Category: Blog

Contradiction or not?

When you multiply something by a hundred, you get more or bigger, right? In math class we used to add two zeros to a number to multiply it by a hundred. Well, take a look at this sentence:

The galaxies – 100 times less massive than our Milky Way – are now among the smallest known to host such big black holes.

https://earthsky.org/space/astronomers-find-13-wandering-black-holes-in-dwarf-galaxies

Can you have something a hundred times less? If you can, what are you multiplying by a hundred?

Yes, the sentence is idiomatic, but still, I think it’s better to write what you mean. The sentence means one hundredth as massive.

Harrumpf.

Oh—here’s a picture:

Galaxy with inset illustration of a green spiral with jets coming out top and bottom.
Artist’s concept of a dwarf galaxy, its shape distorted, most likely by a past interaction with another galaxy, and a massive black hole in its outskirts (bright spot, far right). Image via Sophia Dagnello/ NRAO/ AUI/ NSF.

Another Diatribe Against Pronouns

I’ve mentioned this topic before. Use the search box to find more.

Don’t use pronouns if you can help it because you might face antecedent confusion. Like this funny:

I got the photo from Facebook, so I don’t have a link beyond “King of Kash.”

Not Me!

I just had to comment on this:

https://www.comicskingdom.com/beetle-bailey-1/2020-01-09

I can think lying down, but I have to be at least sitting to write!

At least he said “lying down” instead of “laying down.” I gotta give him that.

What are Antonyms?

Antonym is the word for “opposite” as applied to words. You probably already know that, but this version of the lesson is too good to pass up.

https://www.gocomics.com/pickles/2020/01/07

And in case you didn’t know (ha) synonym is the antonym of “antonym.”

Synonyms

A synonym is a word that has the same or a similar meaning as another word. this comic is basically a list of synonyms, except maybe the last one. What would you call that? An opinion? An adjective?

https://www.gocomics.com/forbetterorforworse/2020/01/05

I’d have suggested “unwise” or “foolish” myself.

Why CBD Oils Are Becoming So Popular

CBD oil, or Cannabidiol, is a natural element of the Cannabis sativa plant. Unlike marijuana and industrial cannabis, CBD oil does not make a person feel “high” or “stoned.” After the legalization of this product in 2018, it has exploded in popularity on the market. However, many people are wondering why there is such a sudden surge for its demand. The answer is due to CBD oil’s remarkable benefits that it provides to its consumers. CBD oil is being marketed as a cure for nearly all problems, which is most likely why it is so attractive to a variety of people. To give you some more insight, here are the top reasons why CBD oils are widely used today.

CBD Oil Benefits

  • Prevailing Feeling of Relaxation – The oils naturally get absorbed into your muscles and brain and allows them to relax. With this feature, people are able to be less stressed and anxious and have the ability to focus better on other meaningful tasks.
  • Epilepsy Treatment – There have been proven scientific studies that CBD oil can drastically, and efficiently help people with epilepsy due to its anti-seizure properties.
  • Holistic Treatment – Since this is a more natural route, people are turning towards this holistic method instead of pharmacy medications. It is an alternative way to achieve better health without the use of any chemicals or obtaining unwanted side effects that prescription drugs tend to come with.
  • Promotes Emotional Balance – Millions of people are battling with mental health problems. For those who are suffering from things like depression, anxiety, paranoia, or any other illness, CBD can provide relief. With the rise of CBD, many people use it to achieve better emotional and mood balance so they can have a better quality of life.
  • Relieves Pain – Pain relief is one of the most common reasons why people are turning to CBD products. These oils have significant pain-relieving properties. Once the oil is in your bloodstream, it interacts with your body’s receptors, which reduced inflammation that causes pain. It is often used by people who are suffering from arthritis, cramps, and other painful ailments.
  • Fights Cancer – Though it is still being tested, with the rise of research on CBD and cancer, it is shown that CBD had the ability to kill tumor cells and prevent the infected cells from spreading throughout the body.
  • Better Sleep – Those who have a hard time sleeping or have insomnia will take CBD to help them fall asleep. It reduces restlessness and promotes overall relaxation so you can shut your mind off.

Conclusion

CBD oil is undoubtedly poised to be one of the most significant and most engaging social trends in the health and wellness industry. CBD products had had a 706% increase in sales since 2018 when it was first legalized. You can find it nearly everywhere you go, from gas stations, dispensary, convenience stores, to even some pet stores. CBD products are not only readily available, they clearly offer immense benefits that can improve the quality of life for those who choose to take it.

Maybe it’s Redundant, Maybe Not

If you’re a regular reader of this site, you know I preach against redundancy, aka unnecessary repetition. Such as “do it over again.” (Either “over” or “again,” but not both.) We call this being concise.

Well, maybe I just ran into a case where the redundancy is necessary!

https://www.comicskingdom.com/crankshaft/2020-01-04

After all, just “drink” all by itself implies drinking booze, right?

Compound Adjectives

You see compound adjectives done correctly a lot, so you probably get them correct yourself. You could say it’s a deep-seated habit. Here’s a guy who got it wrong:

https://www.gocomics.com/break-of-day/2020/01/01

Well, his mistake is justified. The rule is that two adjectives (or nouns used attributively) that modify a word together should be hyphenated. So we have the five-second rule about dropped food.

An adverb-adjective pair, though, usually isn’t hyphenated because the adverb modifies just the adjective. For example, we can have a very dark night, or a thoroughly spoiled custard. And “after holiday” is an adverb-adjective pair.

But sometimes that adverb-adjective pair just makes more sense as a compound adjective. “After” is an adverb, but he’s not saying that he’s doing something after the holiday; he’s saying that the bills are the after-holiday type. So here we have the uncommon case of an adverb-adjective compound.

It’s a judgement call, so think when you write.

Anti-Conciseness

I’ve given examples of not being concise before. Here’s another. Don’t do this. (See the previous post.)

https://www.gocomics.com/agnes/2019/12/29

Remember the rule: If you can leave a word out, leave it out!

A good example of Conciseness

He replaced the original with a metaphor, but still, it’s more concise…

https://www.gocomics.com/rubes/2019/12/24

That’s Shakespeare, by the way, in case you didn’t remember the source.