ChanteSez Tip of the Day – Page 7

Chante Sez … What in the world?

Posted by onthelookoutatlantaon February 26, 2014February 25, 2014in ChanteSez Tip of the DayLeave a comment

Mercury retrograde is almost over, folks. Feb. 28, here we come. But with the planets in mind, this week’s tip is about Earth. What in the world is the difference between Earth capitalized, and lower-case earth?

Here’s how to remember it: In reference to the planet Earth, it gets a big “e,” just like the planet is big.

Earth = the planet. It’s a proper noun, just like your name, or the city you live in.
earth = the stuff that plants call home, aka dirt, good soil, etc.

Here are a few examples:

Welcome to Earth. (As we greet aliens, of course.)

“I felt the earth move under my feet.”

What on Earth were you thinking?

I like him because he’s down to earth.

ChanteSez … Weather comes in degrees

Posted by onthelookoutatlantaon February 5, 2014in ChanteSez Tip of the Day1 Comment

I hope all of you made it home safely after last week’s terrible Atlanta weather. And I hope this past weekend’s unseasonably warm weather helped to make up for it, if only a little bit. To that end, this week’s grammar tip is about weather, and how you should write it.

A few tips:

The abbreviation F, for Fahrenheit, is unnecessary when referencing temperatures.
Always use numerals for the temp. The only exception is zero degrees.
Remember that temperatures increase or decrease (go up or down, rise or fall), rather than get warmer or cooler.

Here are a few examples:

I can’t believe the 70 degree weather we had in Atlanta on Super Bowl Sunday!

My hometown of Oak Park, IL, regularly experiences sub-zero temps. I heard it was 15 below just last week.

The warm weather this weekend made me wish for spring days when temps are on the rise.

At least the temperatures aren’t expected to fall drastically this week.