(#wordnerd #Englishnerd #rhetcomp factoid of the day: that sentence above is an example of a chiasmus ;)

You'll see chiastic patterns in a lot of sonnets and poems.)

The city of Adelanto, CA has one of the most brutally honest mottos I've ever seen. It's the City WITH Unlimited Possibilities.

#EnglishNerd #Funny #California

The city of Adelanto, California has one of the most brutally honest and funny mottos I've seen. It'd be even funnier if it was unintentionally honest.

Adelanto bills itself as the City with Unlimited Possibilities.

#EnglishNerd #Funny #California #SoCal

Spotted today: "…used a different tact in February."

The word "tact" was used incorrectly. The term "tack" is what the author (or editor) should have chosen.

To "change tack" has nautical origins, meaning adjusting sails with ropes called "tacks" in order to change direction. A sailing ship can "tack" into the wind, zig-zagging back and forth, using its sails as an airfoil.

The word "tact" is used to refer to diplomacy, politeness, or discretion, not a direction. There is only tact, not different tacts.

#LanguageNerd #EnglishNerd #Proofreading #Pedantry

@simoleon

"Hence why" is not a proper use of either "hence" or "why."

It's superfluous to say "hence, that is why..."

Better:

Many people don't learn how to speak English properly, Hence, they use meaningless phrases like "hence why."

#EnglishNerd