This is a Little Bit about Language…
Acronyms and such for when you’re texting, to be specific.
I haven’t seen these anywhere, but they look pretty good.
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Hypocrisy and a Lesson for Me
This is a reason why I try never to correct someone’s English unless they ask.
Adjective vs Adverb
Here’s a good example of an adjective-adverb combination that people often get wrong:
Our ancestors probably didn’t smell good, but did they smell well?
https://newatlas.com/biology/neanderthal-denisovan-odor-receptors-smell-sensitivity/
- “Good” is an adjective; it refers to nouns.
- “Well” is an adverb; it refers to verbs.
Do you know the exception? (Well is an adjective referring to illness, as in “I don’t feel well.”)
Here’s the picture that goes with the article:
Don’t Use the Superlative for the Comparative
Maybe I’m being picky here, but when you compare two things, use the -er ending on the bigger (or older, or whatever) thing. Use -est when you are comparing three or more things. So the bear gets it right in panel two, but wrong in panel three.
Don’t be a bear.
I found another one. Third panel. It’s “the better cell.” Harrumpf.
An Expression that We Get Completely Wrong
Last panel. “The exception that proves the rule.”
His meaning is that breaking the rule proves that it’s true. That’s not only incorrect, but it’s not what the expression means.
Back when “exception that proves the rule” was first said, “prove” meant “test.” Breaking a rule tested whether it was really a rule or not. If you got into trouble, yes, it’s a rule. If you get away with it, it’s not really a rule.