For a wrong word, underline the
wrong word and write the correct one in the blank provided at the
end of the line. For a missing word,
mark the position of the missing word with a "∧" sign and write the word
you
believe to be missing in the blank provided at the
end of the line. For an unnecessary word, cross the
unnecessary word with a slash "—" and put the word in the blank
provid-
ed at the end of the line.
A subtle distinction in the way women are singled out by
the language is evident in the way that the same personality
(1) ______ trait is
characterized approvingly for one sex and denigrated for the other. However,
if a man is aggressive, he is considered
(2) ______ a go-getter, a serf-starter,
while a woman is considered pushy or a castrating bitch. If a woman
consistently agrees to her
(3) ______ boss, she will be thought
bright, a man will be called a yes-man
(4) ______ or an ass-licker. Many
of these discrepancies involve in words that deal directly
(5) ______ or indirectly in women’s
sexuality. In fact, one linguist has
(6) ______ even made the case "lady" is
used as a euphemism for
(7) ______ "woman," in
that "woman’’ implies at sexuality, while "lady"
(8) ______ is desexed.
Certainly, "woman" is a word that can imply the presence not only of sex, but
also of power, which "lady" cannot. A lady doctor or Ladies’ Lib would simply
be incongruous. Although women are used harshly by language, they are not
in their own turn allowed to using harsh language. Women’ s language
(9) ______ in
English, at least according to stereotype, does not contain swear words.
Robin Lakoff distinguished another character
(10) ______ of
women’s speech, the tag-form sentence: a statement of fact undercut by a
final question. "We are going tomorrow, aren’t we" "This is a terrific play,
isn’t it" Even when a woman is assertive, she often shows token of apparent
passivity, as ff all her assertions were only tentative.