Comments on: Verbification at Work

By: Eric C

Eric C — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:20:20 +0000

depends on how it rolls off the tongue. Healthify makes me want to throw up.

By: Precise Edit

Precise Edit — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:55:57 +0000

“Beautify” is common, “uglify” less so. But if one is acceptable, why not the other?

On the other hand, I will resist “fryify,” which, I suppose, is the action of making something fried. The problem here is making a new verb form from an existing verb.

Ain’t language fun?

By: Stephen POWELL

Stephen POWELL — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 23:50:56 +0000

Your item on the word “healthify” reminds me of my dislike for food that is described as “healthy” when I feel that “healthful” should be used.
Yes, the chicken looked very healthy when it was running round the farmer’s yard, but now that it sits fully cooked on the table I prefer to think of how healthful it will be.

By: Bernadette

Bernadette — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:10:42 +0000

Is it all a case of laziness, or is it a case of trying to ‘sound important’, or a little bit of both?

Either way, I’ll take the extra couple of seconds and formulate a sentence instead of making up a word.

By: Jon

Jon — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:47:06 +0000

In time, perhaps use of “friendify” instead of “befriend” will die out.

Language evolvifies and adaptifies with the times.

I’m sure there was much wailifying and gnashification of teeth (gnashifying?) when the verbs “to telex” and “to fax” entered the language.

Both are fadifying away into archaic relics.