Popular English Mistakes

By popular request, here’s another installment in our series on popular myths about English. Until fairly recently, it was always thought to be "improper" to start off or begin your sentences with conjunctions such as and, but and or.

Debunking two of the most popular myths in the English language | foto: Profimedia.cz

This is because the purpose of a conjunction is to join or string together separate clauses or phrases of what will be a larger sentence.

Thus, if you start your sentence off with a conjunction, this ideally defeats its theoretical purpose.

While this point is true as this argument is painted, it is not relevant.

When using conjunctions is valid
It is perfectly valid to start your sentences off with the word "and" in the following manner. Example:

"John said that he would go to the store and shop for us. And, now that I think of it, he also said he was going to buy himself a new jacket while he is out and about."

In this example here, using the word "and" at the beginning of this second sentence is fine.

In this usage, you are adding extra information; data that you probably either just remembered, or at least feel is important enough to warrant communicating.

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Miss vs. Mrs. vs. Ms.
Before feminism took hold in the USA, women were divided into two camps in English: the salutation "Miss" denoted single females, whereas "Mrs." meant the married ones.

In the 1970s, this kind of thinking was suddenly thought to be "sexist," especially when the salutation for men is always "Mr." regardless of whether he is single or married.

Since we’re supposed to live in an equal society, a movement began to change the proverbial status quo so that the designation for all females would now be more neutral, "Ms" would simply refer to all women who desired to use it unless they wished to specifically indicate that they were married or single.

Although feminism never became the rage in Europe that it once was in America, it still left its impact on the English language and in modern western culture.

. Jokes of the Day: Leonardo da CzEnglish

Here is more wit and whizdumb from the archives and scientific work of No Bull Prize winner Dr., MuDr., Ing., Saint, Leonardo da CzEnglish:

1. "Saying Hillary Clinton has ‘leadership experience’ is like claiming that Yoko Ono was one of the four original Beatles!"

2. "Once upon a time there were two muffins sitting in an oven.

Suddenly, one muffin says, "Man, it’s REALLY hot in here!"

Shocked to hear this, the other muffin screams back, "Look! A talking muffin!"

3. "The best way to prevent a fish from smelling is to cut its nose off with a very sharp knife."

4. Q: Where do you find a one-legged dog?

A: Where you last left it, of course.

 

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