Not even a lesson with it. Guess I’m being lazy.
Maybe I’ll do something worthwhile next time…
Rearrange That Sentence!
I think I’ve mentioned sentences with more than one modifier a couple times recently. Here’s another one that puts them in the wrong order:
There was another in the service bay being outfitted for a customer that looked sweet.
https://www.cake.co/conversations/8V4znk5/i-went-to-san-jose-bmw-to-test-ride-a-zero-electric-motorcycle-and-got-distracted-by-serious-eye-can
Sweet-looking customer, eh? Here’s what looked so sweet:
The sentence should read, “There was another one that looked sweet in the bay being outfitted for a customer.”
Remember: Put things next to what they go with!
A Good Name for Not Being Concise
The last post was rather heavy duty, so here’s something lighter. The lesson is important, though. Being concise is one of the five main characteristics of good expository writing. Look up “concise” in the search box in the upper right corner, or request that essay about five critical techniques of good writing mentioned in the column on the right.
Proper Golf Dresses For Women
Golf is without any doubt one of the most widely followed and played sports in your city, state, country and perhaps across the world. Both men and women are known for their amazing skills and control over the golf ball and the way in which they do their putting. Golf has moved on to higher levels in various other aspects too. Yes, we are talking about the way women dress on the golf ground. Golf dresses and other apparels for women have changed with time and therefore it would be interesting to have a look at the same over the next few lines. We are sure it will be an interesting piece of information for all those who are keen followers of women’s golf and also the way they dress on the ground. After all, any women athlete or sports person would certainly like to look very good beautiful on the golf ground and therefore dresses do have a very important and significant role to play.
Tops
In most of the golf courses and ground, women are better off wearing blouses that come with sleeves. They also could go onto the ground with sleeveless blouses but with collars. However, when we look at tops for women golfers from the popularity perspective, there is no doubt that the polo-style shirt continues to be very much in demand. These polo shirts for women golfers come in a big variety of designs and colors. These include v-neck, button down and also zip-top variants. This is the same both for long and short sleeves. Apart from plain colors, man women golfers are keen on wearing polo shirts with stripes, floral designs, and various other patterns. Turtleneck tops are also extremely popular and have wide acceptance. However, most golf committees and organizations do not allow tank tops, halters, and t-shirts.
Jackets And Sweaters
Dressing in layers is quite common both for men and women golfers especially during the winter season. Wearing a sweater or vest sweater atop a turtleneck or polo shirt is one of the most common options on a cool day. Further, man women golfers are also comfortable wearing a light jacket, button-down shirt or wind shirt so that additional coverage is taken care of. Most golf organizers do not allow sweatshirts and denim jackets.
Bottoms
Slacks are mostly worn by women on the golf course during fall or early spring. When the days are warmer, capris and other types of shorter slack, shorts, and crops are also okay with women and also the golf organizers. The shorter pants should at least be of knee length. There also is a growing demand for another type of bottoms known as Skorts. This is a combination of shorts and skirts. Sweats, athletic pants, and jeans are considered improper in most of the golf tournaments and even during practice sessions.
Head Covering
There is a need to protect the skin and also keep the sun out of the eyes. Therefore wearing a good visor or cap is advised during sunny days. These head covering apparels come in a variety of fabrics, colors, and styles and the options are simply many as far as women golfers are concerned.
Shoes And Socks
Golf shoes are a must almost on all golf courses. The spikes should be non-metal or should be soft. No-show or low socks are also permitted.
Understanding More About Stem Cell Donation
If you want to help a person and a close relative, then you will have reasons to find this article interesting and informative. We will be dealing with the subject of stem cell donation. Put in simple words, stem cell donation from one person to another is also referred to as allogeneic transplant. Those who are keen on donating their stem cells joint a volunteer registry and it also is referred to as national registry. These donors can get in touch with a health care provider and get information about the nearest donor center. Before the actual donation takes place, the potential donors are asked several questions. This will ensure that they are healthy enough to be a candidate for donation. Further, such donors should not be a source of health risk for the recipient.
What Are The Steps To Be Followed
To begin with, a simple blood test is done to find out more about the donors potential HLA type. The fee for this could be around $75 to $100 and it is tax-deductible. People who become volunteers for such donations will have their names in the national registry until they reach the age of 60. Pregnant women also can donate the cord blood of their babies because it is considered to be rich in stem cells transplant match. However, arrangements for the same have to be made early during pregnancy. It should not exceed to the third semester of pregnancy. In fine, there are reasons to believe that donation apart from being free is safe and does not impact the birth process of the child.
How The Stem Cells Are Collected
Once the information and other aspects pertaining to stem cell donation are completed, the actual process of donation begins. The stem cells can be collected from the bone marrow, peripheral stem cell locations, umbilical cord blood. Each method is unique and it would be a good idea to have some basic information about each of the above process.
Bone Marrow Stem Cell Collection
This process is referred to as a bone marrow harvest. It is done in a specialized operating room and the donor is put under general anesthesia. The marrow cells are usually collected from the back of the pelvic bone or hip. The donor is made to lie face down and a large needle is pushed through the skin and into the back of the pelvic bone. The needle goes through the one and reaches the center from where liquid marrow is pulled out through the needle. This process has to be repeated several times before enough marrow has been taken out. The amount would depend on the overall weight of the donor and does not exceed 10% of the donors’ marrow. Once the process is over, the patient gets backs his or his senses and the entire recovery period should not be more than two or three days. It is quite safe with very little risk.
Peripheral Blood Stem Cells
This process begins several days before and the donor is put through an injection course of filgrastim. This enhances the growth and release of bone marrow cells into the bloodstream. There could be some side effects including pain in the joints, mild fevers and tiredness. These can be handled with the help of over the counter NSAIDs.
Contact US:
Gift of Life Marrow Registry Address: 800 Yamato Rd suite 101 Boca Raton, FL Phone: (800) 962-7769
Fixing an Ambiguous Sentence
Sometimes, when you read a sentence with two modifiers or two antecedents, you can find it confusing to decide which modifier goes with which part of the sentence. Then you have to pause and figure out the most logical meaning. Take a look at this sentence:
The vapor trails were observed dispersing from several ground stations.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190408.html
Okay, we have two antecedents here. Were the trails “observed from several ground stations” or were they “dispersing from several ground stations”?
Lots of times you can solve the ambiguity by changing the order of part of the sentence.
- The vapor trails from several ground stations were observed dispersing.
- The vapor trails were observed from several ground stations dispersing.
- The vapor trails were dispersing observed from several ground stations.
- The dispersing vapor trails were observed from several ground stations.
The first three are all pretty awkward; the last one is the best, but it implies the existence of vapor trails that weren’t dispersing.
I’ve been cheating on you. Here’s the context:
The atmosphere over northern Norway appeared quite strange for about 30 minutes last Friday when colorful clouds, dots, and plumes suddenly appeared. The colors were actually created by the NASA-funded Auroral Zone Upwelling Rocket Experiment (AZURE) which dispersed gas tracers to probe winds in Earth’s upper atmosphere . AZURE’s tracers originated from two short-lived sounding rockets launched from the Andya Space Center in Norway. The harmless gases, trimethylaluminum and a barium / strontium mixture, were released into the ionosphere at altitudes of 115 and 250 km. The vapor trails were observed dispersing from several ground stations.
Since the context tells so much about the vapor trails, you don’t need to describe them again in the last sentence. Just add the new information; say this:
The vapor trails were observed from several ground stations.
And here’s a picture:
That vs. Who
The rule:
- “Who” refers to people
- “That” doesn’t.
Here’s a good illustration of why this matters:
Is he referring to the ex-wife or to the phone message? Ambiguity is bad except in poetry and lies.
A writing tip: pronouns are supposed to refer to the closest possible antecedent. That’s why I avoid pronouns. Too easy to lose track of the antecedent.
These are possible alternative sentences:
- …message from an anonymous ex-wife who told me…
- An anonymous ex-wife sent me a message that told me…
- An anonymous ex-wife told me…
I suppose I could add that the doctor appears to be violating patient confidentiality.
Begging the Question
Begging the question is not the same as begging to ask a question; it’s not the same as as wanting to ask a question!
“Begging the question” is the fallacy of using something as proof for itself. It’s old-style English. “Begging” is what you want to show for evidence, “the question” is what you want to prove.
Here’s an example:
It’s in the next-to-last panel. She’s offering (begging) the same thing she wants to prove (the question) as her evidence.
Restrictive or Non-restrictive
First the example:
The Sapelo Island Lighthouse is the second-oldest brick lighthouse in the country dating back to 1820.
https://blog.thediscoverer.com/10-best-usa-islands-outside-hawaii/
Here’s a picture of the lighthouse:
Sometimes you use a phrase (no verb) or a clause (has a verb) to describe something. When you separate that description from what it describes with a comma, we call it non-restrictive. It’s an aside. No comma? Then it’s restrictive, part of the definition of what you’re describing.
That’s a little bit tricky to follow, so let’s look at that sentence about the lighthouse.
It’s the second-oldest brick lighthouse in the country. So far, so good. But what about “dating back to 1820”?
- Is it the second oldest one that dates back to 1820?
- Is it the second oldest one, and it happens to date back to 1820?
The first bullet is restrictive, part of the definition. Apparently we have lots of lighthouses that date back to then, and this is the second oldest. Seems unlikely.
The second bullet merely adds some information about the lighthouse; it dates back to 1829. It’s non-restrictive.
What a difference a day comma makes!
Remember: no comma, gotta have it—restrictive. Comma, extra info—non-restrictive.
Another Comic About Grammar
Michael Cavna is a world-class cartoonist who creates both political commentary and funnies. Here’s one about grammar. I counted about eight quips. How many can you find?
I still haven’t figured out what “bespoke” means, though.