I recently received this e-mail from a friend: Today Joseph asked me, “What is whack?”  If something is out of control, you want control.  If something is out of alignment, you want alignment.  If something is out of sync, you want it to be in sync.  If something is out of commission, you want it to be in commission.  If something is out of tune, you want it to be in tune.  So, if something is out of whack, do you want whack?  And, what is whack?

I have to admit I had never thought about the actual meaning of “whack” used in this way.  I have frequently referred to something being “out of whack,” but no one ever asked me, “What do you mean, ‘out of whack’?” Read more…

Recently a friend of mine asked me the difference between the words “big” and “large.”  I had never given this much thought.  After looking at the backgounds of the two words, I found the following information quite interesting and helpful.

“Big” is a Scandinavian word that originally meant important or of great significance and was used to refer to a “big deal” or a “big man” (that is, an important leader, officer in an organization or company, or office holder in the government).  Gradually, ”big” was used in terms of considerable or substantial, and now ”big” is used to refer to something that is big in size or importance, but not humungious, terribly out of proportion, or of an undesireable nature–not extra large–just big in size or importance. Read more…

You thank the waiter for getting you an extra soft drink, and he replies, “No problem.”  You see a young mother who is trying to open her car door and, at the same time, is carrying a bag of groceries in one arm and is holding her baby in the other arm.  You open the car door for her, and she says, “Oh, thank you.  I really have my hands full.”  You smile and say, “No problem.”  A shopper in a large grocery store for the first time asks a clerk where to find a certain item.  Instad of telling her, the clerk takes her directly to the aisle and shelf where the item is located.  The shopper, somewhat surprised at being so graciously helped in a large chain store, says to the clerk, “I really appreciate your assistance.  Thank you.”  The clerk responds, “No problem.” Read more…

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in paranormal investigations and supernatural activity. When I was being interviewed on the subjects last week during an hour-long radio program aired from a station in New York, I was reminded that people frequently put all types of evil sprits into the same category. This is a mistake! There is definitely a difference, for example, between “demons” and “ghosts.” Read more…

People frequently tell me they don’t know the difference between “lie” and “lay.”  Let’s sort this out.  Very simply, the verb “lie” means to “recline,” and the verb “lay” means to “put” or “place.” 

The verb “lie” should be used when referring to one’s reclining on a bed, on a couch, in a chair, on the floor, or reclining anyplace.  It is something you do for yourself—someone else does not do it to you or for you.  You “lie” down (not “lay” down) to take a nap because you are doing it yourself, someone else is not doing it for you.  You should ask your dog to “lie” down (not “lay” down) because you are asking the dog to do it for itself.  “Lie” also can be used to indicate one’s staying in a horizontal position. Read more…

People frequently ask: “What is the best dictionary for the average person or family?”  That’s an easy question to answer: Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.  At least, that’s my opinion.  It is a scholarly, easy-to-understand, and very complete tool for defining the meaning of words and checking for correct spelling.  But it is much more than that.  Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary is a resource for a wide range of grammatical topics.  It helps you understand the correct ways to use words to form more complex units of speech than individual words themselves, that is, to form phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs, and so forth. Read more…