"Tablespoonfuls" and "Teaspoonfuls"

Levels of Distractibility: Who cares? = *. Some people will be distracted from your meaning: = **. Many people will be distracted from your meaning: = ***.

Question: Which is it: "tablespoonsful" or "tablespoonfuls"? "Teaspoonsful" or "teaspoonfuls"?

Answer: I never can remember either. I guess "tablespoonsful" would mean using several tablespoons at the same time. That doesn't make much sense. So it's one tablespoon that takes three tablespoonfuls of sugar. Same with "teaspoonfuls."

Rating of Distraction: (*) in speaking. I doubt if anyone gives the distinction any thought. Both versions are jawbreakers--UGLY. Logic, though, does suggest that it's one teaspoon which takes three "teaspoonfuls" of sugar. (**) in writing.

"Supine" and "Prone"

Levels of Distractibility: Who cares? = *. Some people will be distracted from your meaning; = **. Many people will be distracted from your meaning: = ***.

Question: Any other words that might be confused that you never heard of?

Answer: Yes. How about "Supine," which means lying on the ground face up; "prone" means lying on the ground face down. Once again, thanks to the NYT Manual of Style and Usage. I did not know the distinction existed. I do remember that in the army, "Assume the prone position" meant "Hit the dirt with your rifle ready to fire."

Rating of Distraction: *. These words, "supine" and "prone" don't confuse. They have distinctively different meanings. I don't know if anyone besides the NYT Manual of Style and Usage ever heard of the word "supine," but whether it's "supine" or "prone," "face up" or "face down" is the picture readers will have.

"Stanch" and "Staunch"

Levels of Distractibility: Who cares? = *. Some people will be distracted from your meaning: = **. Many people will be distracted from your meaning: = ***.

Question: What are some confusing words that not too many people know about?

Answer: "Stanch" and "staunch" for starters. "Stanch means to stop the flow of something, usually blood. "Staunch" means firm and resolute, as in "He was a staunch defender of the Faith."

Rating of Distractibility (**). Many people know these words and rarely confuse them, probably because their meanings are so different. Confusing them would be a real "laugher."

The Subjunctive

Levels of Distractibility: Who cares? = *. Some people will be distracted from your meaning: = **. Many people will be distracted from your meaning: = ***.

Question: What on earth is the "subjunctive"?

Answer: The subjunctive means "contrary to fact." "I wish I were...." "As if he were...."

"I wish..." and "As if..." are almost always followed by "were."

The problem is with "If." If "if" means contrary to fact, use "were": "If he were here, we'd know the answer."

If "if" is a statement of fact, use the singular past tense, "was." "He asked if she was going on vacation this month."

If you're not sure, write around it: "I wish I could go with you" instead of "I wish I were going with you."

Rating of Distractibility: (**). You'll have to use some fast thinking, if you're using the subjunctive when speaking.

Split Infinitive

Levels of Distractibility: Who cares? = *. Some people will be distracted from your meaning: = **. Many people will be distracted from your meaning: = ***.

Question: I've heard someone say that one of the worst crimes you can commit against English is to split infinitives. What is an infinitive and why is it wrong to split it?

Answer: "To" with a verb is called an infinitive: "to run," etc.

To put a word between the "to" and the verb is called a "split infinitive," cursed by many a grammar purist: "to better prepare...."

If the split infinitive sounds smooth, use it. Don't make an awkward construction in order to un-split the infinitive. When in doubt, write around it: Instead of "...to better prepare," "I can improve my preparation by...."

A matter of judgment.

Level of Distraction: (*). Everybody does it.

"Shined" and "Shone"

Levels of Distractibility: Who cares? = *. Some people will be distracted from your meaning: = **. Many people will be distracted from your meaning: = ***.

Question: Is there a difference between "shined" and "shone"?

Answer: "Shine," "shined," "shone": Use "shined" with a direct object: "He shined the flashlight on the house." "Flashlight" is the direct object of "shined." Shined what? "Flashlight."

Without the direct object, use "shone": "The sun shone only once this week." Thanks to the NYT Manual of Style and Usage.

Rating of distractibility: (***). I didn't know the distinction! But the "sun shined" would not sound right. Nor would, "He shone the flashlight." On the basis of sound alone, I think many people would be distracted. I learned something writing this blog. RayS.

Spelling: Almost Guaranteed to be Misspelled

Levels of Distractibility: Who cares? = *. Some people will be distracted from your meaning: = **. Many people will be distracted from your meaning: = ***.

Question: I'm at a party. What's one word that is almost guaranteed to be misspelled?

Answer: I can think of several. "Cemetery." "Minuscule." But I think "sacrilegious" will get 'em every time.

"Sacrilegious": Does not contain the word "religious." Again, I use Harry Shefter's Six Minutes a Day to Perfect Spelling: "You RILE me with your sacRILEgious ideas."

Rating of Distraction: (*). I don't think too many people will even notice that the word is misspelled. And even fewer will ever use the word.

Quotation Marks: Question Marks and Exclamation Points

Levels of Distractibility: Who cares? = *. Some people will be distracted from your meaning: = **. Many people will be distracted from your meaning: = ***.

Question: Okay. Periods and commas ALWAYS inside closing quotation marks. Semicolons and colons ALWAYS outside closing quotation marks. What about question marks and exclamation points?

Answer: Here's where it gets tricky. Question marks and exclamation points are placed inside closing quotation marks if the entire sentence is a quote and outside the closing quotation marks if the quotation is only part of the sentence.

"Are you going to stand there all day?" Quotation is a complete sentence. Inside.

I believe that the very best short story I ever read was "Most Dangerous Game"! Quotation PART of the sentence. Outside. Try putting the quote in the middle of the sentence to see more clearly that the exclamation point is outside the quotation marks: I believe "Most Dangerous Game" is the best short story I ever read!

The British and the Canadians do this with every mark of punctuation--I think. I don't know about the semicolons and the colons. But in America, punctuate as Americans do. Commas and periods INSIDE closing quotation marks. Semicolons and colons OUTSIDE closing quotation marks. Question marks and exclamation points INSIDE when the entire sentence is a quote. OUTSIDE when the quotation is only part of the sentence.

Rating of Distraction: ***. It's the American way! Ta Da!