Pronouns are used to replace nouns within sentences, making them less repetitive and mechanic. For example, saying “Mary didn’t go to school because Mary was sick” doesn’t sound very good. Instead, if you say “Mary didn’t go to school because she was sick” it will make the sentence flow better. There are several types of … Read more
Fuzzy (fŭz’ē) is an adjective. While it can also mean covered with fuzz, it is more widely used to indicate something that is not clear, confused or not coherent. The fuzzy logic, for example, is a branch of mathematics that deals with computational representation of inexact values. Yet innovation remains a frustratingly fuzzy notion. (The … Read more
It is easy to confuse adverse and averse but their meanings are totally different. Adverse means unfavorable, contrary or hostile, and can never be applied to humans. You often hear it used in the term ‘adverse weather conditions’, a phrase which is best avoided in favor of ‘bad weather’. Averse means unwilling or disinclined or … Read more
Even as scientists explore Quantum Theory, ancient practices for divining the future continue to flourish. Ronald and Nancy Reagan regularly consulted astrologers, and many newspaper readers check the astrology column before looking at anything else. Tarot readers and palm readers make a living at it. Here are some words writers might want to use in … Read more
English is blessed with many homophones: one of two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning or derivation or spelling (as all and awl; to, too, and two; rite, write, right, and wright) — called also homonym (Merriam Webster Unabridged Dictionary) The sound of long o is especially rich in alternate spellings. Such … Read more
The history of the names of the days of the week is a tangled one. The Greeks named the days of the week after their gods, but when the Romans were supreme, they substituted the names of their favorite gods for the original Greek names. However, with English being a Germanic language, it’s perhaps no … Read more