Grammar-O

Grammar-O Wednesdays
with Ocieanna

Happy Wednesday, grammarians!

Well, despite my somewhat whiny rant last week, we’ve had lovely fall weather in the Pacific Northwest. (Did you notice I didn’t capitalize “fall”? Seasons are not capitalized, even your favorite. :-D ) The temperature even reached sixty-five degrees today! Amazing. For our family, despite the idyllic conditions, history lessons prevailed and we plunged into the Dark Ages. What better topic for grammar? Ready for some more fun?

This week’s new batch:

1) In our home-school lessons, we’ve finished are unit on the Dark Ages.

2) Conquerors of the Roman Empire, my children loved learning about barbarians. Argh!

3) Charlemagne, King of the Franks and Emperor of the Romans, said that, “To have another language is to possess a second soul.”

4) My kids did a skit called Baldur the Good. In it, Baldur a Viking mythological figure says about his relatives throwing stones and arrows at him, “It feels like a shower of flowers”!

5) Finally, we learned about the battle of Hastings. Irregardless of there might, the English couldn’t hold against William the Conqueror.


Remember, the point is to hunt out the blatantly illegal, not matters of preference or opinion.

Good luck and have fun!


Here are the corrected ones from last week:

1) When I think of Fall I don’t imagine multi-colored leaves.
Correct: When I think of fall, I don’t imagine multicolored leaves.

2) Carving pumpkins, bundling the kids in sweaters, to make apple cider—these don’t hop to mind either.
Correct: Carving pumpkins, bundling the kids in sweaters, making apple cider—these don’t hop to mind either.

3) For me living in the Seattle area fall means rain.
Correct: For me, living in the Seattle area, fall means rain.

4) Falls the beginning of a dark, cloudy, dreary, cold, drizzly, and long months till spring.
Correct: Fall’s the beginning of the dark, cloudy, dreary, cold, drizzly, long months till spring.

5) But I’ll admit, a writer often works more diligently on their manuscript when the gloomy cold keeps them inside.
Correct: But I’ll admit, a writer often works more diligently on her manuscript when the gloomy cold keeps her inside.
Also acceptable: But I’ll admit, writers often work more diligently on their manuscripts when the gloomy cold keeps them inside.


Well, how’d you do? Do you think you fixed all the sentences?

*Disclaimer: I’m by no means perfect at this. I use The Chicago Manual of Style and Webster’s Dictionary as my sources. The sentences to correct are fictitious.