Today I started a new feature on my Facebook Author Page www.facebook.com/pages/Amy-Hammond-Hagberg/107548285944928 called “Trivia Question of the Day.” There will be five categories: Nature, TV and Film, Literature, Food and Drink, and Bible. Here’s the first question: QUESTION: Nature: Which two creatures are responsible for spreading the Bubonic Plague? ANSWER: Sorry, this was a trick question. Technically speaking, there were actually three creatures responsible for the spread of bubonic plague: rats, the fleas that lived on the rats, and the bacteria the fleas transferred to humans when bitten. The bubonic plague, also known as the black death, reached Europe in the late 1340s, killing an estimated 75 million people. Once infected, […]
Read more...When I Need You
As I sit here watching my baby ducks play in their wading pool, something very important has dawned on me. It seems to me there are two kinds of people, those who are needy and those who need to be needed. I am the latter. I thrive on being needed. I’ve spent most of my adult life taking care of something or someone. First I took care of my clients. I figuratively held their hands as they made important marketing decisions. Along came my husband and I did what I could to take care of him. Most of that entailed cooking because I have never been much of a cleaner. […]
Read more...GRAMMAR GEM OF THE DAY: “Whom” Do You Love
Who vs. whom is the subject of the day. There are several easy tricks to help you choose the best option: Who DOES something (it’s a subject like she or he) and whom has something done TO it (it’s an object like her or him). Try substituting another pronoun such as she/her or he/him A preposition (such as “by,” “for,” or “to” often comes just before whom. For example, “For Whom the Bell Tolls” Ask yourself who is doing what to whom More grammar fun coming tomorrow. Stay tuned! Amy www.amyhagberg.com
Read more...GRAMMAR GEM: Putting the Brakes on Broke
The verb “break” is a tough one for some people. Of course, there is the obvious confusion between “brake,” meaning to stop or slow something (as with a car), and “break,” which means to split into pieces or smash. Just to confuse you a little more, there is also the noun version of “break,” which is a bodiless carriage frame used for breaking in horses. But I digress. The biggest problem with this verb comes when we switch to the present perfect tense “broken.” Have you ever heard someone say, “The car is broke” or worse yet, “The car done broke”? When a helping verb like “is” is used in […]
Read more...How NFL Kicker Jason Hanson Knows God is Real
Back in 2005 I had an opportunity to interview Jason Hanson of the Detroit Lions. He shared his testimony for my first book and later on my podcast. Last Saturday night I was in the audience for the KLOVE Fan Awards at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN. I was thrilled when Jason’s name was called as a nominee for the Sports Impact award. After the ceremony it was wonderful to finally meet him and his family in person. Jason retired in April 2013 after 21 seasons as the placekicker for the Lions. He holds the record for the most games played with one team. In his storied career, Jason […]
Read more...GRAMMAR GEM: Preposition Placement
Most of us were told in school never to end a sentence in a preposition. If that’s true, why do so many people do it? When I hear somebody end a sentence with “at” it is like I’ve just heard fingernails screech down a chalkboard. “Where are we having dinner at?” ACK! In this case, “at” is a completely wasted word; it would be much more correct to say, “Where are we having dinner?” Lose the “at” … please :)
Read more...GRAMMAR GEM OF THE DAY – Capitalizing Titles
I know being the head of a country is a big deal, but that doesn’t mean a president always deserves a capital letter. This grammatical rule trips up many of us. A formal title is only capitalized if it is used in direct connection to that person’s name. “The president of our country is Barack Obama.” “The head of our country is President Barack Obama.” Do you see the difference? Think about it this way – would you capitalize the word “doctor” in the middle of a sentence if his or her name didn’t follow? That would just look goofy. Stay tuned for more gems! Amy amyhagberg.com
Read more...Grammar Gem of the Day: “Staff” Infection
I’m cursed. I have trouble reading books or listening to speakers because I feel the need to dissect their grammar and usage. What a nerd I have turned out to be. Here’s an example. Last Sunday I had trouble focusing on the sermon because the pastor had such bad grammar. One of his most noticible grammatical sins was his misuse of the word “staff.” He said something like this: “The staff are going on a retreat next weekend.” Sound perfectly okay? Well, here’s the rub. The word “staff” is actually singular (it is one thing), which means it should be treated this way: “The staff IS going on a retreat […]
Read more...Grammar Gem of the Day: Which vs. That
Most of my editing clients get this one wrong, so don’t feel too bad if this is news to you, too. How do you know when to use the pronoun “which” and when to use “that?” Its fairly simple. If you can drop the dependent clause in a sentence without losing the point, you should choose “which” and enclose it in commas. Amy’s dog, which is thirteen years old, is having trouble catching squirrels. (If you take out “which is thirteen years old,” the sentence still works.) However, if the clause is a critical piece of the sentence, use “that.” The dog that is having trouble catching squirrels is Amy’s […]
Read more...Grammar Gem of the Day
SEEN VS. SAW – The misuse of the word “seen” is one of my biggest grammatical pet peeves. For example, “I seen Ironman 3 last night.” ACK! The correct word is “saw.” Seen is used if it is preceded by a form of “has” (“I have seen that movie three times” – or – “She has seen the second part of the series”).
Read more...