grammar – Page 7 – LC Plaunt, M.Ed.

Monday Muddle: absence, absenteeism

LC February 7, 2022 Monday Muddle

Monday Muddle: absence: (noun) the state of being away from somewhere; the period of time spent away; a lack of something absenteeism: (noun) the habit of being away without good reason from somewhere you are regularly obligated to be (work, school); the rate or frequency of habitual absence

Monday Muddle: bowl, bowel

LC January 31, 2022 Monday Muddle2 Comments

Monday Muddle: bowl: (noun) a round vessel for holding food or liquid; a stadium used for sporting events or concerts bowel: (noun) the tube through which digested food passes out of the body

The Super Bowl--an annual championship football game--is played in early February. Football fans traditionally have parties to watch the game together, and there is an abundance of party foods to enjoy. Sometimes people will even have a cake decorated like a football or a football field. If you decide to have a cake decorated with the words Super Bowl, it will be more appetizing if you spell Super Bowl correctly.

Monday Muddle: muster, mustard

LC January 24, 2022 Monday Muddle

Monday Muddle: muster: (verb) assemble (usually military troops) for inspection or for preparation for battle; (noun) assembly of troops for inspection or for a military exercise Part of the expression "to pass muster". mustard: (noun) condiment made from seeds of the mustard plant; mustard plant NOT part of the expression "to pass muster".

pass muster: (verb phrase) to pass inspection; to meet a standard; to measure up pass mustard: (verb phrase--but not a common expression) to share a condiment

Monday Muddle: essential, quintessential

LC January 10, 2022 Monday Muddle

Monday Muddle: essential: (adjective) absolutely necessary; vital; imperative; extremely important; (noun) something that is absolutely necessary, vital, imperative, or extremely important quintessential: (adjective) definitive; exemplary; representing a typical, or the best, example of something

Monday Muddle: two, too, to

LC January 3, 2022 Monday Muddle2 Comments

Happy New Year! I wish you clear writing and all good things in 2022! Please, if over the course of the year you have occasion to write out twenty twenty-two in words, make sure that you spell “two” correctly. Nobody wants twenty twenty too!

Monday Muddle: two: (noun)(adjective) one more than one; the second in a series too: (adverb) also; very, excessively to: (preposition) indicates direction, position, or purpose

Monday Muddle: plumb, plum

LC December 27, 2021 Monday Muddle

How many of you had plum pudding for Christmas? Was it plum plum pudding? It probably wasn’t plumb plum pudding.

Monday Muddle: plum: (noun) a fruit; the tree that grows the fruit; (adjective) ideal; highly desirable; a reddish-purple colour plumb: (adjective) to be perfectly vertical; to be perpendicular to the base; (noun) commonly referred to as a plumb bob; a weight (traditionally lead) on a piece of string; (verb) to measure the depth of a body of water; to test or adjust the verticality of a structure The verb to plumb can also mean to connect to a plumbing system, or to work as a plumber.

Monday Muddle: merrily, merely

LC December 20, 2021 Monday Muddle

Monday Muddle: merrily: (adverb) happily; cheerfully; with good feelings; in a joyous manner Part of the song "Row, Row, Row Your Boat. merely: (adverb) only; just; simply; nothing more than; nothing better than NOT part of the song "Row, Row, Row Your Boat".

To row merely down the stream does not mean the same as to row merrily down the stream. You can do both, even at the same time. But if you are trying to quote the nursery rhyme, you actually want to row gently down the stream.

Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream