Wordy Wednesday: Expletive Sentences

What? Karianne is going to talk about expletives?? This seems so out of character. 

No folks, I am not referring to the kind of expletives you are most likely thinking of. I'm talking about the type of sentences that begin with "there is" or "there are."

For example, let's look at the following sentence: "There is a water bottle on my desk." This sentences portrays an example of expletive construction.

Believe me, you will see people using this type of sentence construction all. the. time. And while these sentences are not technically "wrong," they do reflect poor, lazy, and ambiguous writing.

You see, "there" is acting as a subject but doesn't have a clear antecedent and is essential just a filler work. A more clear way of writing the previous example sentence is to write "I keep a water bottle on my desk."

This diagrammed example is from mrclements.com (another great post).

Where did "there is" go?

Away.

Do we miss it?

No. 

Is the sentence more clear?

Yes, although the above example is not a great example. 

Do we have to figure out whether "there is" or "there are" is the correct usage? (Based on subject-verb agreement)

No. We've eliminated the poor usage, made the sentence stronger, and avoided the issue. 


So why do we keep using those darn expletives?!?! :)

Go ahead and take a look at Grammar Girl's well-researched explanation of the usage. She has some great examples and dives in a bit deeper than I do here.

P.S. The topic of expletive sentence construction was one that I first learned about in my business communications class in college. Sigh, that was one of my favorite classes. Good times, good times.

Don't Forget Anything! (Auto Reminders)

You know those nagging feelings that occasionally make themselves present until you finally follow up on something?

I had been having a set of those regarding my car registration for a couple weeks before I finally remembered when I was by my car to check my expiration date. I know, I know—this is a simple thing to check, but it would only cross my mind when I was far from my car. And when I say "far," I mean not immediately inside or standing outside the car. 

So I wasn't exactly surprised when I saw my registration was expired. Great. And I admit this happened to me last year as well. Turns out, if you don't move every year, you might actually get the renewal notice in the mail. 

I've got everything squared away, but this whole ordeal made me think of how I can best set up automatic reminders for things just like this. 

Google Calendar Reminders

If you are an avid Google user like I am (Gmail, Reader, Music, Play, Calendar), a Google Calendar reminder is a pretty safe way to go. I'm a little leery of relying on apps that I might not be using months from now. So, I've set up a reminder for the beginning of December for myself to get my registration on my radar. This will send me an e-mail and pop up on my account until I completely dismiss the reminder. Now I can sit back and relax about the issue until then. I've also set up periodic reminders for rent and phone payments, to check certain accounts, and for tracking personal goals.

Question: What apps or resources do you use for reminders or to help manage tasks?

About Me

Put simply, I'm a young professional (writing, editing, and publication design) striving to find a balance between my full-time job, side projects (Zumba and freelance), personal goals, friends, family, and sleeping! Really I think the best way to introduce myself is explain a little bit why I named this blog "Write, dream, sweat & beyond." Enjoy.

P.S. I've blogged for the past six years here. You can also find me on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

Write
I've always been a writer. For me, this simple task is one of the best ways to express what I'm thinking and feeling. When I took my first journalism class in high school, I knew I found a field I would enjoy and be successful in—and I stuck with it. My favorite thing about writing is the opportunity to learn new things and then break those subjects down to share with others. Aside from my professional work writing press releases, magazine articles, web content, etc., I enjoy writing about anything and everything I encounter in life. I'm sure that is reflected through my posts on this blog.

Dream
I'm a dreamer. I don't settle for the status quo. I love change and seek after it in my life. I always want to be something bigger and better. I always want to do something bigger and better. Sometimes I don't think my inadequate self will ever be able to accomplish everything I want to, but I'm learning to focus on the little things and rejoice in small victories. Some of my dreams? I want to start my own business. I want to retain financial security. I want to write a book. I want to be a professional presenter. I want to be a subject expert. (I pretty much want to be the next Grammar Girl.) I want to teach. I want to find the love of my life. I want to have a family of my own. I want to live free and embrace happiness.

Sweat
We have a dual meaning behind this one. The first meaning is that I'm not afraid of hard work. I know I'll encounter trials and hurdles to overcome. I know my dreams require immense effort on my part. And in my own way, with my own timing, I will work to make those things happen. The second meaning relates to my love for working out, and I fully admit that I sweat with the best of them. When I'm not writing, editing, or designing, you might find me teaching a Zumba Fitness class. I also hope to soon earn my group fitness instructor certification and explore the fitness world more from the instructing side. Over the years you may have seen me hitting the treadmill or in classes like kickboxing, step, yoga, or pump. I fully stand by the this quote from the movie Legally Blonde: "Exercise gives you endorphines. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands"

Beyond
I constantly find new things that I love and want to pursue. In life, we all change, grow, and progress, and I hope to never lose the role of that process in my life.