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3+3=6
Pair up the twenty three-letter words in a way that makes ten six-letter words. Do not use any three-letter word twice. Send your list, along with your name and snailmail address, to contests@proofreadnow.com. The first ten people with the right list will receive supercool ProofreadNOW flashlight/lasers!
ace, ale, ant, ash, beg, end, fin, ham, hem, leg, one, ore, pal, per, put, rid, sea, see, son, the
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Today's Poll
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Winning Words
Boston is once again the major sports town it's been in the past. What with the Red Sox winning the World Series, the Celtics at the top of the NBA standings, and now the Patriots winning the AFC and favored to win the Super Bowl (you can bet we'll have more on that next week!), we're just eating it up here. Try these winning words and see where you rank.
1. hat trick: (a) in baseball, the first baseman's catching of a hit ball in the air with his or her hat; (b) the scoring of two goals in one game (as of hockey or soccer) by a single player; (c) the retiring of three batsmen with three consecutive balls by a bowler in cricket; (d) an overwhelming victory.
2. casino: (a) a card game in which cards are won by matching or combining cards in a hand with those exposed on the table; (b) a place (as a chamber) for the administration of justice; (c) something conquered; (d) an act of betraying or cheating an associate.
3. gamesmanship: (a) conduct (as fairness, respect for one's opponent, and graciousness in winning or losing) becoming to one participating in a sport; (b) the art or practice of winning games by questionable expedients without actually violating the rules; (c) the art of obtaining challengers in order to display one's prowess; (d) expertise.
4. paladin: (a) a leading champion of a cause; (b) one that holds a title; (c) one set up as an opponent for a champion in trial competitions or workouts; (d) one who tracks down and captures outlaws for whom a reward is offered.
5. break point: (a) a situation in American football in which the defensive team scores enough points in one play to win the game by one point; (b) a situation in golf in which the player in the lead falls behind on the final hole; (c) a situation in tennis in which the receiving player can win the game by scoring the next point; (d) the last point scored in overtime.
6. bay: (a) win; (b) the raised podium of the winner's circle at a horse track; (c) an easy or one-sided victory; (d) a garland or crown especially of laurel given as a prize for victory or excellence.
7. ablation: (a) loss of a part (as ice from a glacier or the outside of a nose cone) by melting or vaporization; (b) gain of volume through condensation; (c) the act of making a religious offering in order to win favor; (d) a holy gift offered usually at an altar or shrine.
8. shoo-in: (a) illiterate variant of shoe-in; (b) one that is a certain and easy winner; (c) a horse or dog that finishes out of the money in a race; (d) a horse or dog that finishes in the money in a race.
9. alopecia: (a) loss of eyesight; (b) the portion of winnings divided among the winners; (c) a milky white suspension of magnesium hydroxide in water used as an antacid and laxative; (d) loss of hair, wool, or feathers.
10. Pandemonium: (a) a son of Priam who in medieval legend loved Cressida and lost her to Diomedes; (b) the capital of Hell in Milton's Paradise Lost; (c) a total or decisive defeat; (d) a son of Helios who drives his father's sun-chariot through the sky but loses control and is struck down by a thunderbolt of Zeus.
Well, you can see that there are some "losing" words in there too. That's because not everyone is always a winner, despite what kids are hearing in beginner soccer leagues and kindergarten rooms these days. If errors in printed publications are keeping you from winning the first-place trophy in marketing and sales, GET TO WORK on checking out ProofreadNOW! We have the tools (people) to push your documents into the realm of perfection often within one hour. We examine the spelling, punctuation, and clarity of your ad, proposal, Web page, brochure, or anything else in print. We only hire winning editors here. The ones who don't make it? Well, we're not sure where they work.
Answers: 1:c 2:a 3:b 4:a 5:c 6:d 7:a 8:b 9:d 10:b Rate Yourself: You get to listen to the Super Bowl, but on a crackly radio with a crummy antenna.
3 to 5 correct: You get to watch the Super Bowl, but on a small TV at a crowded sushi bar with lots of people who don't know what football is.
6 to 7 correct: You get to watch the Super Bowl at a cool but noisy sports bar.
8 to 9 correct: You get your own Super Bowl party with a pretty good HD screen, but a big mess to clean up afterwards.
All 10 correct: You get round-trip tix to the Super Bowl in Phoenix, deluxe hotel, seats with the team owners, and a game ball signed by Tom Brady.
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| Weekly Grammar Tip |
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Compound Verbs
Many people find rules for writing compound verbs confusing and arbitrary. They end up guessing and producing inconsistent and confusing text that tends to lose the attention of their readers. Credibility is lost, and therefore the power of the message is depleted. Read on and look for examples that can help your writing today.
Compound verbs are usually hyphenated or solid.
to air-condition
to baby-sit
to color-code
to double-click
to dry-clean
to second-guess
to window-shop
to test-drive
to downgrade
to ghostwrite
to handpick
to proofread
to shortchange
to troubleshoot
to waterproof
to whitewash
NOTE: If you try to check the spelling of a compound-verb in a dictionary and do not find the verb listed, hyphenate the components.
Do not hyphenate verb phrases such as make up, slow down, tie in.
Please kiss and make up.
How will you tie in the winner's remarks?
Don't forget to slow down around curves.
If the infinitive form of a compound verb has a hyphen, retain the hyphen in other forms of the verb.
Would you like to air-condition your entire home?
The theater was not air-conditioned.
We need an air-conditioning expert.
You need to double-space all these reports.
That material should not be double-spaced.
BUT: Leave a double space between paragraphs. (No hyphen in double space as a compound noun.)
The gerund derived from a hyphenated compound verb requires no hyphen unless it is followed by an object.
Dry cleaning is the way to clean this blanket.
BUT: Dry-cleaning this sweater will not remove the spot.
Double spacing would make this table easy to read.
BUT: Double-spacing this table would make it easy to read.
Spot checking is all we can do.
BUT: In spot-checking the data, I found some embarrassing errors.
Source: The Gregg Reference Manual.
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| Word of the Week |
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stochastic
Pronunciation: stow-KAS-tik
Function: adjective
Etymology: Greek stochastikos skillful in aiming, from stochazesthai to aim at, guess at, from stochos target, aim, guess
Date: 1934
Definitions: 1: random; specifically, involving a random variable; 2: involving chance or probability
Example: "If you think the stock market is stochastic, think again. There are plenty of people using highly predictable models to get rich, and there's always a rhyme and a reason for why a stock goes up or down."
- anonymous
Definition source: Merriam-Webster's Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary.
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Copyright 2008 by ProofreadNOW.com, Inc., 447 Boston Street, Topsfield, MA 01983 USA. Published weekly (we try) by the editors at ProofreadNOW.com, Inc. and sent to customers of record and to opt-in guests. Many readers find it is best to read a portion, put it aside, then come back and read more.
Please rate this GrammarTip (10=high, 0=low):
10 - Like being 18-0 in American pro football. (Yes, we will ride this wave for as long as it lasts! "Go, Giants! Take State!")
8 - Like being 33-6 in the NBA.
6 - Like finding $1 in your pants pocket.
4 - Like having your candidate come in second.
2 - Like getting the flu in winter.
0 - Like losing to the New York Giants.
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