Here are the road signs posted at the end of a highway exit ramp nearby, clearly informing motorists that they can either turn left or carry on straight.
This is what lies straight ahead.
I always turn left.
January 27, 2010
G is for Good
The imminent arrival of the Winter Olympics makes this a perfect time to review the usage of the words good and well because we’ll soon hear countless interviewers and announcers telling us how good our athletes did in their events. In fact, they will have done well, not good, but it’s a common grammatical error and, sadly, I’m confident that we won’t be able to count on the television personalities to get it right.
Here’s the basic rule for determining whether you should use good or well: a thing is good, but you do something well.
Good is an adjective that describes people and things (nouns) so use it when you’re stating how something or someone is.
Examples:
- Good Will Hunting is a good movie.
- Martha Stewart says “it’s a good thing”.
- Glinda is a good witch.
Well is an adverb that modifies action words (verbs) so use it when describing how something or someone does something.
Examples:
- He did well on the English exam.
- She danced well in the recital.
- The hockey team played well.
There are exceptions to the rule, of course. For example, you can use good when referring to verbs of the senses. Something can smell good, taste good, feel good, or look good.
At this winter’s Games, I hope that our athletes have a good time and ski, snowboard, skate, curl and play hockey well. I hope the weather is good and the bobsleigh, biathlon, luge, and ski jumping events go well. I hope our team members look good in their Olympic outfits and represent Canada well.
And I hope that our announcers do well too.
January 24, 2010
Sunday Snapshot
Cook’en? Hmm … the designer was going for cookin’ but wanted to match the spelling of kitchen so she changed the i to an e and moved the apostrophe to a random position to get it out of the way? … That’s all I’ve got.
See A is for Apostrophe for my thoughts on apostrophe use.
Thanks to Barefootheart for the photo.
December 25, 2009
Great Beginnings
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Every Who down in Who-ville liked Christmas a lot … But the Grinch, who lived just north of Who-ville, did NOT!
What person wouldn’t want to continue reading a book that starts that way? Why doesn’t the Grinch like Christmas? What happens next? When my kids were young, I always joked that Christmas would not come if they hadn’t seen the television version of How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss. I mean, of course, the wonderful 1966 cartoon featuring the voice of Boris Karloff. I’ve never seen the 2000 movie version with Jim Carrey, thanks anyway.
Christmas has never been in jeopardy; we all still watch The Grinch and the book has a place of honour on the fireplace with our handmade fire screen and a sleigh complete with plush Grinch and his dog Max. How The Grinch Stole Christmas has a great beginning, middle and ending.
A Christmas Carol
First published in 1843, Charles Dickens’ tale about a bitter miser who is given a chance for redemption when he is haunted by ghosts on Christmas Eve received immediate critical acclaim. Since then, the story has never been out of print and has been adapted into everything from a Disney cartoon starring Mickey Mouse to a ballet. Of the many film versions, critics and A Christmas Carol fans alike praise the 1951 film featuring Alastair Sim’s celebrated performance as Scrooge. Christmas Eve just wouldn’t be the same in this house without Scrooge’s great (albeit slightly reworded) beginning:
Old Marley was as dead as a doornail. This must be distinctly understood or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate.
Alastair Sim as Scrooge.
Merry Christmas everyone!
November 30, 2009
Poinsettia Time
Poinsettias are a popular symbol of Christmas in North America. The name is pronounced poin-set-ee-uh and spelled with an ia at the end of the word, not just an a as thousands on the Internet would have you believe (poinsetta). Nor is there an extra t (pointsettia) as thousands more believe. The poinsettia is native to Mexico and Central America. It was first brought to North America in the 1820s by the first United States Minister to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett. Poinsett was a physician and amateur botanist who went on to be a co-founder of the National Institute for the Promotion of Science and the Useful Arts (a predecessor of the Smithsonian Institution) among other things.
There are now over 100 varieties of poinsettias. They come in single or double form, with solid-coloured or marbled leaves, and in many shades of red, pink, salmon, cream and white. I love visiting the greenhouses at this time of year to see their poinsettia selections, although choosing just a couple of different varieties to take home is difficult.
November 27, 2009
Black Friday
Happy Black Friday to shoppers in the United States. I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving yesterday.
We don’t have a shopping event equivalent to Black Friday in Canada. Boxing Day, on December 26th, used to be a big day for finding bargains, but in recent years the majority of retailers have begun putting most of their stock on sale long before Christmas anyway, and the stores here don’t tend to offer the big loss leaders that I see advertised in the U.S.
I’ve come to appreciate Christmas shopping late at night, and early in the morning, although I’ve never been browsing the aisles at 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. There’s hardly any traffic on the roads, barely any shoppers in the stores, and no one in line ahead of you at the check-out. Several years ago I went to my local 24-hour grocery store around 11:00 p.m. on December 23rd to do my final grocery pick-up before Christmas and realized it was an excellent time to be there. I enjoyed strolling the aisles without having to manoeuvre around dozens of others, humming along to the Christmas music and chatting with the staff who, also relieved that the store was deserted, were cheery.
When Walmart began staying open all night in December of last year, I went shopping there one evening around 11:30 p.m. Again, perusing the stock in peace and picking out the latest toys was a relaxed and pleasant experience.
Yes, I enjoy shopping late at night at this time of year, but I enjoy it because there’s scarcely anyone else there …
- Black Friday crowd.
