Happy Grammar Day!

Yes, there really is a holiday for fellow members of the Grammar Police in the US.  So, hmm… how is it celebrated?  Making cards, throwing parties, and spreading the grammar love.  I can check the first 2 tasks off my list, and now, I’m onto the third.

Here are just a couple basic grammar tips.  I recommend you follow them.

Good VS Well
My #1 pet peeve.  Good is an adjective.  Therefore, it describes nouns.  Well is an adverb, and those words describe verbs.  For instance, GOOD JOB is the describing the job that was good.  YOU DID THE JOB WELL is describing the process of the job being done.

Who VS Whom
Could you replace the who/whom pronoun with HIM or HE?  Which sounds better?  If he works, then use who.  If him works, use whom.

Its VS It’s
Its is possessive.  Use it when something owns something.  It’s is a contraction that means it is.  Never use it’s in formal writing.

Those are just a couple of my grammar pet peeves.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Spreading the Grammar Love = Fun.

H… Fail.

You get an assignment back, and your grade is an H.  Since when is H a grade?  Oh yeah, you’re a foreign exchange student in South Africa!  That makes sense.  South African students work to receive a National Senior Certificate (like a diploma) and also have a different grading system, A through H.

Students study at least 6 subjects.  The required classes include languages (home and additional), mathematics, and life orientation.  Life orientation consists of World of Work (Career Planning), Health (Sex Education, HIV/AIDS, Pregnancy), PE, Religious Studies (Bible Class or General Religious Studies), and Citizenship.  In addition, they take 3 electives with a wide variety from accounting to visual arts.  To pass their classes, students must receive a Level 2 or 3, 30-49%.

So, there you have it.  This blog post definitely deserves to be categorized in the random section. 

I opened Wikipedia, hit random article, and this was the first to pop up.  Enjoy.

Face It. W is a Vowel.

In elementary school, most kids learn their vowels as A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y.  But in my 3rd grade class, Mrs. Slaughter taught us A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y and W.  For my whole life, well for the past 7 years, I’ve always recited my vowels with W, and people just stare at me.  Since when is W a vowel?  But you’ve got to face it because Mrs. Slaughter AND Grammar Girl are both W-is-a-vowel-teachers.  If that’s not enough proof, here’s the reasoning.

W can be a consonant when it’s used for its “wuh” sound in words like why and wing.  Then, W, as a consonant, is always the start of a syllable, but when W is not at the beginning of a syllable, it becomes a vowel and a diphthong.  A diphthong is formed when 2 vowels are together and produce a different sound when together than when separate.  The W in the word few is not at the start of the syllable, making it part of a diphthong.   Therefore, the W in diphthongs (feW, shoW, claW) are officially vowels and NOT consonants.

Fact: Vowels are now officially A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y and W.

March Holidays.

So, I know I love celebrating weird, random holidays.  Here’s a list of the awesome ones in March.

1 – Pig Day
2 – Namesake Day
3 – I Want You to Be Happy Day, What if Cats and Dogs Had Opposable Thumbs? Day, Unique Names Day
4 – Benjamin Harrison Day, International Scrapbooking Industry Day, Old Inauguration Day, NATIONAL GRAMMAR DAY
5 – Name Tag Day
6 – World Day of Prayer
7 – US Snowshoe Day
8 – Ground Water Awareness Day
9 – Get Over It Day, Napping Day
10 – Organize Your Home Office Day
11 – Johnny Appleseed Day
12 – World Kidney Day
13 – Earmuffs Day, National Open an Umbrella Indoors Day
14 – International Fanny Pack Day, Pi Day
15 – Ides of March
16 – Lips Appreciation Day
17 – St. Patrick’s Day
18 – Awkward Moments Day, Forgive Mom and Dad Day
19 – National Chocolate Caramel Day
20 – National Agriculture Day, Snowman Burning Day
21 – Corn Dog Day, Maple Syrup Day, National Quilting Day, Memory Day, World Down Syndrome Day
22 – World Water Day
23 – National Puppy Day
24 – National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day
25 – Kick Butts Day, Pecan Day
26 – Make Up Your Own Holiday Day (haha)
27 – Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day
28 – Decorating Egg Shells Day
29 – National Mom and Pop Business Owners’ Day
30 – Doctors’ Day, Pencil Day
31 – Bunsen Burner Day

Have fun!  Happy Pig Day!

From Face-to-Face to Facebook

When you go to the computer and click on the Internet, most likely, you are accessing a social networking site like Facebook.  According to a recent study by TechCrunch, Facebook trumps MySpace in their growth rate, 153% to 3%.  MySpace = epic fail.  With technology becoming common throughout the world, more Facebook users are joining the site.  It is now translated into other languages to make it more convenient for others to access.  With people being able to sign onto Facebook worldwide, what if there was no communication in real life and “real life” adapted to Facebook?  What if everyone just sat on their computer and was on Facebook all day long?

Imagine all of the differences if conversation went from face-to-face to Facebook.  Meeting people would consist of stalking them by reading all of their notes/info or looking at every picture tagged of them.  Instead of sending postcards, you’d send pieces of flair or bumper stickers.  Bookshelves would become nonexistent; only visual bookshelves would be used.  To annoy people, you’d just constantly poke them.  Stereotypes would form from groups and comparing people.  If you wanted to have a private conversation with someone, you would only be able to type a message to them.

So, maybe you should take the time and talk face-to-face to the person in your math class who just friended you on Facebook.  Enjoy communication in real life because it may not last forever.

50 things.

So you may be thinking, “Hm…  I know everything about Ellie.”  Well, you’re WRONG!  Or well, maybe you’re wrong.

Here’s 50 things that you may not know about me…. (And I tried REALLY hard to get stuff that you may not know.)

50. I’m terrified of ketchup.
49. I was on the Spell Bowl team in 5th and 6th grade, but I never made the final round.
48. I am way more flexible on my right side than my left.
47. I’ve had probably over 50 AIM screen names but never sign online at all now.
46. When I first got my nano video iPod, I called it a mini TV in my hands.
45. I celebrate half birthdays.
44. Regular milk makes me gag, but I somehow drink it anyways.
43. I can’t swallow a pill.  Most of the time, when something hurts, I just don’t take medicine.  But when it becomes miserable, I put it in applesauce and can eventually swallow it.
42. I’m a very speedy typer, who does actually use the home row.
41. I rarely use my cell phone.
40. I have permanent scarring on both of my eyes, but thankfully, it doesn’t affect my vision.
39. Century Gothic and Joyful Julianna are my favorite fonts.
38. I learned Euchre on my 1st mission trip and Texas Hold Em on my 2nd.
37. I love blankets.
36. When I was younger, I would draw on the back of paper menus at restaurants and leave them there so that the waitress could see it.
35. When I get the hiccups, I eventually lose my voice because they’re so loud.
34. I put 2 spaces after sentences.
33. I hate it when people read over my shoulder while I’m typing.  It doesn’t matter if it’s an email or report.
32. I’m always cold and randomly shiver.
31. Puking/throwing up/vomiting is the worst feeling ever.
30. Hot dogs are much tastier soggy.
29. If I could, I’d wear my moccasins everyday.
28. I thought it was so cool when I discovered that a smiley face could be symmetrical.
27. “EPIC FAIL” is my phrase.
26. Lil’ Wayne’s rock album comes out on my birthday, and I’m ashamed of that.
25. I’m a Harry Potter newbie.
24. I love playing Kemps.
23. Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer weiner that is what I truly want to be because if I were an Oscar Mayer weiner, everyone would be in love with me.
22. I’ve recently become a huge fan of Kelly Clarkson.
21. I have a whole drive on my computer that is mine, and it’s almost full, by the way.
20. I use to hate chocolate.  I just thought it was the nastiest thing.  I’ve now realized the amazingness of it.
19. I have strong opinions on events from reality TV shows.
18. Getting my braces off was one of the most painful experiences of my life because of my mouth and eyes.
17. Channel 13 News is extremely better than all the other crappy news stations.
16. I don’t listen to the radio.
15. I love telling stories.
14. I make a lot of hand-drawn cards for birthdays, half-birthdays, Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, International Polar Bear Day, etc.
13. I hate wearing my glasses so much.  Not because of how they look or anything, I just hate not being able to see absolutely everything perfectly.
12. I make lists of everything.
11. The very first real concert I ever went to was for Hilary Duff.
10. Animal crackers are the best.
9. I barely put any dressing on my salad.
8. My very first iPod died many times and suffered through several surgeries.  My dad and I were the surgeons.
7. I have no idea what career I want to go into.
6. I love nerdy jokes.  Oh so much.
5. I have to have something to look forward to everyday, wheter it’s skating, youth group, or I’m going to get a paper hung up on my locker.
4. Wheat bread tastes so much better than white bread.
3. Arthur (the TV show) taught me so many things.
2. I haven’t played my oboe in 8 months.

DRUMROLL PLEASE……………..

1. Up until today, I cubed numbers the stupid way by multiplying that number 3 times out.  Today, I learned that my calculater has a cube button, and it made my day.

 

So, how much did you learn about Ellie?

a drop in the ocean.

“A Drop in the Ocean” by The District is one of my favorite songs.  Yes, it did inspire me to name my blog after it.

A drop in the ocean
A change in the weather
I was praying that you and me might end up together
It’s like wishing for rain as I stand in the desert
But I’m holding you closer than most,
Cause you are my heaven.

I don’t wanna waste the weekend
If you don’t love me, pretend a few more hours, then it’s time to go
As my train rolls down the east coast I wonder how you keep warm
It’s too late to cry
Too broken to move on
And still I can’t let you be
Most nights I hardly sleep
Don’t take what you don’t need from me

It’s just a drop in the ocean
A change in the weather
I was praying that you and me might end up together
It’s like wishing for rain as I stand in the desert
But I’m holding you closer than most,
Cause you are my heaven.

Misplaced trust and old friends
Never counting regrets
But a grace of god I do not rest at all
In new England as the leaves change
The last excuse I’ll claim, I was a boy who loved a woman like a little girl
And still I can’t let you be
Most nights I hardly sleep
Don’t take what you don’t need from me

It’s just a drop in the ocean
A change in the weather
I was praying that you and me might end up together
It’s like wishing for rain as I stand in the desert
But I’m holding you closer than most,
Cause you are my,

Heaven doesn’t seem far away anymore no no
Heaven doesn’t seem far away
Heaven doesn’t seem far away anymore no no
Heaven doesn’t seem far away

A drop in the ocean
A change in the weather
I was praying that you and me might end up together
It’s like wishing for rain as I stand in the desert
But I’m holding you closer than most,
Cause you are my heaven.

You are my heaven.