4
HOW TO TALK ABOUT DOCTORS
( Sessions 4–6 )

SESSION 4

In this chapter we discuss ten medical specialists—what they do, how they do it, what they are called.

IDEAS

1. what's wrong with you?

To find out what ails you and why, this specialist gives you a thorough physical examination, using an impressive array of tests: X ray, blood chemistry, urinalysis, cardiogram, and so on.

An internist

2. female troubles?

This specialist treats the female reproductive and sexual organs.

A gynecologist

3. having a baby?

This specialist delivers babies and takes care of the mother during and immediately after the period of her pregnancy.

An obstetrician

4. is your baby ill?

You know the common childhood maladies—mumps, whooping cough, chicken pox, measles. This specialist limits his practice to youngsters, taking care of babies directly after birth, supervising their diet and watching over their growth and development, giving them the series of inoculations that has done so much to decrease infant mortality, and soothing their anxious parents.

A pediatrician

5. skin clear?

You have heard the classic riddle: “What is the best use for pigskin?” Answer: “To keep the pig together.” Human skin has a similar purpose: it is, if we get down to fundamentals, what keeps us all in one piece. And our outer covering, like so many of our internal organs, is subject to diseases and infections of various kinds, running the gamut from simple acne and eczemas through impetigo, psoriasis, and cancer. There is a specialist who treats all such skin diseases.

A dermatologist

6. eyes okay?

The physician whose specialty is disorders of vision (myopia, astigmatism, cataracts, glaucoma, etc.) may prescribe glasses, administer drugs, or perform surgery.

An ophthalmologist

7. how are your bones?

This specialist deals with the skeletal structure of the body, treating bone fractures, slipped discs, clubfoot, curvature of the spine, dislocations of the hip, etc., and may correct a condition either by surgery or by the use of braces or other appliances.

An orthopedist

8. does your heart go pitter-patter?

This specialist treats diseases of the heart and circulatory system.

A cardiologist

9. is your brain working?

This physician specializes in the treatment of disorders of the brain, spinal cord, and the rest of the nervous system.

A neurologist

10. are you neurotic?

This specialist attempts to alleviate mental and emotional disturbances by means of various techniques, occasionally drugs or electroshock, more often private or group psychotherapy.

A psychiatrist

USING THE WORDS

Can you pronounce the words?

Words take on a new color if you hear them in your own voice; they begin to belong to you more personally, more intimately, than if you merely hear or read them. As always, therefore, say the words aloud to take the first, crucial step toward complete mastery.

1. internist	in-TURN′-ist
2. gynecologist	gīn ( or jin or jīn)- Ə -KOL′- Ə -jist
3. obstetrician	ob-st Ə -TRISH′- Ə n
4. pediatrician	pee′-dee- Ə -TRISH′- Ə n
5. dermatologist	dur-m Ə -TOL′- Ə -jist
6. ophthalmologist	off-thal-MOL′- Ə -jist
7. orthopedist	awr-th Ə -PEE′-dist
8. cardiologist	kahr-dee-OL′- Ə -jist
9. neurologist	noor-OL′- Ə -jist
10. psychiatrist	sī ( or s Ə )-KĪ′- Ə -trist

Can you work with the words?

Match each doctor to the field.

FIELDS	DOCTORS
1. mental or emotional disturbances	a. internist
2. nervous system	b. gynecologist
3. skin	c. obstetrician
4. diagnosis; internal organs	d. pediatrician
5. infants	e. dermatologist
6. female reproductive organs	f. ophthalmologist
7. eyes	g. orthopedist
8. heart	h. cardiologist
9. pregnancy, childbirth	i. neurologist
10. skeletal system	j. psychiatrist

Do you understand the words?

Can you recall the words?

Write the name of the specialist you might visit or be referred to:

( End of session 4 )

SESSION 5

ORIGINS AND RELATED WORDS

1. inside you

Internist and internal derive from the same Latin root, internus , inside. The internist is a specialist in internal medicine, in the exploration of your insides. This physician determines the state of your internal organs in order to discover what's happening within your body to cause the troubles you're complaining of.

Do not confuse the internist with the intern (also spelled interne ), who is a medical graduate serving an apprenticeship inside a hospital.

2. doctors for women

The word gynecologist is built on Greek gyne , woman, plus logos , science; etymologically, gynecology is the science (in actual use, the medical science) of women. Adjective: gynecological (gīn [ or jin or jīn]- Ə -k Ə -LOJ′- Ə -k Ə l).

Obstetrician derives from Latin obstetrix , midwife, which in turn has its source in a Latin verb meaning to stand —midwives stand in front of the woman in labor to aid in the delivery of the infant.

The suffix - ician , as in obstetrician, physician, musician, magician, electrician , etc., means expert.

Obstetrics (ob-STET′-riks) has only within the last 150 years become a respectable specialty. No further back than 1834, Professor William P. Dewees assumed the first chair of obstetrics at the University of Pennsylvania and had to brave considerable medical contempt and ridicule as a result—the delivery of children was then considered beneath the dignity of the medical profession.

Adjective: obstetric (ob-STET′-rik) or obstetrical (ob-STET′-r Ə -k Ə l).

3. children

Pediatrician is a combination of Greek paidos , child; iatreia , medical healing; and - ician , expert.

Pediatrics (pee-dee-AT′-riks), then, is by etymology the medical healing of a child. Adjective: pediatric (pee-dee-AT′-rik).

(The ped - you see in words like pedestal, pedal , and pedestrian is from the Latin pedis , foot, and despite the identical spelling in English has no relationship to Greek paidos. )

Pedagogy (PED- Ə -gō′-jee), which combines paidos with agogos , leading, is, etymologically, the leading of children. And to what do you lead them? To learning, to development, to growth, to maturity. From the moment of birth, infants are led by adults—they are taught, first by parents and then by teachers, to be self-sufficient, to fit into the culture in which they are born. Hence, pedagogy , which by derivation means the leading of a child , refers actually to the principles and methods of teaching. College students majoring in education take certain standard pedagogy courses—the history of education; educational psychology; the psychology of adolescents; principles of teaching; etc. Adjective: pedagogical (ped- Ə -GOJ′- Ə -k Ə l).

A pedagogue (PED′- Ə -gog) is versed in pedagogy. But pedagogue has an unhappy history. From its original, neutral meaning of teacher , it has deteriorated to the point where it refers, today, to a narrow-minded, strait-laced, old-fashioned, dogmatic teacher. It is a word of contempt and should be used with caution.

Like pedagogue, demagogue (DEM′- Ə -gog) has also deteriorated in meaning. By derivation a leader ( agogos ) of the people ( demos ), a demagogue today is actually one who attempts, in essence, to mislead the people, a politician who foments discontent among the masses, rousing them to fever pitch by wild oratory, in an attempt to be voted into office.

Once elected, demagogues use political power to further their own personal ambitions or fortunes.

Many “leaders” of the past and present, in countries around the world, have been accused of demagoguery (dem- Ə -GOG′- Ə -ree). Adjective: demagogic (dem- Ə -GOJ′-ik).

4. skin-deep

The dermatologist , whose specialty is dermatology (dur-m Ə -TOL′- Ə -jee), is so named from Greek derma , skin. Adjective: dermatological (dur′-m Ə -t Ə -LOJ′- Ə -k Ə l).

See the syllables derma in any English word and you will know there is some reference to skin —for example, a hypodermic (hī-p Ə -DUR′-mik) needle penetrates under (Greek, hypos ) the skin; the epidermis (ep- Ə -DUR′-mis) is the outermost layer of skin; a taxidermist (TAKS′- Ə -dur-mist), whose business is taxidermy (TAKS′- Ə -dur-mee), prepares, stuffs, and mounts the skins of animals; a pachyderm (PAK′- Ə -durm) is an animal with an unusually thick skin , like an elephant, hippopotamus, or rhinoceros; and dermatitis (dur-m Ə -TĪ′-tis) is the general name for any skin inflammation, irritation, or infection.

5. the eyes have it

Ophthalmologist —note the ph preceding th —is from Greek ophthalmos , eye, plus logos , science or study. The specialty is ophthalmology (off′-thal-MOL′- Ə -jee), the adjective ophthalmological (off′-thal-m Ə -LOJ′- Ə -k Ə l).

An earlier title for this physician, still occasionally used, is oculist (OK′-y Ə -list), from Latin oculus , eye, a root on which the following English words are also built:

1. ocular (OK′-y Ə -l Ə r)—an adjective that refers to the eye

2. monocle (MON′- Ə -k Ə l)—a lens for one ( monos ) eye, sported by characters in old movies as a symbol of the British so-called upper class

3. binoculars (b Ə -NOK′-y Ə -l Ə rz)—field glasses that increase the range of two ( bi -) eyes

4. And, strangely enough, inoculate (in-OK′-y Ə -layt′), a word commonly misspelled with two n's. When you are inoculated against a disease, an “eye,” puncture, or hole is made in your skin, through which serum is injected.

Do not confuse the ophthalmologist or oculist , a medical specialist, with two other practitioners who deal with the eye—the optometrist (op-TOM′- Ə -trist) and optician (op-TISH′- Ə n).

Optometrists are not physicians, and do not perform surgery or administer drugs; they measure vision, test for glaucoma, and prescribe and fit glasses.

Opticians fill an optometrist's or ophthalmologist's prescription, grinding lenses according to specifications; they do not examine patients.

Optometrist combines Greek opsis, optikos , sight or vision, with metron , measurement—the optometrist , by etymology, is one who measures vision. The specialty is optometry (op-TOM′- Ə -tree).

Optician is built on opsis, optikos , plus - ician , expert. The specialty is optics (OP′-tiks).

Adjectives: optometric (op-t Ə -MET′-rik) or optometrical (op-t Ə -MET′-r Ə -k Ə l), optical (OP′-t Ə -k Ə l).

REVIEW OF ETYMOLOGY

PREFIX, ROOT, SUFFIX	MEANING
1. internus	inside
EXAMPLE ___________
2. gyne	woman
EXAMPLE ___________
3. obstetrix	midwife
EXAMPLE ___________
4. paidos	child
EXAMPLE ___________
5. pedis	foot
EXAMPLE ___________
6. agogos	leading, leader
EXAMPLE ___________
7. demos	people
EXAMPLE ___________
8. derma	skin
EXAMPLE ___________
9. hypos	under
EXAMPLE ___________
10. ophthalmos	eye
EXAMPLE ___________
11. oculus	eye
EXAMPLE ___________
12. monos	one
EXAMPLE ___________
13. bi -	two
EXAMPLE ___________
14. - ician	expert
EXAMPLE ___________
15. opsis, optikos	vision, sight
EXAMPLE ___________
16. metron	measurement
EXAMPLE ___________

USING THE WORDS

Can you pronounce the words? (I)

1. intern ( e )	IN′-turn
2. gynecology	gīn- Ə -KOL′- Ə -jee, jin- Ə -KOL′- Ə -jee, or jīn- Ə -KOL′- Ə -jee
3. gynecological	gīn- Ə -k Ə -LOJ′- Ə -k Ə l, jin- Ə -k Ə -LOJ′- Ə -k Ə l or jīn- Ə -k Ə -LOJ- Ə -k Ə l
4. obstetrics	ob-STET′-riks
5. obstetric	ob-STET′-rik
6. obstetrical	ob-STET′-r Ə -k Ə l
7. pediatrics	pee-dee-AT′-riks
8. pediatric	pee-dee-AT′-rik
9. pedagogy	PED′- Ə -gō-jee
10. pedagogical	ped- Ə -GOJ′- Ə -k Ə l
11. pedagogue	PED′- Ə -gog
12. demagogue	DEM′- Ə -gog
13. demagoguery	dem- Ə -GOG′- Ə -ree
14. demagogic	dem- Ə -GOJ′-ik

Can you pronounce the words? (II)

1. dermatology	dur-m Ə -TOL′- Ə -jee
2. dermatological	dur′-m Ə -t Ə -LOJ′- Ə -k Ə l
3. hypodermic	hī-p Ə -DURM′-ik
4. epidermis	ep- Ə -DUR′-mis
5. taxidermist	TAKS′- Ə -dur-mist
6. taxidermy	TAKS′- Ə -dur-mee
7. pachyderm	PAK′- Ə -durm
8. dermatitis	dur-m Ə -TĪ′-tis
9. ophthalmology	off-thal-MOL′- Ə -jee
10. ophthalmological	off′-thal-m Ə -LOJ′- Ə -k Ə l
11. oculist	OK′-y Ə -list
12. ocular	OK′-y Ə -l Ə r
13. monocle	MON′- Ə -k Ə l
14. binoculars	b Ə -NOK′-y Ə -l Ə rz
15. inoculate	in-OK′-y Ə -layt′
16. optometrist	op-TOM′- Ə -trist
17. optometry	op-TOM′- Ə -tree
18. optometric	op-t Ə -MET′-rik
19. optometrical	op-t Ə -MET′-r Ə -k Ə l
20. optician	op-TISH′- Ə n
21. optics	OP′-tiks
22. optical	OP-t Ə -k Ə l

Can you work with the words? (I)

1. gynecology	a. principles of teaching
2. obstetrics	b. stuffing of skins of animals
3. pediatrics	c. specialty dealing with the delivery of newborn infants
4. pedagogy	d. stirring up discontent among the masses
5. demagoguery	e. treatment of skin diseases
6. dermatology	f. specialty dealing with women's diseases
7. taxidermy	g. specialty dealing with the treatment of children

Can you work with the words? (II)

1. hypodermic	a. elephant
2. epidermis	b. eye doctor
3. pachyderm	c. under the skin
4. dermatitis	d. one who measures vision
5. ophthalmologist	e. lens grinder
6. optometrist	f. outer layer of skin
7. optician	g. inflammation of the skin

Do you understand the words?

Can you recall the words?

( End of Session 5 )

SESSION 6

ORIGINS AND RELATED WORDS

1. the straighteners

The orthopedist is so called from the Greek roots orthos , straight or correct, and paidos , child. The orthopedist , by etymology, straightens children. The term was coined in 1741 by the author of a textbook on the prevention of childhood diseases—at that time the correction of spinal curvature in children was a main concern of practitioners of orthopedics (awr-th Ə -PEE′-diks).

Today the specialty treats deformities, injuries, and diseases of the bones and joints (of adults as well as children, of course), often by surgical procedures.

Adjective: orthopedic (awr-th Ə -PEE′-dik).

Orthodontia (awr-th Ə -DON′-sh Ə ), the straightening of teeth, is built on orthos plus odontos , tooth. The orthodontist (awr-th Ə -DON′-tist) specializes in improving your “bite,” retracting “buck teeth,” and by means of braces and other techniques seeing to it that every molar, incisor, bicuspid, etc. is exactly where it belongs in your mouth.

Adjective: orthodontic (awr-th Ə -DON′-tik).

2. the heart

Cardiologist combines Greek kardia , heart, and logos , science.

The specialty is cardiology (kahr-dee-OL′- Ə -jee), the adjective cardiological (kahr′-dee- Ə -LOJ′- Ə -k Ə l).

So a cardiac (KAHR′-dee-ak) condition refers to some malfunctioning of the heart; a cardiogram (KAHR′-dee- Ə -gram′) is an electrically produced record of the heartbeat. The instrument that produces this record is called a cardiograph (KAHR′-dee- Ə -graf′).

3. the nervous system

Neurologist derives from Greek neuron , nerve, plus logos , science.

Specialty: neurology (n r-OL′- Ə -jee); adjective: neurological (n r- Ə -LOJ′- Ə -k Ə l).

Neuralgia (n r-AL′-ja) is acute pain along the nerves and their branches; the word comes from neuron plus algos , pain.

Neuritis (n r-Ī-tis), is inflammation of the nerves.

Neurosis (n r-Ō′-sis), combining neuron with - osis , a suffix meaning abnormal or diseased condition , is not, despite its etymology, a disorder of the nerves, but rather, as described by the late Eric Berne, a psychiatrist, “… an illness characterized by excessive use of energy for unproductive purposes so that personality development is hindered or stopped. A man who spends most of his time worrying about his health, counting his money, plotting revenge, or washing his hands, can hope for little emotional growth.”

Neurotic (n r-OT′-ik) is both the adjective form and the term for a person suffering from neurosis.

4. the mind

A neurosis is not a form of mental unbalance. A full-blown mental disorder is called a psychosis (sī-KŌ′-sis), a word built on Greek psyche , spirit, soul, or mind, plus - osis.

A true psychotic (sī-KOT′-ik) has lost contact with reality—at least with reality as most of us perceive it, though no doubt psychotic (note that this word, like neurotic , is both a noun and an adjective) people have their own form of reality.

Built on psyche plus iatreia , medical healing, a psychiatrist by etymology is a mind-healer. The specialty is psychiatry (sī- or s Ə -KĪ- Ə -tree); the adjective is psychiatric (sī-kee-AT′-rik).

Pediatrics , as you know, is also built on iatreia , as is podiatry (p Ə -DĪ′- Ə -tree), discussed in the next chapter, and geriatrics (jair′-ee-AT′-riks), the specialty dealing with the particular medical needs of the elderly. (This word combines iatreia with Greek geras , old age.)

The specialist is a geriatrician (jair′-ee- Ə -TRISH′- Ə n), the adjective is geriatric (jair′-ee-AT′-rik).

REVIEW OF ETYMOLOGY

ROOT, SUFFIX	MEANING
1. orthos	straight, correct
EXAMPLE _____________
2. paidos ( ped -)	child
EXAMPLE _____________
3. odontos	tooth
EXAMPLE _____________
4. kardia	heart
EXAMPLE _____________
5. logos	science; study
EXAMPLE _____________
6. neuron	nerve
EXAMPLE _____________
7. algos	pain
EXAMPLE _____________
8. - osis	abnormal or diseased condition
EXAMPLE _____________
9. - itis	inflammation
EXAMPLE _____________
10. psyche	spirit, soul, mind
EXAMPLE _____________
11. iatreia	medical healing
EXAMPLE _____________
12. geras	old age
EXAMPLE _____________

USING THE WORDS

Can you pronounce the words (I)

1. orthopedics	awr-th Ə -PEE′-diks
2. orthopedic	awr-th Ə -PEE′-dik
3. orthodontia	awr-th Ə -DON′-sh Ə
4. orthodontist	awr-th Ə -DON′-tist
5. orthodontic	awr-th Ə -DON′-tik
6. cardiology	kahr-dee-OL′- Ə -jee
7. cardiological	kahr′-dee- Ə -LOJ′- Ə -k Ə l
8. cardiac	KAHR′-dee-ak
9. cardiogram	KAHR′-dee- Ə -gram′
10. cardiograph	KAHR′-dee- Ə -graf′

Can you pronounce the words? (II)

1. neurology	n r-OL′- Ə -jee
2. neurological	n r- Ə -LOJ′- Ə -k Ə l
3. neuralgia	n r-AL′-j Ə
4. neuritis	n r-Ī′-tis
5. neurosis	n r-Ō′-sis
6. neurotic	n r-OT′-ik
7. psychosis	sī-KŌ′-sis
8. psychotic	sī-KOT′-ik
9. psychiatry	sī- or s Ə -KĪ′- Ə -tree
10. psychiatric	sī-kee-AT′-rik
11. geriatrics	jair′-ee-AT′-riks
12. geriatrician	jair′-ee- Ə -TRISH′- Ə n
13. geriatric	jair′-ee-AT′-rik

Can you work with the words? (I)

1. orthopedics	a. nerve pain
2. orthodontia	b. specialty dealing with medical problems of the elderly
3. neuralgia	c. straightening of teeth
4. neuritis	d. inflammation of the nerves
5. geriatrics	e. treatment of skeletal deformities

Can you work with the words? (II)

1. cardiogram	a. record of heart beats
2. cardiograph	b. mental unbalance
3. neurosis	c. emotional disturbance
4. psychosis	d. treatment of personality disorders
5. psychiatry	e. instrument for recording heartbeats

Do you understand the words?

Can you recall the words?

CHAPTER REVIEW

A. Do you recognize the words?

B. Can you recognize roots?

ROOT	MEANING
1. internus	________________
EXAMPLE internist
2. paidos ( ped -)	________________
EXAMPLE pediatrician
3. pedis	________________
EXAMPLE pedestrian
4. agogos	________________
EXAMPLE pedagogue
5. demos	________________
EXAMPLE demagogue
6. derma	________________
EXAMPLE dermatologist
7. hypos	________________
EXAMPLE hypodermic
8. ophthalmos	________________
EXAMPLE ophthalmologist
9. oculus	________________
EXAMPLE monocle
10. opsis, optikos	________________
EXAMPLE optician
11. metron	________________
EXAMPLE optometrist
12. orthos	________________
EXAMPLE orthopedist
13. odontos	________________
EXAMPLE orthodontist
14. kardia	________________
EXAMPLE cardiologist
15. logos	________________
EXAMPLE anthropologist
16. neuron	________________
EXAMPLE neurologist
17. algos	________________
EXAMPLE neuralgia
18. psyche	________________
EXAMPLE psychiatrist
19. iatreia	________________
EXAMPLE psychiatry
20. geras	________________
EXAMPLE geriatrics

TEASER QUESTIONS FOR THE AMATEUR ETYMOLOGIST

( Answers in Chapter 18 )

TWO KEYS TO SUCCESS: SELF-DISCIPLINE AND PERSISTENCE

You can achieve a superior vocabulary in a phenomenally short time—given self-discipline and persistence.

The greatest aid in building self-discipline is, as I have said, a matter of devising a practical and comfortable schedule for yourself and then keeping to that schedule.

Make sure to complete at least one session each time you pick up the book, and always decide exactly when you will continue with your work before you put the book down.

There may be periods of difficulty—then is the time to exert the greatest self-discipline, the most determined persistence.

For every page that you study will help you attain a mastery over words; every day that you work will add to your skill in understanding and using words.

( End of Session 6 )

— Brief Intermission Two —

RANDOM NOTES ON MODERN USAGE

English grammar is confusing enough as it is—what makes it doubly confounding is that it is slowly but continually changing.

This means that some of the strict rules you memorized so painfully in your high school or college English courses may no longer be completely valid.

Following such outmoded principles, you may think you are speaking “perfect” English, and instead you may sound stuffy and pedantic.

The problem boils down to this: If grammatical usage is gradually becoming more liberal, where does educated, unaffected, informal speech end? And where does illiterate, ungrammatical speech begin?

The following notes on current trends in modern usage are intended to help you come to a decision about certain controversial expressions. As you read each sentence, pay particular attention to the italicized word or words. Does the usage square with your own language patterns? Would you be willing to phrase your thought in just terms? Decide whether the sentence is right or wrong, then compare your conclusion with the opinion given in the explanatory paragraphs that follow the test.

TEST YOURSELF

1. If you drink too many vodka martinis, you will surely get sick.

RIGHT . The puristic objection is that get has only one meaning—namely, obtain. However, as any modern dictionary will attest, get has scores of different meanings, one of the most respectable of which is become. You can get tired, get dizzy, get drunk, or get sick—and your choice of words will offend no one but a pedant.

2. Have you got a dollar?

RIGHT . If purists get a little pale at the sound of “ get sick,” they turn chalk white when they hear have got as a substitute for have. But the fact is that have got is an established American form of expression. Jacques Barzun, noted author and literary critic, says: “ Have you got is good idiomatic English—I use it in speech without thinking about it and would write it if colloquialism seemed appropriate to the passage.”

3. No ones loves you except I.

WRONG . In educated speech, me follows the preposition except. This problem is troublesome because, to the unsophisticated, the sentence sounds as if it can be completed to “No one loves you, except I do,” but current educated usage adheres to the technical rule that a preposition requires an objective pronoun ( me ).

4. Please lay down.

WRONG . Liberal as grammar has become, there is still no sanction for using lay with the meaning of recline. Lay means to place, as in “ Lay your hand on mine.” Lie is the correct choice.

5. Who do you love?

RIGHT . “The English language shows some disposition to get rid of whom altogether, and unquestionably it would be a better language with whom gone.” So wrote Janet Rankin Aiken, of Columbia University, way back in 1936. Today, many decades later, the “disposition” has become a full-fledged force.

The rules for who and whom are complicated, and few educated speakers have the time, patience, or expertise to bother with them. Use the democratic who in your everyday speech whenever it sounds right.

6. Neither of these cars are worth the money.

WRONG . The temptation to use are in this sentence is, I admit, practically irresistible. However, “neither of” means “neither one of” and is , therefore, is the preferable verb.

7. The judge sentenced the murderer to be hung.

WRONG . A distinction is made, in educated speech, between hung and hanged. A picture is hung , but a person is hanged —that is, if such action is intended to bring about an untimely demise.

8. Mother, can I go out to play?

RIGHT . If you insist that your child say may , and nothing but may , when asking for permission, you may be considered puristic. Can is not discourteous, incorrect, or vulgar—and the newest editions of the authoritative dictionaries fully sanction the use of can in requesting rights, privileges, or permission.

9. Take two spoonsful of this medicine every three hours.

WRONG . There is a strange affection, on the part of some people, for spoonsful and cupsful , even though spoonsful and cupsful do not exist as acceptable words. The plurals are spoonfuls and cupfuls.

I am taking for granted, of course, that you are using one spoon and filling it twice. If, for secret reasons of your own, you prefer to take your medicine in two separate spoons, you may then properly speak of “two spoons full (not spoonsful ) of medicine.”

10. Your words seem to infer that Jack is a liar.

WRONG . Infer does not mean hint or suggest. Imply is the proper word; to infer is to draw a conclusion from another's words.

11. I will be happy to go to the concert with you.

RIGHT . In informal speech, you need no longer worry about the technical and unrealistic distinctions between shall and will. The theory of modern grammarians is that shall-will differences were simply invented out of whole cloth by the textbook writers of the 1800s. As the editor of the scholarly Modern Language Forum at the University of California has stated, “The artificial distinction between shall and will to designate futurity is a superstition that has neither a basis in historical grammar nor the sound sanction of universal usage.”

12. It is me.

RIGHT . This “violation” of grammatical “law” has been completely sanctioned by current usage. When the late Winston Churchill made a nationwide radio address from New Haven, Connecticut, many, many years ago, his opening sentence was: “This is me , Winston Churchill.” I imagine that the purists who were listening fell into a deep state of shock at these words, but of course Churchill was simply using the kind of down-to-earth English that had long since become standard in informal educated speech.

13. Go slow.

RIGHT . “Go slow ” is not, and never has been, incorrect English—every authority concedes that slow is an adverb as well as an adjective. Rex Stout, well-known writer of mystery novels and creator of Detective Nero Wolfe, remarked: “Not only do I use and approve of the idiom Go slow , but if I find myself with people who do not, I leave quick.”

14. Peggy and Karen are alumni of the same high school.

WRONG . As Peggy and Karen are obviously women, we call them alumnae ( Ə -LUM′-nee); only male graduates are alumni ( Ə -LUM′-nī).

15. I would like to ask you a question.

RIGHT . In current American usage, would may be used with I , though old-fashioned rules demand I should.

Indeed, in modern speech, should is almost entirely restricted to expressing probability, duty, or responsibility.

As in the case of the charitable-looking dowager who was approached by a seedy character seeking a handout.

“Madam,” he whined, “I haven't eaten in five days.”

“My good man,” the matron answered with great concern, “you should force yourself!” BoZ/L9GlD8GlAnwm6U+x1rg3XWzidGZYATdbk7VqQmmjNL9M+5g/WjIm2LR2AwvF