiefly status and personal gain at the expense of the governed; (d) government by kabala followers.
2. autocracy: (a) government in which one person possesses unlimited power; (b) government by car manufacturers; (c) government that runs itself; (d) government in which those who drive muscle cars, specifically 1970 GTOs, have the power.
3. ochlocracy: (a) government by oil barons; (b) government by the mob; (c) government by chocolate lovers; (d) government by the wealthy.
4. gynecocracy: (a) political supremacy of women; (b) rule by elders; (c) government by the elite; (d) government by OBGYNs.
5. pantisocracy: (a) political supremacy of men; (b) government of the highly exercised; (c) a utopian community in which all rule equally; (d) government of the technical superior.
6. plantocracy: (a) a ruling class of cabbage-heads; (b) political supremacy of farm-state politicians; (c) political promise of "a tree in every yard, a bowl of corn flakes on every table"; (d) a ruling class made up of planters.
7. plutocracy: (a) government by the wealthy; (b) government by interplanetary aliens (that are no longer considered interplanetary); (c) government by the military; (d) government by Disney cartoon dogs.
8. punditocracy: (a) government by newspaper columnists; (b) a group of powerful and influential political commentators; (c) government by skeptics; (d) political superiority of television talk-show hosts.
9. thalassocracy: (a) wartime supremacy; (b) peacetime supremacy; (c) geographic supremacy; (d) maritime supremacy.
10. timocracy: (a) government by the timid; (b) government in which love of honor is the ruling principle; (c) government characterized by exceptionally high precision; (d) government by time management.
If errors in printed publications are making your company look like an erroneocracy (government by the mistaken), ProofreadNOW can help. Elect us and we'll deliver on our promise to rout the errors from all your precious documents. We examine the spelling, punctuation, and clarity of your ad, proposal, Web page, brochure, or anything else in print. We're campaigning every day to win your votes (so cast them early and often).
Answers: 1:c 2:a 3:b 4:a 5:c 6:d 7:a 8:b 9:d 10:b Rate Yourself: Lunocracy.
3 to 5 correct: Dumbocracy.
6 to 7 correct: Mediocracy.
8 to 9 correct: OKocracy.
All 10 correct: Brainocracy.
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| Weekly Grammar Tip |
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AP Stylebook Revisited...
We've said before that every avid writer needs on his or her shelf the Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law. It's essential for writing that press release, and for other documents that keep to "AP style." Here are some more interesting tidbits from the AP Stylebook, for your edification.
co-worker. AP calls for the hyphen when forming nouns, adjectives and verbs that indicate occupation or status. So it's co-worker, whereas if you are writing outside of a press release, Merriam-Webster dictates coworker. Other AP/MW conflicts include co-signer/cosigner, co-star/costar, co-pilot/copilot, and co-author/coauthor. But both agree on co-owner, co-organizer, and co-official.
hangar, hanger. A hangar is a building in which planes are stored and repaired; a hanger holds your shirts in your closet. (This is not limited to AP style, of course, but it is an entry in the AP book.)
nor'easter. The term used by the National Weather Service for storms that either exit or move north along the East Coast, producing winds blowing from the northeast.
Velcro. Trademark for a nylon material that can be pressed together or pulled apart for easy fastening and unfastening. Use a generic term such as fabric fastener. [Ed. note: The word originates from the characteristics of the sides of the fastener. One side is as soft as velvet. The other side has tiny hooks, like crochet hooks. Hence, Velcro, for velvet crochet.]
trusty, trustee. A trusty is a prison inmate granted special privileges as a trustworthy person. A trustee is a person to whom another's property or the management of another's property is entrusted.
recur, recurred, recurring. Not reoccur.
rank and file (n.). The adjective form: rank-and-file.
ravage, ravish. To ravage is to wreak great destruction or devastation. Union troops ravaged Atlanta. My '79 Ford Bronco has suffered the ravages of time. To ravish is to abduct, rape or carry away with emotion: Union soldiers ravished the women. Although both words connote an element of violence, they are not interchangeable. Buildings and towns cannot be ravished.
Realtor. The term real estate agent is preferred. Use Realtor (and capitalize it) only if there is a reason to indicate that the individual is a member of the National Association of Realtors.
Source: The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, Perseus Publishing, Cambridge, MA.
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| Word of the Week |
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nugatory
Pronunciation: NOO-gah-tor-ee
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin nugatorius, from nugari to trifle, from nugae trifles
Date: 1603
Definition: of little or no consequence; trifling; inconsequential
Example: "It has always seemed to me that the correct balance of police power and individual rights should reflect the crime rate. The interdiction of the airlines of terrorist weapons, conducted at the expense of every American who steps foot on an airplane, can be demonstrated statistically to be nugatory in its accomplishments."
- William F. Buckley, On the Firing Line: The Public Life of Our Public Figures, 1989.
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 - Almost as exciting as the Super Bowl is to Ben Roethlisberger this year.
8 - Almost as exciting as the Super Bowl is to Arizonans and Pittsburghers this year.
6 - About as exciting as the Super Bowl is to Kurt Warner this year.
4 - About as exciting as the Super Bowl is to the GT editor this year.
2 - Slightly more exciting than the Super Bowl is to New Englanders this year.
0 - About as exciting as the Super Bowl is to FedEx and General Motors this year (they're skipping it).
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