Comments on: Glimpse and Glance: Same or Different? http://www.dailywritingtips.com/glimpse-and-glance-same-or-different/ Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:00:10 -0600 hourly 1 By: Lisa http://www.dailywritingtips.com/glimpse-and-glance-same-or-different/comment-page-1/#comment-116750 Lisa Sun, 03 May 2009 09:18:33 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/glimpse-and-glance-same-or-different/#comment-116750 I read somewhere that they both mean 'to take a brief look', but that 'glance' means doing so intentionally, and 'glimpse' unintentionally. Is this true? I read somewhere that they both mean ‘to take a brief look’, but that ‘glance’ means doing so intentionally, and ‘glimpse’ unintentionally. Is this true?

]]> By: Roshawn http://www.dailywritingtips.com/glimpse-and-glance-same-or-different/comment-page-1/#comment-2820 Roshawn Tue, 09 Oct 2007 03:25:45 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/glimpse-and-glance-same-or-different/#comment-2820 I'll definitely have to remember this one. It's details like these that separate experienced writers from novices. I’ll definitely have to remember this one. It’s details like these that separate experienced writers from novices.

]]> By: Geoff Foster http://www.dailywritingtips.com/glimpse-and-glance-same-or-different/comment-page-1/#comment-2814 Geoff Foster Tue, 09 Oct 2007 00:44:15 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/glimpse-and-glance-same-or-different/#comment-2814 This post reminds me of something that I have become increasingly concerned about: the incautious use of a thesaurus (particularly that in Microsoft Word). This is what it says for 'glimpse'; first, in the literal sense: sight, peep, quick look, peek, <strong>glance</strong>, shufti. Then, in the figurative sense: hint, foretaste, indication, pointer, sign, preview. My editing clients (often students from non-English-speaking backgrounds) try valiantly to write good prose; however, many of them have been given the concept of 'elegant variation', so they turn to the thesaurus to spice their writing up a bit. How can they be expected to sense the subtle differences of meaning that a native speaker has been refining for a long time? So, I'm presented with sentences whose meaning has been made completely obscure. Fortunately, I'm fond of cryptic crossword puzzles, so I can regard their disentanglement as fun! This post reminds me of something that I have become increasingly concerned about: the incautious use of a thesaurus (particularly that in Microsoft Word).

This is what it says for ‘glimpse’; first, in the literal sense: sight, peep, quick look, peek, glance, shufti.

Then, in the figurative sense: hint, foretaste, indication, pointer, sign, preview.

My editing clients (often students from non-English-speaking backgrounds) try valiantly to write good prose; however, many of them have been given the concept of ‘elegant variation’, so they turn to the thesaurus to spice their writing up a bit.

How can they be expected to sense the subtle differences of meaning that a native speaker has been refining for a long time?

So, I’m presented with sentences whose meaning has been made completely obscure.

Fortunately, I’m fond of cryptic crossword puzzles, so I can regard their disentanglement as fun!

]]>