Single inverted commas

Although it is usual to enclose a word under discussion in single inverted commas, I have chosen instead to emphasise it in red to prevent confusion with apostrophes.
These posts are always short and clear so that they can be read easily on a mobile if you follow by email (the red may not show, however!) This is completely free.



Saturday 29 September 2012

ALTAR AND ALTER

These two words are pronounced the same but have very different meanings:
Altar is the holy table in a church: you can remember it by thinking that marriage has ar in it also.
Alter means to change something.

Tuesday 25 September 2012

THE DOUBLING RULE NUMBER TWO

This rule deals with words of more than one syllable ending in one vowel and one consonant:
a) if the word ends in l double it; label labelling
b) if the stress in the word falls on the final syllable of the base word double the consonant:
begin beginning
c) do not double if the stress falls earlier; garden gardening
N.B. prefer preferring preferred preference
Tip: put the back of your hand underneath your chin to sense the stress

This is a difficult rule to master but worth the effort as it covers a large number of useful words and has few exceptions.

Monday 24 September 2012

THE DOUBLING RULE NUMBER ONE

This is sometimes called the 1-1-1 rule because you are dealing with words of:

one syllable - one vowel - ending in one consonant;  hop
Double the final consonant hopping
but do not double x y w

(The reason for the rule is that the vowel in the ending cannot get back past a double consonant to make the vowel long (as it does in hoping meaning wishing for or in jumping where there is already a double consonant).
Remember: I was hoping for a sunny day and hopping up and down with with impatience.

Sunday 16 September 2012

METADRAMA

The term metadrama is used when a play draws the attention of the audience to the fact it is a drama and a fiction. It occurs when the Chorus in Henry V refers to "this wooden O" or, more loosely, when Hamlet says: "The play's the thing/Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king" meaning the Mouse-trap but reminding us that we are, at that moment, watching a play.
The device is sophisticated as it does counteract the "willing suspension of disbelief" normally required of an audience but it distances us for a while so that we may return in our emotions more intensely afterwards.
See more on this on Hamlet pages of: Classics of English Literature:essays by Barbara Daniels

Tuesday 11 September 2012

THE 'LE' RULE

Le is a very common ending in English but it never follows n m r v w and so never write: nle mle rle vle wle
A way to remember is by this sentence: Nine mice run very well

Thursday 6 September 2012

EPONYMOUS

This word is used strictly and correctly when a character in a book has the same name as the title: King Lear; Emma etc
If you recall the rule that titles of complete works are put into italics you might write a sentence like this:
Hamlet is the eponymous hero of Hamlet.