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LinguaPhile, February 2004
A monthly e-mail newsletter nurturing the development and enjoyment of English language arts at home and at school.
IN THIS ISSUE . . .
Valentine's Day Special: A Poem of Love and Grammar
This poem, written by Janet M. Goldstein,*
appeared in English Journal in February 1973. I have
treasured it for more than three decades.
Life Sentence
In the English language,
word order
determines meaning.
Example:
I love you
is not the same as
You love me --
and so,
although you are the object
of my affections,
I am not the subject
of your thoughts;
and not even
fifty governors
could commute
this sentence.
© 1973 Janet M. Goldstein. Used with permission.
*Janet M. Goldstein, a former English teacher, is an editor at
Townsend Press in New Jersey. She is the co-author of A Basic
Reader for College Writers (Townsend Press, 1995) and English
Brushup, 3/e (McGraw-Hill, 2003). Her most recent new book is
Voices and Values: A Reader for Writers (Townsend Press,
2002). For more information visit http://www.townsendpress.com.
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Other February Resources
Past issues of LinguaPhile include articles that relate
to February topics:
The origin of Valentine's Day
http://www.grammarandmore.com/edu/archive/issue7.htm#ety
A book to help you write powerful, personal messages
http://www.grammarandmore.com/edu/archive/issue16.htm#review
February literary calendar
http://www.grammarandmore.com/edu/archive/issue19.htm#lc
Presidents' Day anagrams
http://www.grammarandmore.com/edu/archive/issue19.htm#puzzler
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Upcoming Conferences: Pathways to Student Success; IAHE
Conferences are a great place to
• get a firsthand look at Hands-On English products
• introduce your colleagues to Hands-On English products
• give feedback on products you're using (including
suggestions!)
• get your questions answered
• avoid shipping costs on Hands-On English purchases
If you will be attending one of these conferences, be sure to
stop by the Portico Books booth to say hello to Fran. Take your
friends along!
March 1: Pathways to Student Success. Tan-Tar-A, Lake of the
Ozarks, MO.
March 5-6: Indiana Association of Home Educators Convention.
Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis. Booth #104.
If you will not be attending these conferences but know people
who will be, please encourage them to stop by the Portico Books
booth.
Becoming familiar with Hands-On English products on the website
can give you a good background for seeing the products in person:
http://www.GrammarAndMore.com/product/hoe.htm
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Looking Ahead to the 2004-2005 School Year
Although this school year is only about half over, educators
are already planning for next year. As you select English books
for your students, be sure to consider Hands-On English.
While this is a valuable resource for teachers, it is even more
effective when it is directly in the hands of the students.
Having the information at their fingertips helps students develop
independence and confidence with English.
A copy of Hands-On English for each student makes the
teacher's job easier as well. When students can quickly find and
understand the information they need, teachers can more easily
meet the diverse needs of students in their classes.
http://www.GrammarAndMore.com/product/hoe.htm
Why not start by ordering a "Package," including Hands-On
English, The Activity Book (reproducible practice
pages), and Hands-On Sentences (a card game that provides
practice with parts of speech and sentence construction)? You
could use it as a supplement for the rest of this school year and
think about ordering the handbook for your students for next
year. Substantial discounts are available on quantity purchases.
http://www.grammarandmore.com/product/pack.htm
You can order by phone, fax, snail mail, or on the Internet.
MasterCard and Visa are accepted, and purchase orders are
accepted from institutions.
If you have questions, Fran@GrammarAndMore.com
or call (toll free) 1-888-641-5353. This number will also accept
fax orders.
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The LinguaPhile Archive
If you've tried to access the November and January issues of LinguaPhile
on the GrammarAndMore website, you've probably noticed that they
aren't yet posted. I'm sorry for this delay. I hope to have the
site brought up to date later this month.
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Quote of the Month: Revision
Natalie discovered that the editing process wasn't glamorous, and it wasn't a lot of fun, but at least it was creative. It was work -- slow, steady work. It was a careful look at every word, every sentence, paragraph, and chapter. It was a methodical tracing of each character, each storyline, each rise and fall of the action, each of the points along the path that led to the end of the book. And always, everything had to be judged to see if it supported the overall theme and the deeper ideas that made her book more than just a story.
--Andrew Clements in The School Story
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Sharpen Your Vocabulary: bellwether
In today's Super Tuesday election, there is much talk about
"bellwether states." From the context, we can tell that
a bellwether serves as a leader or an indicator of future trends.
But where did this term originate?
Bellwether comes from Middle English. A "wether"
is a type of male sheep. A wether or another sheep -- usually
with a bell around its neck -- leads a flock.
Here is a quotation from Word Watch (1995) about language
as a bellwether:
Language . . . is a bellwether of the times in which [people]
reside. The stories behind key words of our era together
constitute a sociolinguistic chronicle of the time of our
lives. For better or for worse, the dictionary editor is a
chronicler of the people's beliefs, thoughts, actions, and
behaviors.
Hands-On English includes nearly 200 morphemes, along with
their meanings and examples. Knowing the meanings of morphemes
can help you unlock hundreds of words the first time you
encounter them. Reviewers of Hands-On English have said
that the vocabulary section alone is worth the book's modest
purchase price. Learn more -- and place your order -- at
http://www.GrammarAndMore.com/product/hoe.htm
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Q and A: "Thank You in Advance"
Question: Many people write "Thank you in advance for . .
. " Do we really need to have "in advance" in the
sentence? What is your professional opinion?
Answer: Including "in advance" does not affect the
grammatical correctness of the sentence. These commonly used
words are unnecessary, however, and unnecessary words weaken
writing.
Often we may thank someone in advance simply because it is more
convenient for us to deliver the thank you with the request. It
saves having to write a note in which the person is properly
thanked after the favor is performed.
For smaller requests that may not require a separate note of
appreciation, including a word of thanks with the request seems
fine. We needn't say "in advance," which detracts from
the "thank you" in that it reminds the person that the
task needs to be done.
I believe that appreciation, like an apology, is most effectively
expressed in a complete sentence. I was happy to see that in your
original question you included the reason that you were thanking
the person. Did you ever notice that the expression "thank
you" omits a subject? Isn't appreciation more completely
expressed when a subject is included: "I thank you for . . .
" or "I appreciate your . . ."
Likewise, a common apology has become "Sorry." I
believe that an apology should include a subject and a statement
of what you are sorry for: "I'm sorry that I . . . " or
"I'm sorry for . . . "
Hands-On English will put a wealth of information at your
fingertips so that you can quickly find what you need to know
about grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and
more. Get details -- and place your order -- at
http://www.GrammarAndMore.com/product/hoe.htm
We invite your questions for this feature:
mailto:Fran@GrammarAndMore.com
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Review: The School Story by Andrew Clements
The School Story by Andrew Clements is a delightful
book about a gifted sixth grader who writes a "great"
middle school novel and gets it published by a major publisher.
The story is well paced, and the dialogue rings true. In Chapter
2, titled "A Portrait of the Author as a Young Girl,"
we learn the keys to this gifted writer's development. We get a
child's perspective on reading aloud -- the security of her
mother's calm voice versus the adventure of her father's
embellishment. And always young Natalie imagined the author of
the story and knew that someday she would be one herself.
The School Story provides an intimate look at the agonies
and ecstasies of both writing and publishing. Natalie's mother
works as an editor of children's books, affording Natalie
knowledge of the system she must beat. Natalie wants her book to
be accepted on its own merits, however. Her best friend, Zoe,
decides that Natalie should use a pseudonym and that she herself
should act as Natalie's agent. A little help from the girls'
English teacher lends plausibility to their scheme.
We receive a couple of glimpses of The Cheater, Natalie's
novel. This presents an opportunity to introduce young readers to
the literary device of a story within a story. Natalie and Zoe
sometimes grapple with the ethics of their plan and wonder if
they themselves are cheaters.
In addition to sheer enjoyment and a behind-the-scenes look at
how a book gets published, The School Story offers several
lessons. It shows how research and persistence can lead to the
realization of one's goals. It shows how revision can turn a good
book into a great book. Above all, perhaps, it provides an
example of encouragement. Without encouragement, Natalie wouldn't
even have finished her novel, let alone pursued its
publication. Moreover, each of the major characters gains
courage in the course of the story so that she is a braver person
at the end than she was at the beginning.
The School Story is especially appropriate for fourth- to
sixth-grade linguaphiles.
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers in
2001; 197 pages.
Available from Amazon.com: The School Story
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Puzzler: Word Riddle
Can you find a 15-letter word that suggests a good deal of
anxiety and contains no ascenders (parts of letters sticking up,
such as b) and no descenders (parts of letters hanging
down, such as g)? (Hint: You might start by assembling the
14 letters that have no ascenders or descenders.)
Answers to January Puzzler
1. high _____ man [chair; (highchair, chairman)]
2. cottage _____ cake [cheese]
3. golf _____ house [club]
4. news _____ doll [paper]
5. left _____ cuff [hand]
6. precious _____ wall [stone]
7. hi _____ knife [jack]
8. police _____ hole [man]
9. side _____ pet [car]
10. busy _____ line [bee]
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Thank you for reading. If you find LinguaPhile helpful and interesting, don't keep it a secret! Consider which of your friends would also enjoy it, and send them information about subscribing. Those receiving this forwarded message can subscribe at http://www.GrammarAndMore.com . People who have e-mail but do not have Internet access can subscribe by clicking on this link and requesting to subscribe: mailto:LinguaPhile@GrammarAndMore.com .
We welcome your comments and suggestions: mailto:LinguaPhile@GrammarAndMore.com
The index to LinguaPhile, which is updated monthly, is now
available in either a text or .doc format on the GrammarAndMore Web site:
http://www.GrammarAndMore.com/edu/archive/archiveindex.htm
This makes the information from previous issues readily accessible. You are encouraged to print the index for your convenience or to share it with friends. Why not send them the URL of the text version?
http://www.GrammarAndMore.com/edu/archive/index.txt
It's a gift you can give, yet still have for yourself!
© 2004 Fran Santoro Hamilton
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