Login vs log in

A firm I do business with sent email that said, "Login to view your account information." I logged in, and when I had logged out again, it said, "You have logged out." If they wanted to be consistent, thy would have said, "You have logouted."

For understandable reasons we use the term "login" as a noun that means the action and consequences of logging in. The verb, however, remains two words. Thus, they should have said, "Log in to view your account information." 

You and your

A recent letter from STC asks me to renew my membership. It says, "We look forward to you renewing your membership." 

STC is a fine organization. It diligently advances the profession of technical communication. Even in good times it helps us sharpen our professional saw. In hard economic times like these, it provides essential networking and support. Sentences like the one in the renewal solicitation, however, leave careful writers shaking their heads.

Some consider the use of possessive case in such sentences arcane -- a sign that the distinction may be on the way out. For now, though, the letter should say, "We look forward to your renewing your membership."

Sadly, hopefully

A couple of posts ago I began a sentence with "Sadly, I hear . . .."  Like similar sentences that start with "hopefully," this seemingly incorrect use of an adverb is not going away. I won't say it's correct, but hopefully, people will stop arguing about it.

Both . . .

Listening to the radio today, I heard an actor discussing two roles he has played. "Both characters are similar," he said.

The plural construction is correct, but to my ear, "both" suggests that they are doing something similarly, not that they are similar. 

I would have been happier if the actor had said, "The two characters are similar."

A similar example comes up in descriptions of negotiations. For example, "Both sides have conflicting objectives . . ." would sound better as "The two sides . . .."

Myself

The word "myself" is a reflexive pronoun. Correct uses include the following:

• I shot myself in the foot.
  
• Nobody helped me make the bread, so I ate it all myself.
• I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter.

Sadly, I hear a lot of incorrect uses -- as a substitute for "me," or even "I."  For example, I have heard the following (slightly changed to protect the guilty):

• When you're done with that, give it to Bill or myself.
• Myself and John went to the concert.
  

Well known, educated people spoke the undisguised versions of the above.

Adverbial and adjectival phrases

In high school in the 1950s, I learned that "due to" begins an adjectival phrase, not an adverbial phrase. Thus, "The delay is due to circumstances beyond our control" is correct, but "Due to circumstances beyond our control, the game is delayed" is incorrect. 

I can see that few people observe this distinction anymore, but I nearly fell out of my chair the day I heard stock guru Jim Cramer mention it in passing.

A common misuse of an adverbial phrase occurs in sentences that start with "Firstly . . ." or "More importantly . . .." First, let me point out that "firstly" would be incorrect at the start of this sentence. More important, "more importantly" would be wrong at the start of this one.