A reader asks: Could you tell me which is more appropriate or how it is used: snuck vs sneeked – He snuck across the border. The word snuck as the simple past of sneak is regarded with disdain by many speakers and writers. The correct principal parts, they will argue, are:sneak/sneaked/(have) sneaked: Let’s watch him … Read more
Maria Cypher wrote: Can you weigh in on whether the “h” in -wh- words (e.g., whether, white, overwhelmed) should be pronounced? This seems to be a regional thing, but I say yes, yes, yes! (And then my friends and relatives mock me.) I’m with you, Maria. At least I am on many words that begin … Read more
In researching words for drunkenness, I was appalled by how many I found. Clearly words to denote various states of alcoholic stupor are in frequent demand. Here are a few of the terms, categorized according to degrees of drunkenness. Some are more literary than others. mildly drunk tipsy silly tight woozy drunk inebriated intoxicated tanked … Read more
In the parlance of fiction writing, a character tag is a repetitive verbal device used to identify a character in the mind of the reader. More than a simple description, a character tag calls to mind aspects of the character’s personality and uniqueness. Uriah Heep’s clammy hands, his constant hand rubbing, and his use of … Read more
A reader has asked about “the correct use of the words run vs. ran.” Run is one of those words that can be either a noun or a verb. As a verb, the principal parts of run are: run, ran, (have) run. Today I run. Yesterday I ran. I have run for twenty minutes. NOTE: … Read more
The time we all have been waiting has finally come. The eleven (yes we had a tie in one round) most voted stories in the ten qualifying rounds are now competing head to head for the grand winner title. If you have not already, make sure to read them. Some are funny, others are intriguing, … Read more
A quaint, but still useful term of interest to writers is the expression will o’ the wisp. The literal sense of will o’ the wisp is “a phosphorescent light that occurs over marshy ground.” It flits about and, according to observers, seems to retreat as one approaches it. The Latin term for this mysterious, elusive … Read more
It’s the rare media mention of Wall Street con man Bernie Madoff that doesn’t contain the word “rat” in some context. Bernard Madoff is an evil crook – but apparently not a rat. The Big Rat’s off to the Big House for Life, What About the Little Rats? Madoff may rat out co-conspirators They [Mr. … Read more
One of the advantages of belonging to a writers’ group is that every member has different strengths and areas of expertise. As a result, we are continually learning from one another. For example, I learned about Deep POV (Point of View) from one of my colleagues. I was already familiar with First Person, Third Person, … Read more
A reader writes: In church, our liturgy has traditionally used a phrase such as “Thou Who sittest at the right hand of God the Father” to refer to Jesus, singular. As we have changed over from using the King James Bible translation, we have also gradually changed from use of “thee” and “thou” and the … Read more
As prepositions, the words toward and towards both have the following meanings: in the direction of facing with regard to as a help to NOTE: toward/towards have numerous other meanings and can be used as adjectives as well as prepositions. This post is concerned with their use as prepositions. Question The question is, if they … Read more
You experts in SEO out there will laugh, but I had never heard the expression “in the long tail” until I came across this sentence on a site devoted to that subject: Fresh and relevant content is becoming more and more important to SEO and establishing rankings, both for money terms and in the long … Read more