What's your problem, pronoun?
In this book, it says that mayonnaise is a perfectly good substitute for sour cream.
Pronoun problem: it
Correction: This book says that mayonnaise is a perfectly good substitute for sour cream.
What's wrong here?
Cynthia was charged for distracted driving because she was trying to assemble a burrito and drive at the same time.
Cynthia was charged with distracted driving because she was trying to assemble a burrito and drive at the same time.
Incorrect idiom
an expression which is dull from overuse
triteness
Labels that place limitations on the dictionary entry; examples include regional, archaic, obsolete, informal
Preached "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"
Jonathan Edwards
Wrote the Uncle Remus stories
Joel Chandler Harris
Wrote "Self-Reliance"
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Give the author who wrote these words:
“ ‘I never thought much o’ the ‘power o’ the Press.’ ”
Bret Harte in "The Boom in the Calaveras Clarion."
The idea of this work is why something is done is more important than what is done
A phrase or sentence repeated at certain intervals
refrain
No one noticed him taking a bite from every snack at the kindergarten table.
Pronoun problem: his
No one noticed his taking a bite from every snack at the kindergarten table.
Identify the problem:
Newspapers that follow correct rules concerning apostrophes are few and far between.
Few and far between
It is trite
A comparison using the words like or as
simile
Words formed from the entry word with the addition of a suffix.
Example: enjoy--enjoyment
Run-on entry
America's most beloved song composer
Stephen Foster
Wrote "The Boom in the Calaveras Clarion"
Bret Harte
Wrote "The Bent Twig"
Martha Snell Nicholson
song about a legendary railroad hero
"John Henry"
In this work, the author attempts to live out the teachings of Transcendentalism
Walden
compact statements of truth
aphorism
The finalists for the preposition-singing competition were Mrs. Yates, Mrs. Y, Mrs. Alicia, Mrs. Johnson Yates, and me.
Pronoun problem: me
The finalists for the preposition-singing competition were Mrs. Yates, Mrs. Y, Mrs. Alicia, Mrs. Johnson Yates, and I.
Find the problem:
In this day and age, hardly anyone uses a VCR player.
In this day and age
It is trite
the obscure, wordy, and pompous language of officialdom
gobbledygook
gives the origin and history of a word
etymology
Gave the speech "The Secret to Progress"
Booker T. Washington
wrote "A Village Singer"; this author was also a New England local color writer
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
Wrote "When the Frost Is on the Punkin"
James Whitcomb Riley
“ ‘If they’d gone about it any decent way, told me right out honest that they’d got tired of me, an’ wanted Alma Way to sing instead of me, I wouldn’t minded so much.’ ”
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman in "A Village Singer"
This work warns the Western world about the dangers of communism and humanism
"A World Split Apart"
movement which was concerned with faithfully depicting subject matter or representing real life accurately in literature
realism
No one can devour a three-pound burger faster than him.
Pronoun problem: him
No one can devour a three-pound burger faster than he.
What's wrong here?
Evangeline felt she could avail herself to the banana sitting on the counter.
Evangeline felt she could avail herself of the banana sitting on the counter.
Incorrect idiom
An expression which is peculiar to a language and cannot be easily explained by the literal meaning of the words
Idiom
gives you brief biological, geographical, biblical, and mythological information
encyclopedic information
Wrote Ben-Hur; this author as also a soldier, lawyer, and statesman
Lew Wallace
Wrote "O Captain! My Captain!" which is about Abraham Lincoln
Walt Whitman
Wrote "The Hoosier School Master"
Edward Eggleston
"You flatted a little on soul."
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
Candace said this to Alma in "A Village Singer"
The speaker encourages the listeners to work hard and make valuable contributions to society
"A World Split Apart"
The key idea of these were Bible truths that touch the heart
spirituals
Karen would like to have a word with whomever is available.
Pronoun problem: whomever
Karen would like to have a word with whoever is available.
Note: Whoever is the subject of the noun clause; the whole noun clause is the object of the preposition
What is the problem?
Please remove your coverings for your tarsals, metatarsals, and phalanges of the lower extremity of your framework before entering the house.
coverings for your tarsals, metatarsals, and phalanges of the lower extremity of your framework
This is jargon
Translation: shoes
specialized terminology that may be unclear to a general audience if used without explanation
jargon
giving human characteristics to animals and inanimate objects
personification
Wrote "Under the Lion's Paw"
Hamlin Garland
Wrote "If My Bark Sink"
Emily Dickinson
Preached "Selfishness: Not True Religion"
Charles Finney
“ ‘Make out y’r deed an’ morgige, an’ git off’n my land, an’ do’t ye never cross my line agin; if y’d do, I’ll kill ye.’ ”
Hamlin Garland in "Under the Lion's Paw"
This poem is about a soul seeking to find something to grasp
"A Noiseless, Patient Spider"
The work that showcased naturalism
"Under the Lion's Paw"