Hello and welcome to my new adventures in blogging!
So blogging – what is that really? It’s words. And, I love words! I’m a writer and a scrabble player and a lover of cross word puzzles. Words like widget, trapezoid and extrapolate are fun. But others, like phlegm, not so much. And let’s face it, blog isn’t very attractive either.
And don’t you just hate it when you can’t quite find the right word? You can find something close, but not quite right. Sometimes I think there’s entirely too many words to choose from. But as exciting and frustrating as words are, I’m here to tell you to exercise extreme caution when using words. Words will mess you up my friends.
Some words may look right, but aren’t. Let me tell you, that can cause some really embarrassing situations. For instance, placing a new plaque on the auditorium wall is not the same as placing a new plague on the same building. They both look right, but while plaques are nice and relatively harmless, no one really wants a new plague hanging around. Just one tiny little letter changes everything.
And then there’s times when you use the correct letters, but get them in the wrong order. This too can lead to undue embarrassment. Case in point, I once sent a very professional business letter to a client asking her to come in and sing her Last Will and Testament. Now, granted, the singing of the Will might have been wonderously entertaining, but, I’m told it provides no authenticity to the document whatsoever. Apparently, it’s the actual signing of the document that makes it enforceable. Silly mistake, but somewhat awkward for me.
And then there’s those words that will trip you up because they have more than one meaning or they have similar sounds. They might sound right, but in reality, improper useage changes the entire meaning of a sentence. A misconception is not the same as a preconception but when spoken out loud, they sound the same – sort of. And someone who sees words in reverse order has dyslexia not dyspepsia. Two very different things, and yet they kind of sound the same. Be careful.
And quite the opposite is also true. Some words are actually very much correct, but they just sound wrong. For instance if I were to ask you to remove your small lizard from the hole in my oak wine barrel, that sounds correct. But this is also correct: keep your little skink away from my bunghole. And yet that just sounds – well wrong somehow.
So, as you go forth in the world of poems and prose, business letters and weekly progress reports, use caution and choose carefully, and please remember to proof read before you hit that wonderful enter button, least you too fall victim to the wacky world of words.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope to see you on a regular basis. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Twitter and WordPress.com and visit my website www.jansenschmidt.com.
So tell me, what improper word usage has caused you embarrassment? Don’t be bashful, it’s good to get these things off your chest once in a while.
Word of the day: Alacrity (Go look it up, but not right now. Post your comment first, then go.)
Fun fact about me: I have an extra vertebrae in my spine. (Unfortunately this does not give me superpowers, it just make me more susceptible to back problems.)
Congratulations on the launch of your blog!! I enjoyed your post. I’m always unsure whether to pronounce route (rowt or root) so I avoid it at all costs! 🙂
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Hi Virna! Thanks for stopping by and, yes, I have those words too so thank goodness we have a wide variety to choose from. And thanks for the retweet on Twitter. Nice to see a familiar face first thing in the morning.
Patricia/Jansen
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Welcome to the blogging world. ^_^ Words are tricky things. I always hate when I use a word that feels right in a situation, and deep down I know what it means, but sure enough… when someone asks me to define it? I find myself stumbling.
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Hi Sadie! I know what you mean. Words are such crazy things. I work in the legal arena and lawyers like to use big confusing words. I have to use the dictionary to find out what the heck I’m saying when I’m transcribing!
Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!
Patricia/Jansen
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Congratulations on your blog launch!
Personally, I’d rather sing my Last Will and Testament than sign it – lol!
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Thanks Julie! The next time I make that same mistake (which better be never or I haven’t learned my lesson) I’ll have you come by and be the chorus!
Thanks for taking the time to post a comment.
Patricia/Jansen
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Congratulations! You did it! Great job!
Okay, since you had to ask, I admit that I have trouble with those silly homophones. There, I said it. I feel much better.
Looking forward to your next post!
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That’s it Karen – get it off your chest! Thanks for stopping by. We writers especially appreciate the importance of finding just exactly the right word.
I appreciate your support.
Patricia/Jansen
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Congrats on your elegant blog! Yes, blogging (or any type of writing) is a giant game of Scrabble…
Keep on posting!
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Thanks Fabio! Aren’t word games fun? Except when you’re writing and that elusive perfect words escapes you, then it’s not so much fun.
Hope you see you around soon in the WANA class.
Thanks for stopping by today.
Patricia/Jansen
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Oh. My diaphragm hurts from laughing.
Welcome to the blogueria!
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Thanks SJ! I’m glad you enjoyed it. We all need a little humor once in a while. Blogueria – that’s a new one.
Thanks to all my fellow WANA classmates for their encouragement and support.
Have a great All Saints Day!
Patricia/Jansen
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Congratulations on your first post!
I tend to get caught on simple word choices, like chose/choose. 🙂
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That’s what I’m talking about Sheila – it’s wacky! And then the rules change too, like the I before E thing; if that’s the rule then explain deceit? Makes no sense.
Thanks for stopping by and posting a comment. I’m seeing a lot of familiar smiling faces this morning.
Patricia/Jansen.
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Hi Jansen!
My sister-in-law is such a whiz at Scrabble, we have banned the game from family gatherings because she always wins–even in our family of wordsmiths. I mean who gets the letters for “quince” and a triple word score on a regular basis…I’m thinking tiles up the sleeve…
I had to look twice at the sing/sign the will paragraph…why is that funny? Oh, I get it…eyes are old, or maybe just tired. 🙂
Congrats on your launch!
Kecia
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That’s my point Kecia – sing/sign – upon first glance they both look right! Be careful.
And scrabble – yes, my mother and I had to stop playing together for that very reason. I used to think she was making words up so I’d challenge, then when we looked it up and she was right, I had to forfeit my points. Quince on a triple score – that’s a biggie!
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and post. Have a lovely day!
Patricia/Jansen
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Yah! Congrats, you stuck your toe in the water 🙂 I can’t think of any off hand except the one my mom loves to tell. She had to stand up in front of class and tell them how to circumscribe a prism. Instead she told them how to “circumsize” one.
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That is awesome! Those kinds of silly things are dangerous traps out there in the world of words. Thanks for sharing your mom’s experience. I’ll bet she got a few chuckles from that.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing!
Patricia/Jansen
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Congrats on your blog launch. I, too, fear typos, especially since I once referenced my years “of teaching in pubic school.”
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That’s hilarious Pat! Thanks for sharing. A combination of wacky words, fast typing and faiilure to properly proof read is a deadly combination.
Thanks for stopping by.
Patricia/Jansen
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I know nothing about words, however I love you and I am very proud of you and I hope you still have time to spend with your husband.
Your Husband.
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Well hello my darling husband. It’s true you may not know a lot of words, but you do know the right ones. Thanks for your love and support. And yes, I will always have time for you.
Patricia/Jansen
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Words! Who knew? Enjoyed the post. Thanks!
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Hi Diane. Thanks for stopping by. Words are amazing things. Love them when they make me feel something, hate them when they get me in trouble.
Nice to see another classmate take the time to post a comment.
Patricia/Jansen
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Hi Jansen,
CONGRATS on your blog! Looks great.
Fun topic. I had an experience similar to Pat. Worked for many years for the state Dept. of Health and once saw a letter, signed by the director himself that address an important pubic health issue. 😛 When I became a manager, you better believe I proof read EVERYTHING before I signed it.
AC
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Hi Aunty Cindy! Glad you stopped by.
Proofreading is EVERYTHING it’s cracked up to be. Not just spell check either, I learned that the hard way with my sing/sign letter.
Nice to see your friendly smiling face! Hope to see you as a regular.
Patricia/Jansen
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Lovely site, Patricia! Congratulations on your launch.
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Thank you Jo! Good to see a fellow SVR member stop by. I hope to have a very successful blogging career. I’m told from some very smart people that this is the way to get established, so here I go.
Congratulations on our e-pubbed books too. They are rocking the charts!
Patricia/Jansen
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Wonderful first post, Patricia! I laughed at all the typos you wrote about. One of my pet peeves is when people use loose for lose.
Wishing you mounds of success!
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Thanks Suzanne. Yes, those typos are little rascals that slip in no matter how careful we are.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and post a comment.
Patricia/Jansen
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I’m a little late to the party.
I was just arguing with my 9 year old on whether misusing there, their or they’re is a grammar or spelling issue.
While reading your post I actually laughed out loud and my 13 year old gave me a dirty look. He’s not quite the word lover I am.
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Oh the joy of chilren! I’m glad you took the time to stop by Kristi and you are not late to my post since I’m not blogging every day, just stop by any time and post. I’ll check in frequently.
Good to see other SVR gals stop by. Their support means so much to me.
Patricia/Jansen
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I’m sorry I am coming to the party late, Patricia. I thought I had posted on your beautiful blog.
My embarrassing word wasn’t typed it was spoken when I was working in an office full of men CPA’s. I was dealing with a company I was familiar with and couldn’t figure out what the initials meant. I was very young and easilily embarrassed at the time I uttered loud enough for even the top boss to hear: What is a TIT? You can imagine the reponses I got for that one!
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Oh my goodness Marlene! That’s a good one. I can just see the horrific expression on your face! Thanks for sharing and please never hesitate to pop in late, my blog is always open.
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Hi J/P! Read your wonderful first blog post the same day it was out, but forgot to leave a note — sorry!
Don’t have an embarrassing anecdote to report — I’m rather adept at repressing unpleasant things! However I will admit to having a mental block about “effect/affect.” Have to consult the dictionary every single time!
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Hi Madeline – thanks for stopping by – again! Affect / effect, there’s a difference? LOL I hate that one too.
So nice to see another fellow chaptermate stop by and post a comment. I hope to see you next time as well.
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I just found your blog! I saw in the WANA FB post that you mentioned you wrote a post, but I guess whenever I clicked your site I only saw your welcome page. I didn’t see a tab for your blog, but I dug around and found, and added you to my reader! Yay–congrats on it 🙂
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Thanks Colleen for going the extra mile to find me! I’m trying to connect with the WANA class as well, but there’s so many of us it takes time.
I’m glad you found me and I hope to see you around again.
Patricia
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Loved your post! HATE the English language. I always wonder why we can have three different ways to spell one word that sounds the same (to, too, two), and then we have words like tear, which you can’t read or say when you see it standing on its own…because not only does it have two different pronunciations, it also means two different things. And then there are words like good and food. Shouldn’t double O’s sound the same in any word they’re found in?
My biggest with words isn’t so much usage in writing, it’s in pronunciation. I grew up in a family where you ate Italian food (eye-talian). When I did learn that the ‘I’ is pronounced like the ‘I’ in Italy, I found that what you learn as a kid tends to stick with you forever, and I take a lot of ribbing about now because I tend to fall back into that same habit.
Another word I despise is antifreeze. I always said anti-freeze…just like it looks. Except EVERYONE I know says something that sounds more like ‘annafreeze.’ Even mechanics! I still have to consciously think about how everyone else says it before it passes through my lips. Getting teased about it gets old after awhile. 🙂
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Oh Kristi, you are so right. Pronunciation is an entirely different blog! My crazy brother always says AL A when he means LA (like Los Angeles). AL A? What the heck is that all about?
Thanks for stopping by and sharing. I hope you’ll stop by again.
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Instead of singing my last will and testament, I think I’m going to rap it. Or maybe do an interpretive dance. 😉
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Oh Teresa, let me know when you’re going to do that. I want to watch!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. So nice to see new face as well as old friends.
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to check out and do so! Your writing style has been amazed me.
Thanks, very great article.
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Your style is unique in comparison to other folks I’ve read stuff from.
I appreciate you for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I’ll just bookmark this
site.
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