Comments | lhynard: On O vs. Oh!

lhynard

On O vs. Oh!

Dec 01, 2008 16:00

another minor English language pet peeve of mine ( Read more... )

punctuation, humor, anti-favorites, grammar

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Isn't "O how I..." correct? ext_179656 April 6 2009, 18:13:47 UTC

Isn't there an implied person who's the object of the "O" in "O how I melt from the ethylbutylene you apply to me"? (I didn't major in either chemistry or English.) What I'm saying is that I think this is like saying,

"O Yorick! How I melt..."

Re: Isn't "O how I..." correct? lhynard April 10 2009, 17:17:02 UTC

I suppose that's possible, but I don't think so.

Re: Isn't "O how I..." correct? ext_179656 June 19 2009, 00:53:57 UTC

This is one of my pet peeves, too. But I searched "O vs. oh" because I typed a sentence "O for the day when we'll need the sanctuary for a missions prayer meeting!" and wasn't sure it was right.
I know of a hymn, "O for a Heart to Praise my God" written by Charles Wesley. Surely HE used the word correctly! How does that fit in with your distinction?

Re: Isn't "O how I..." correct? ext_179656 June 19 2009, 01:08:11 UTC

I have been teaching this lesson to my best friend, who is a WONDERFUL writer and is getting better and better at grammar, and she was shocked. She didn't know there were two different words!
It's great to be able to point to a single Bible verse which uses both!
Psalm 7:9
Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
and may you establish the righteous --
you who test the minds and hearts,
O righteous God!

Re: Isn't "O how I..." correct? lhynard August 19 2009, 00:31:37 UTC

The issue with Charles Wesley is that modern hymnals often interchange O and oh. It wasn't Wesley's mistake.

Re: Isn't "O how I..." correct? ext_179656 February 4 2013, 17:52:07 UTC

How about "O Worship the King", by Robert Grant? I find a few sites that have "Oh" but the vast majority have "O." Another case where the vast majority have it wrong?

Re: Isn't "O how I..." correct? lhynard February 4 2013, 17:56:57 UTC

In that case, "O" might actually be okay, because it is part of a command, which has a similar vocative sense to it, that is, it is really "O you, worship the King.

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