Word Choice

"Thank you for letting us know of this matter.

We acknowledge your request to put your Smart Bro account on temporary hold due to recent typhoon and we would like to be of help.

We are sudden to hear about what happened to your area and we apologize for the inconvenience it may have caused you."

What is wrong with this letter?

Too v. So

The use of too and so is a common mistake among English speakers and writers. So when is it correct to use too and so?

I get confused, too. That's why I consulted two dictionaries: Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster.com.

Too
–adverb
1. in addition; also; furthermore; moreover
Example: We have to sell the house and car, too.

2. to an excessive extent or degree; beyond what is desirable, fitting, or right: too sick to travel.
Example: This condo unit is too large a house for you, don't you think?

3. more, as specified, than should be
Example: Don't get too near the fire.

4. (used as an affirmative to contradict a negative statement)
Example: I am too!

5. extremely; very
Example: She wasn't too pleased with his behavior.


So
1 a: in a manner or way indicated or suggested.
Example: Do you really think so.
—often used as a substitute for a preceding clause
Examples: Are you ready? I think so.
I didn't like it and I told her so.
b: in the same manner or way : also
Example: I worked hard and so did she
c: thus 1
Example: For so the Lord said — Isa 18:4(Authorized Version)
d: then, subsequently
Example: After this long meeting, I'll have dinner and so home and to bed.

2 a: to an indicated or suggested extent or degree
Example: I had never been so happy.
b: to a great extent or degree : very, extremely
Example: He loves her so.
c: to a definite but unspecified extent or degree
Example: I can only do so much in a day.
d: most certainly : indeed
Example: You did so do it.
e: most decidedly: surely
Example: I so don't believe you.

Read more here.

One of the...

One of the city in Europe that I love is Paris.

What's wrong with this sentence?

It should read:

One of the cities in Europe that I love is Paris.

The rule:
The phrase "one of the," should have an object that is plural.
The structure: One of the Noun(plural)

More examples:
One of the ways to earn money online is to put Google Adsense in your site or blog.
One of the things I like about you is your thoughtfulness.

This is yet another common mistake in English essays. :)

It's v. Its

This is a common mistake. I see this confusion every time I edit posts or articles of my teammates.

The difference is really simple.

It's is a contraction form of "It is." In some rare cases it is also the contraction form of "It has."

Its is a possessive pronoun and also called a possessive adjective. It is the possessive form of the personal pronoun "it." It means belonging to or relating to something that has already been mentioned.

Examples:

It's a hot day today. (It is a hot day today.)
The company is anticipating its third quarter profits.

Which sentence is correct?

1. Its his fault why the team lost the game.
2. It's his fault why the team lost the game.

The Student Theme

by Ronald Wallace

The adjectives all ganged up on the nouns,
insistent, loud, demanding, inexact,
their Latinate constructions flashing. The pronouns
lost their referents: They were dangling, lacked
the stamina to follow the prepositions' lead
in, on, into, to, toward, for, or from.
They were beset by passive voices and dead
metaphors, conjunctions shouting But! or And!

The active verbs were all routinely modified
by adverbs, that endlessly and colorlessly ran
into trouble with the participles sitting
on the margins knitting their brows like gerunds
(dangling was their problem, too). The author
was nowhere to be seen; was off somewhere.

"The Student Theme" by Ronald Wallace, from The Uses of Adversity. © The University of Pittsburgh Press, 1998.

Via: The Writer's Almanac

Teem: to rain heavily

I know the phrasal verb "teem with sth," which means "to contain large numbers of animals or people."

The mall was teeming with shoppers last weekend.

Today, as torrential rains batter Metro Manila, I just typed the word "rain heavily" on Google, and I found out this new word, "teem." It means "to rain heavily."

Examples:

• It's been teeming down all day.
• It's teeming with rain.

Interesting! ;)

You and Me v. You and I

Have you been following US. President Barack Obama and his speeches?

If yes, then you know what I'm talking about. If no, don't fret. I, too, didn't know about Obama's lapses on the use of the phrases, "you and I" or "you and me."

We learn that we use You and I as a subject of the sentence, and you and me as the object.

For example:

You and I deserve this scholarship.
This is just between you and me.

In any case, New York Times has an interesting article on the use of You and I or You and Me. There was a time in the history of letters that the I and me are interchangeable. Pretty interesting!

Read on...