Vest-Pocket Vocabulary

Ubica’tion, n. relation as to place; whereness

Lexical Vexations

I don’t know how I’ve missed the grandaddy of  lexical vexations for so long, so thank you, Susan, for requesting this post.

its the possessive form of the pronoun it.

it’s a contraction of the words it and is or it and has.

Words in the Wild: It’s my intention to see to it that every one of those toys ends up back in its place.

This vexation is a classic case of mistaken identity, and if you’re prone to mixing these two words up, you’re in fine company. I’d wager that everyone who’s ever written in English has made this mistake at some point, if not often.

There are 3 facts that conspire to confuse us:

1. these words sound identical,
2. we seldom if ever need the apostophe to tell us which meaning is intended, and
3. current grammar rules suggest that both of these words ought to have the apostrophe.

Yes, both words cry out for an apostrophe, but only one gets to have it. English language rules say that you should add an apostrophe to make up for missing letters in a contraction. So by that logic it + is should equal it’s, right?

And the rule for creating possessives says that adding ’s to a word makes it possessive, and by that logic the object belonging to it should be it’s object, right?

But somewhere along the way it was decided that their weren’t enough apostrophes lying around for the both of them. One would have to do without. And the loser was…the possessive its. (Seems kind of odd that the possessive lost possession, doesn’t it?)

If  you’re checking your work or someone else’s, and you want to be sure you’ve got these right, try saying “it is” or “it has” every time you see either one of these words. If “it is” works, toss in that apostrophe; if it doesn’t work, leave it out.

Those of you in academia are in luck—since contractions are frowned upon in scholarly writing, you shouldn’t see any it’ses at all. Except—yes there’s always got to be an exception, right?—when you’re directly quoting someone who has written it’s.

Now that you’ve mastered these pesky words, I’m sure you want to know some more about the apostrophe’s spotted history. For an illuminating article on the apostrophe’s origins and its dubious helpfulness, head on over to Sesquiotica.

Still vexed? You can find a complete list of the Word Blog’s lexical vexations here.

Here are some dancing books courtesy of Type Books. Enjoy!

Vest-Pocket Vocabulary

Threnet’ic, a. complaining; expressing sorrow.

Today I went to one of the many readings at this year’s International Festival of Authors to see Ken Babstock, Peter Behrens, Frances Itani, and Nicole Lundrigan read from their new works. All of the writers selected compelling, tantalizing portions of their work to share with us. With the exception of Frances Itani’s Requiem, which I’d already read, I couldn’t help but want to read more of each work to find out what came before the bit I heard and what happens next.I wasn’t alone either—as one author was drawing to the close of one of her passages, an audience member called out, “Don’t stop. Keep going.”

Good readings do that. They whet your appetite for more. I particularly like events featuring more than one author. It’s usually one author who draws me in, but then I learn about other new (to me) voices that I’ve got to read next.

And since I’ve been thinking about readings today, I thought I’d put together an author-readings roundup for you.

• Rebecca Rosenblum puts us at our ease in her blog post Readings: a user’s guide.
• Deborah M. Prum tells writers How to Give a Good Reading Despite Your Myriad Neuroses.
• Karin A. Bilich asks Are Author Readings/Signings Worth It Any More?
• In the Globe and Mail, Douglas Bell laments: The season of readings is upon us. Let the misery begin.
• And in the National Post, Iain Reid tells us Why there’s still a place in the world for literary readings.

What are your thoughts on readings? Have you been to one? Liked it? Slept? Called out for encores? Share your thoughts on author readings in the comments.

Recommended Read

Deck, Jeff and Benjamin D. Herson. The Great Typo Hunt: Two Friends Changing the World One Correction at a Time. New York: Broadway Paperbacks, 2010. [ISBN-13: 978-0-307-59108-1]

So what do you do if you want to change the world and your superpower is a knowledge of grammar? If you’re Jeff Deck, you climb in your car; kit yourself out with chalk, markers, correction fluid, and a cowboy hat; and offer to fix people’s typos from sea to shining sea.

I wondered when I first opened this book if I was going to be following the adventures of a prescriptivist finger wagger trying to regain an imagined golden era of English by chiding and correcting the harried sign makers of the retail world. That didn’t sound like a very fun book to me. So I was happy to find that my fears were unfounded. Luckily Jeff Deck’s editing background means that while he knows his style guides, spelling conventions and grammar rules, he also knows that the these styles and spellings and rules vary from one time and place to another. His goal from the outset is to correct only those errors that are clearly mistakes and leave other variations alone.

Here's a typo I caught and released back into the wild.

So he and a series of stalwart co-correctors travel thousands of kilometres, tracing a circuit around the United States and ultimately finding a total of 437 typos* and correcting 236 of them, some by stealth, some with enthusiastic help, and some while vaguely hostile shopkeepers look on.

Deck sets out with gusto, heading first south along the Atlantic coast before heading west as so many have before him. And, more than merely painting out an apostrophe here and adding an AWOL letter there, his mission raises questions and fires up conversations with his fellow correctors as well as the people they meet along the way. These conversations range from the value of clarity in writing to the social factors that stymy communication and on to the linguistic advantage corporate copy editors afford big businesses over smaller independent ones.

For, as their travels continue, Deck begins to see that good typo hunting can be found in reliable spaces…and they aren’t multinational retail outfits. Other patterns emerge, too, like the errors most often made, and the fact that they’re made in every state and province the correctors visit. This leads to discussions of why some particular areas of English are so tricky to keep straight (it’s/its) and what sort of educational approach might help. Deck’s encounters with poetry and historical writing demonstrate that style and provenance can and often should trump “correctness.”

As he travels up the Pacific coast and begins to head east across the northern states, Deck has moments of doubt. He wavers in his mission. Has he become too much of a grammar hawk (aka a prescriptivist) on this tour? Should he chill out a little? Transform himself into a grammar hippie (aka a descriptivist)? I was glad to see him negotiating these positions, since in practice most of us, whether we do it consciously or not, must find our places on the spectrum between these two ends. While he tries to decide which end of the spectrum he belongs on, Deck’s commitment to his mission falters. As the caravan of correction loses steam, the narrative loses some of its punch, too, making for less compelling reading. But somewhere between strict prescriptivism and a pure descriptivism that would leave him with no mission at all, Deck finds his stride and we’re all off to the races again. Deck returns to Somerville, Massachusetts with a full head of steam and big ideas about where he plans to go next.

All in all, Deck’s mission to change the world one correction at a time, a mission that could have become a crusade for lockstep marching in the Standard English parade, becomes instead a thoughtful review of why and when language rules matter. You can learn more about the Great Typo Hunt at http://greattypohunt.com.

______________________

*Deck recognizes that in the strictest dictionary sense a typo is an error of careless typography rather than an error of understanding, but he elects to use the term here to encompass both sorts of errors.

Tonight’s PEN Canada Benefit marks the start of the 32nd annual International Festival of Authors at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. Renowned designer and innovator Bruce Mau will be interviewed by the CBC’s Mary Hynes, and images of his work will be featured, as well.

Tickets are $50 ($20 for students) and all proceeds go to PEN Canada, an organization committed to defending the freedom of expression of writers, in Canada and internationally, who have been forced into silence for writing the truth as they see it.

I’ll be among the PEN Canada volunteers there, so drop by and say hello if you come out to join us. If you can’t make it to the benefit, you still have lots of chances to check out the festival as there are more than 50 readings and events between now and the end of October!

You can download a PDF schedule of all the readings and events here. This year’s lineup is as strong as ever, featuring a pantheon of excellent writers. You’re sure to find some of your favourites in the list of participants below.

Authors Participating in the 32nd IFOA:

Lexical Vexations

role 1. n . a part one plays in a dramatic production or in relation to other people in a real-life situation.

roll 1. v. to move around a central axis. 2. n. a small bun served at dinner. 3. n. any number of other items that have been rolled up in their preparation (a roll of parchment, a spring roll, etc.). 4. n. a sound reminiscent of one that might be made by a rolling object (a drum roll, for instance).

Words in the Wild: Mr. French was pleased that he’d found a role in the Thanksgiving pageant for every last one of his students. Aisha played a drum roll as the curtains came up, Cairo and Kenta were the bread rolls, Lily played the part of the gravy boat, Eliana and Matthias were cabbage rolls, and Spot played the lead role of the turkey. The review that came out in the student paper the following week read “I laughed, I cried, I drooled.”

This lexical vexation is for Heidi, who wants to live in a world where roles are parts and parts can roll.

Still vexed? You can find a complete list of the Word Blog’s lexical vexations here.

Vest-Pocket Vocabulary

Salsu’ginous, a. a little saltish.

According to UNESCO, “793 million adults – most of them girls and women – are illiterate. A further 67 million children of primary school age are not in primary school and 72 million adolescents of lower secondary school age are also missing out their right to an education.”

So what can you do to help? Lots of things!

You can read a story to a youngster you know. You can volunteer with Frontier College, your local library or other organizations that offer literacy training. You can donate money to a literacy program: at Oxfam Unwrapped, $22 will buy 8 books that will help kids around the world learn to read and $50 will help send a girl to school. Or you can simply take the book, magazine or paper you’re reading right now out in the world and be seen having a wonderful time!

So help celebrate UNESCO’s International World Literacy Day, you verbivores! You celebrate it a little bit every day, don’t you?