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to cognition (which refers to knowledge rather than thinking), stems from agitare (meaning
drive), from which we also get agitate.
Contemplate connotes thought that is extensive as well as deep; another sense is view as
possible or probable. The root of contemplatus, the Latin source word, is templum, the word for
a place where omens are observed; it is cognate with temple.
Deliberate means to think carefully, as implied by its source, the adjective deliberate. An
additional sense is discuss before making a decision, as when a legislative body meets to
decide about whether to pass a law. (The derivation is from deliberare, meaning consider
carefully, the root is possibly libra, meaning pound or scale, with the sense of weighing.)
To meditate is to focus ones thoughts on something; the word, which can, alternatively, allude to
planning, also refers to a mental exercise conducted in order to achieve a high state of spiritual
awareness. (Meditate is derived from the Latin verb mederi, meaning remedy, and is related
to medical and medicine.)
Mull, from the Middle English noun mul, meaning dust, is cognate with meal and refers not
only to lengthy consideration but also to grinding.
Ponder has the connotation of carefully weighing a problem (as a matter of fact, ponder stems
from the Latin verb ponderare, meaning weigh, and is related to ponderous), with the
implication of extended inconclusive thinking. A similar term with the same etymological origin
is perpend.
Reflect means, among other things, think calmly and quietly; its root is from flectere (meaning
bend), which is also the source of flex.
The misuse of whom as a subject frequently occurs when a phrase intervenes between the pronoun and its subject. Be especially careful with such
expressions as according to so-and-so, in my opinion, one suspects, etc. Less frequently, but more embarrassingly, whom is sometimes
substituted for who when little or nothing stands between it and its verb, as in this sentence taken from a news account: An off-duty fireman whom
lives in the area provided immediate assistance.
Mistake 2: Unnecessary would in a wish about the past
INCORRECT: Ten Things I Wish I Would Have Known When I Was Twenty
CORRECT : Ten Things I Wish I Had Known When I Was Twenty
The opportunity for knowing the ten things existed in the past, but exists no longer. The tense required, therefore, is the past perfect (had + past
participle).
Mistake 3: Dangling modifier
INCORRECT: At the age of four, Sams family moved from Florida, Missouri, to Hannibal.
CORRECT : At the age of four, Sam moved with his family from Florida, Missouri, to Hannibal.
Modifiers should be positioned as closely as possible to the element they modify. The modifying phrase At the age of four modifies Sam, not Sams
family.
INCORRECT: Mary loves to read, has ran for office and has an articulate way of telling it like it is.Biographical note, KZNU.
CORRECT : Mary loves to read, has run for office and has an articulate way of telling it like it is.
INCORRECT: Deluna-Martinez is alleged to have went into one students account and dropped that students classes.News item, KRCR
CORRECT : Deluna-Martinez is alleged to have gone into one students account and dropped that students classes.
INCORRECT: Deep Impact could have just so happened to hit one of these cometesimals, while the gas seen before impact might have came from a
different region on the comet with different chemistry.Scientific article, NASA site.
CORRECT : Deep Impact could have just so happened to hit one of these cometesimals, while the gas seen before impact might have come from a
different region on the comet with different chemistry.
Note: A cometesimal is a mini-comet.
Mistake 10: Omitting that when it is needed after say
When there is no intervening conjunction, that may be omitted after the verb say:
The witness said she overheard the defendant threaten to burn the mans house down.
However, if a conjunction such as after, although, because, before, in addition to, until, or while intervenes between the verb say and its object, that is
needed to avoid ambiguity:
INCORRECT: Santana said after he stopped recording, he watched for a few more minutes but never saw anyone perform CPR.
CORRECT : Santana said that after he stopped recording, he watched for a few more minutes but never saw anyone perform CPR.