Month: May 2008

“They brought back little momentos …”

Common English Blunders, Devolution toward Simpler, Nouns

I heard this yesterday during an HGTV “Design on a Dime” program.

Problem:
The noun is misspelled.

Explanation:
The noun “momento” is a Spanish word and means moment.

The noun “memento” is an English word and means keepsake or souvenir.

The host of the TV program was talking about how the interior designer was influenced by the souvenirs that the home owners brought home from their vacations, so “mementos” would have been the correct noun.

I believe that the use of “mementos” in place of “momentos” is consistent with my “Devolution toward Simpler” linguistic hypothesis. It is simpler to say the initial “o” in “momentos” than to say the initial “e” in “mementos” (try it).

Solution:
“They brought back little mementos …”

“Alternate” vs. “Alternative”

Common English Blunders, Nouns, Versus

I was wondering the other day about these two nouns.

Problem:
The basic definitions differ between these two nouns.

Explanation:
The primary meaning of the noun “alternate” is someone who is allowed to substitute for someone else.

The primary meaning of the noun “alternative” is a selection of one of two or more possibilities.

Solution:
Use “alternate” specifically when referring to a substitute person; use “alternative” otherwise.

“SLOW CHILDREN AT PLAY”

Common English Blunders, Imperatives

This is a sign commonly seen around schools.

Problem:
Punctuation is missing.

Explanation:
Whoever first designed this sign did not convert the pause that he heard in his head into punctuation that would express this pause.

This sign is shorthand for “Please slow down or continue to drive slowly because there are children playing in this area.”

Some traffic signs are in the form of an imperative but without the exclamation mark that imperatives traditionally require:

  • “STOP” — for “Stop!” or “Stop Your Car!”
  • “YIELD” — for “Yield!” or “Yield to Other Drivers!”
  • “CAUTION” — for “Caution!” or “Take Caution!”

The “SLOW” in “SLOW CHILDREN AT PLAY” is short for “Slow Down!” or “Drive Slowly!” and absolutely requires punctuation before “CHILDREN AT PLAY” unless the sign maker wanted to say that the children near where the sign was to be placed were slow.

In other words, “SLOW CHILDREN AT PLAY” was meant to carry two thoughts:

  • “SLOW DOWN!” or “DRIVE SLOWLY!”
  • “CHILDREN AT PLAY!”

This gives us the solutions.

Solutions:
“SLOW DOWN! CHILDREN AT PLAY”
or
“DRIVE SLOWLY! CHILDREN AT PLAY”