密歇根新闻广播 回答一些经常让我们迷糊的问题

We get tons of great questions about language from our listeners. The problem is we only get to answer one or two per week.

This week, we're doing things a little differently. We give you the That's What They Say lightning round.

Question 1: What's the past tense of troubleshoot?

Troubleshot? Troubleshooted? Neither of those sound very good, though "troubleshot" tends to be the preference of usage¹ guides. For many of us, it's probably easier just to find a way around this one -- e.g. "I did some troubleshooting yesterday."

Question 2: What's the difference between "farther" and "further"?

Some usage guides try to make the distinction that "farther" should be used for physical distances, while "further" should be used for figurative distance. But it's not always easy to determine whether something is figurative. For example, if something you're reading is very upsetting and you need to stop, do you say "I can't read any further" or "I can't read any farther"?

The truth is, many of us use "farther" and "further" interchangeably, and that's okay. Don't worry about this one.

Question 3: Why does "on accident" sound so wrong?

This is like asking someone if they prefer Facebook or Instagram. That is to say, your answer will probably give away your age. "On accident" tends to be the preference of the younger set, while the more, ahem, mature crowd leans toward "by accident." English Professor Anne Curzan says, "The younger people are going to win on this one."

Question 4: Is the use of "anymore" in the following sentence a legitimate² use? "Anymore, the job opportunities in the auto-industry aren't there."

This is what linguists³ call positive "anymore," and it generally means "nowadays." Sometimes it's used to show a shift. For example, "Gas is expensive anymore." That is, gas is more expensive nowadays than it was in the past.

Some of us can only use "anymore" when it's paired with "not" -- "I'm not going to do that anymore." However, positive "anymore" is scattered⁴ throughout the U.S., including Michigan. That makes as legitimate as anything else, right?

Question 5: Where does the apostrophe go in "Mother's Day"?

Obviously, you can already see the answer. Between the "r" and the "s" is the most standard apostrophe placement for this holiday. The woman primarily responsible for creating it, Anna Jarvis, wanted it to be a celebration of each and every mother, thus the use of singular "Mother."

However, there are other spellings that put the apostrophe after the "s" and others that simply leave it out altogether. Personally, we feel that today is a day to celebrate all mothers regardless of apostrophe preference. So, happy Mother's/s'/s Day!

1 usage   

n.惯用法，使用，用法

参考例句：

• I am clear about the usage of this word at last.这个词的用法我算是弄明白了。
• The usage is now firmly established.这种用法现已得到确认。

2 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

3 linguists   

n.通晓数国语言的人( linguist的名词复数 )；语言学家

参考例句：

• The linguists went to study tribal languages in the field. 语言学家们去实地研究部落语言了。 来自辞典例句
• The linguists' main interest has been to analyze and describe languages. 语言学家的主要兴趣一直在于分析并描述语言。 来自辞典例句

4 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。