Holiday Blues

Good food and not fine words keep me alive. (Moliere)





What's wrong with those kids?


After all the servings of turkey, green bean casserole and ham went the way of all flesh, it is time to once more weigh the advantages of diets and healthy living. Here is a little entree I found recently on a discussion forum:

A study found out that kids that live closer to the store walk less then kids that live further away from the store. The study showed that even if kids lived by green open spaces they would rather walk to the convenience store for that junk food, instead of playing in a park that was in the same distance from their homes.

It is quite a stirring observation these researchers cooked up, yet one that could do with some grammatical refining.

A study found out that kids who…
When a relative pronoun (who, which, that) refers to a human antecedent such as kids, who is the correct pronoun. Similarly, we would not refer to a girl's new dress by saying that she (personal pronoun used to refer to a female being) wears its (a personal pronoun used to refer to inanimate objects) new dress.

A study found out that kids who live closer to the store walk less than…
Then and than sound alike, almost look alike but are anything but alike. While then refers to time, than is a conjunction between the first and the second item in a comparison.

A study found out that kids who live closer to the store walk less than kids who live farther…
Like than and then, farther and further sound pretty similar yet mean different things. Further refers to time or quantity, while farther refers to distance.

A study found out that kids who live closer to the store walk less than kids who live farther away from the store. The study showed that even if kids live near green open spaces they rather walk …
There is a difference between even if and if. If introduces a conditional sentence and requires a specific use of tenses: If the kids lived near green open spaces, they would spend more time playing. Even if indicates that a particular condition will not change the results. Since this represents a general statement of fact and timeless truth, the correct verb tense is present tense.

A study found out that kids who live closer to the store walk less than kids who live farther away from the store. The study showed that even if kids live near green open spaces they rather walk to the convenience store to buy junk food than to the park to play a round of soccer.
Rather is followed by than when comparing two objects or situations. The information about the same distance can be eliminated since the sentence states in the beginning that they live near green open space. To add the information about soccer helps to give this sentence a complete parallel structure: to buy junk food // to play a round of soccer

HOMONYMS are words that sound alike but have different meanings.
Homophones are a type of homonym that also sound alike and have different meanings, but have different spellings.
HOMOGRAPHS are words that are spelled the same but have different meanings. Heteronyms are a type of homograph that are also spelled the same and have different meanings, but sound different.

Whose blunder was it now?

On January 5, 2010, News 8 KFMB San Diego reported that a viewer “made a disrespectful discovery” when "he placed flowers at his parents' final resting place. 'What they should have done is they should have kept them aside neatly and at least dusted the dirt off of them,' he said. He sent News 8 pictures of three headstones, which were scattered in dirt just 30 feet away from where his parents and brother are buried."

What may be a “disrespectful discovery”? And what should the cemetery employees “have kept aside”? The flowers? The parents’ gravesite?