November 2005:
Number 499
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REMINDER: Priority registration begins Nov. 29
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Spring classes start Tuesday, Jan. 17, so enroll early to avoid the rush! Registration will be available online or by phone from 8 a.m.-11 p.m. daily.
Priority Registration
Schedule
(Based on hours completed at Collin)
50 hours+ Tues., Nov. 29
30 hours+ Wed., Nov. 30
10 hours+ Thurs., Dec. 1
One hour+ Fri., Dec. 2
Everyone Sat., Dec. 3
Download e-schedule:
www.ccccd.edu/eschedule.
Register online:
www.ccccd.edu.
Register by phone:
Collin/Dallas counties
469.452.2222
Rockwall County
469.757.2222
All others
1.877.COLLIN1
A newsletter for the students, faculty and staff of the Collin County Community College District. Published monthly. For information or submissions, call 972.758.3849. Cougar News welcomes student and faculty submissions. Next deadline: Nov. 11. All submissions are due by 5 p.m. on the due date. Photos cannot be returned. Text should be emailed to mrobinson@ccccd.edu or sent on disk. Please submit copy that is proofed, edited and saved in Word format. Cougar News staff: Lisa Vasquez, director; Mark Robinson, editor; Marcy Cadena-Smith, contributor; Sydney Portilla-Diggs, student correspondent; Stephanie Hall, student correspondent; Nick Young, photographer; Layout by Publications
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The Write Way
This month’s column continues emphasizing correct usage, for, as students soon learn, the most beautifully organized essay is worthless if its diction leaves readers scratching their heads.
As we have also noted before, hundreds of words appearing similar in meaning are actually dissimilar. Moreover, although some word pairs bear slight differences, if we are to excel in our compositions, we must learn these differences, however slight.
Can you recognize the differences in the underlined words below?
1. “We were taken back / taken aback to memories of our childhood when we saw the replica Ferris Wheel.”
2. “Only on a whim and a prayer / a wing and a prayer were the Marines able to escape fierce enemy fire.”
3. “Whilst / while the poet dreamed of getting his work published, he continued working in the coal mines.”
4. “In today’s modern society / Today, learning all the redundancies we should avoid can prove a daunting task."
5. “The wrestler took special glee in tussling / tousling his opponent’s hair at the start of a match.”
• Corrected, sentence #1 should read this way: “We were taken back to memories of our childhood when we saw the replica Ferris Wheel.”
To be taken aback by something is to be startled by something (“We were taken aback by the sudden noise of the Ferris Wheel”).
• Corrected, sentence #2 should read this way: “Only on a wing and a prayer were the Marines able to escape fierce enemy fire.”
We generally attribute the origin of the expression to a 1943 hit song featuring lyrics about a fighter pilot in a shot-up plane trying to return to his base “on a wing and a prayer,” a dangerous situation that hardly evokes whimsy.
• Sentence #3 does not contain an incorrect word, but it does contain a pretentious one that writers should avoid (“whilst”). Corrected, the sentence should read: “While the poet dreamed of getting his work published, he continued working in the coal mines.”
Further, even the word “while” warrants our attention, for, instead of our using it to denote an interval of time, we often misuse it as a substitute for the adverb “although.” (In the above sentence, the poet continues working during the time he dreams of publishing.)
• Sentence #4 contains one of the most common and therefore tiresome redundant expressions. What is wrong with the simple yet precise word “today” or “In the last [fill in the blank] years”? Students should throw away their ingrained habits of starting sentences with expressions like “In today’s society,” “In today’s contemporary times,” and “In our society (or world) today.” Just as important, words like “now” and “today” not only help students avoid redundancies but also help them avoid wordiness.
• The last sentence should read this way: “The wrestler took special glee in tousling his opponent’s hair at the start of a match.” (A wrestler can tousle, not tussle, an opponent’s hair during a tussle.) Now, to add a fourth rule to last month's discussion of the seven standard rules of commas, this one deals with ITEMS IN A SERIES. One is never "wrong" to omit the final comma before the last item in a series (three or more words, phrases, or clauses), but, in academic work in particular, inserting the comma is preferable unless your instructor calls for its elimination. Journalists and technical writers save copy space by omitting the comma. Example: "The manager met with her office staff, departmental heads, and technical adviser."
As always, I welcome suggestions from students, staff, and faculty for these monthly columns and shall try to use their contributions in future columns. Should you have a topic you’d like discussed here, please write me at jmiller@ccccd.edu . You can also telephone me at 972.881.5981.
Students wishing improved writing skills will find useful links to a dozen or so English grammar sites at http://iws.ccccd.edu/jmiller/jmiller.htm .
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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