When Both Apple and Samsung scored less in Language Proficiency 😊

The Constant Clash between the Hyphen and the Dash!

[In their Ads]

#newspaperinlearning #commonerrorsinenglish #evenhomernods #languageofadvertisements #redflagsinwriting #languagemonitor

8th November 2023

This blog post intends to highlight the difference between the hyphen and the dash by looking at a few advertisements and news reports, that were carried in the major English-language dailies quite recently, to emphasise on the important fact that -

the Hyphen and the Dash are NOT the same!

That means, the hyphen can never be used in the place of the dash, and vice versa!

Yes! 

There’s always a Clash!

between the Hyphen and the Dash! 😊

Hence, it would do well for us—language enthusiasts—to remember this simple formula -

The Hyphen Unites!

The Dash Separates!

With this in mind, now let’s go ahead and look at a few news reports and advertisements that were carried in the Chennai Edition of some major English-language dailies, quite recently.

Consider this advertisement released by Samsung –

The New Indian Express, 7th November 2023

The general rule is: Always use a hyphen when a number forms part of an adjectival compound!

6 months is an adjectival compound.

And as we know, the hyphen unites!

So it should be written as: six-month screen protection plan. ✅

Yet another general rule is that, numbers between 1 and 9 are usually written in letters.

So

It’s not a 1-month course. ❌

It’s a one-month course. ✅

It’s not a 6-month course. ❌

It’s a six-month course. ✅

Numbers from 10 onwards can be written in numerals.

So it’s a 12-hour programme. ✅

Or 

It’s a 15-hour journey. ✅

Now, consider this sentence –

1. The Department of English, MCC, offers a six-month certificate course in Communication Skills. ✅

Or it could also be written as -

The Department of English offers a six months' certificate course in Communication Skills. ✅

The tenant is usually expected to deposit six-months’ rent, as advance, to the house owner. ✅

The bus stand is just a five-minute walk from the railway station. ✅

The bus stand is just five minutes’ walk from the railway station. ✅

Trivandrum is a 12-hour journey by train. ✅

Now, let’s consider this advertisement from Apple Inc.

They’ve rightly made use of the hyphen in 1-month.

However, it would have been better still, if they’d used one-month, instead!

A few more examples await us -

Microsoft’s 12-month subscription is yet another example of correct usage! ✅

The famed Renard Press has got it right!

It’s “six-month subscription”. ✅

The Economist has also got it right!

It’s “one-month free trial”. ✅

Advertisement in today's Times of India

It’s 5000-server rack capacity. ✅

As regards the word centre circled in red - 

although we prefer the British variant ‘centre’ to the American ‘center’, there are no hard and fast rules on that aspect. 

However, for parity and clarity sake, it’s better to stick to the same form of spelling for uniformity’s sake. 

So it’s either ‘centre’ or ‘center’! Not a mix of both! 😊

Note: In the Indian context, almost all the major newspapers, [including Times of India, The Hindu, New Indian Express], and magazines [India Today, Outlook] and books, that are printed in the English language, always follow the British variant, as regards spelling.

In today's New Indian Express

The 100-year plan is also an example of correct usage. ✅

Consider this news report in today’s Times of India, Chennai Edition –

The phrase circled in green, “First of its kind” becomes a compound adjective when it is hyphenated!

Today's Times of India

So it’s hyphenated here, and not dashed!

[based on the rule – a hyphen unites; a dash separates!]

One more example, from today’s Times of India, Chennai Edition, on hyphenating adjectival compounds.

Today's Times of India

Note: An adjectival compound usually precedes a noun. So it could be written as –

A first-of-its-kind mobile phone.

Now let’s dash ahead to the DASH! 😊

Well, as regards the DASH –

They’re of two types!

1) the en dash (as it’s the size of the letter n)

and

2) the em dash (as it’s the size of the letter m)

Now let’s look at an example of the en dash from today’s newspaper - 

Today's Times of India

In the above news report, we have instances of the en dash and the hyphen as well!

[Chinese-made crackers, Environment-friendly and People-friendly are examples of adjectival compounds, and hence hyphenated.]

Now let’s look at the headline for the en dash - 

Burst crackers only from 6 am–7 am, 7 pm–8 pm.

Here, we find an example of the en dash.

The en dash represents the words “to,” “through,” or “and.”

The chief use of the en dash is to indicate a range!

It could be a range of numbers or a span of time as well.

The classrooms were 20–30 feet wide.

The BA English Class (2005–2008) had their alumni reunion last month.

Breakfast timings are: 7–9.30 am daily.

For additional inputs on the topic, students can photocopy pages 20–32 from this book.

Hence, it is used for –

a specific duration of time, eg., 6–7 pm

between page numbers (e.g., pp. 15–25)

academic years (e.g., 2020–2023), etc.

Finally, let us move on to the em dash –

Consider the following news article on Artificial Intelligence, in today’s Times of India, Chennai Edition by M. Muneer.

The writer has used the em dash at five different places in the course of his article.

Today's Times of India

So when do we use the em dash?

Well, the em dash is used to highlight additional information that is not quite essential to understanding the sentence per se!

Simply put, the phrase or the clause that follows the em dash can be said, with a change of tone!

The general rule would be –

If you want to signal a change of tone within a sentence, you may consider using the em dash!

Examples of em dash -

Please don’t ask me to come for work on Sunday—it’s the only day I get for myself!

Mobile phones—although they’re quite useful—have always been a source of great distraction while driving!

A few years ago—I’m not sure how long to be precise—we had an alumni reunion in the Department!

Note: An em dash can also be used instead of using a semicolon or colon or a parentheses as well.

Summing up this blog post then, by tweaking Rudyard Kipling’s famed ballad a little bit – 😊

Oh, a Hyphen is a Hyphen, and a Dash is a Dash, and never the twain shall meet,

Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great Judgment Seat;

That’s again, because the East Unites & the West Separates!

Oops…

The Hyphen Unites and the Dash Separates! 😊

It’s or Its? | & Why Is It So Confusing?

It’s or Its? | & Why Is It So Confusing? 

#newspaperinlearning #commonerrorsinenglish #sentencecorrection #evenhomernods #languageofadvertisements #redflagsinwriting

7th November 2023

Red Flags in Writing!

This blog post intends to look at a few advertisements that were carried in the major English-language newspapers quite recently, to get a few interesting insights into these two words - It’s & Its!

Let’s now consider this particular advertisement that was carried in The New Indian Express on 3rd November 2023.

Advertisement in The New Indian Express

This advertisement seems to have carried the incorrect spelling for the word its.

The correct spelling in this case would be – Its!

“Geetham Brand and its associated trademarks…”

Quite often, many of us have this little confusion when it comes to using ‘it’s’ or ‘its’.

Well, the apostrophe marks & makes the difference!

Remember: The word it’s is just a contraction of the word, ‘it is’.

The apostrophe is used here to indicate a contraction!

I misplaced my wallet. I guess it’s in my car. [It is]

I don’t think it’s a good idea to buy this mobile phone. [It is]

Now consider this advertisement given by the Government of Kerala, that was carried in a few English-language newspapers recently - 

Advertisement by the Government of Kerala

The state known for its progressive policies…

Its forward-thinking approach…

Its is a possessive word (like my, your, his). Moreover, its (without an apostrophe) signals ownership of whatever noun comes after it. 

Consider these example sentences - 

The bike needed its oil to be changed once every 1,000 kms.

From A. G. Gardiner's 'All About A Dog'

You have kept the rule and broken its spirit.

I love the car’s design, but not its performance.

Reading books while travelling by train, has its own sweet joys.

Giving us all a few more advertisements that were carried in the recent English-language dailies, with the correct use of ‘Its’ and ‘It’s’

 

From the Government of Uttar Pradesh

The New Indian Express, 31st October 2023

Hope it’s clear now! 😊 

And now for the signing off on a coffee-high...

‘I Came to School with Churidar!’ | Right or Wrong? 💜

‘I Came to School with Churidar!’ 

Right or Wrong?

Today's New Indian Express

Common Errors in English Usage &

How to Avoid Them | Today’s Newspaper

#newspaperinlearning #commonerrorsinenglish #sentencecorrection #evenhomernods

The New Indian Express 

6th November 2023

Even Homer nods, goes the good ol’ adage!

Which means, even a poet as great as the legendary Homer, sometimes falls asleep, and hence prone to committing mistakes, due to a momentary lack of attention!

In short, even the most gifted person is prone to making mistakes or errors, at times!

This post hence, doesn’t seek to magnify common errors (yes, errors, NOT mistakes!) in the daily newspaper. However, this post wishes to just foreground a few of them, so that, we can be alert to such errors while writing!

So here goes –

Sample a news report featured in today’s Chennai Edition of The New Indian Express, to help us all – [teachers and students of English language and literature], be a bit more careful in our usage of the language.

Consider these two sentences, from this news report.

“I wore churidar to school and felt comfortable.”

In this above sentence,

“I wore churidar to school” could mean –

To the school where I am working / studying.

On the other hand,

I wore churidar to the school could mean –

The school where I went to visit a friend/ a teacher, etc. I don’t study / work there.

Now I hope you’d be able to guess the error in the following sentence –

“Earlier, colleagues used to tease me using double entendres when I wore saree to the office and I scolded them”.

The correct way of writing this sentence would be –

“Earlier, colleagues used to tease me using double entendres when I wore saree to office and I scolded them”.

Now, let us consider two more sentences (again from the same news report!)

“Due to continuous dispute with him, I have started coming to school in saree again and face the same problem.”

In the above sentence, in saree could mean –

I have started coming to school wearing saree, or dressed in saree.

On the other hand,

“I have been going to the office with churidar for the last two years”, could mean –

I have been going to the office carrying a churidar in my hand for the last two years. 😊

The two sentences then, are, as different as chalk and cheese, ain’t they? 😊