A parenthetical phrase, sometimes called simply a parenthetical, is one that is not essential to the framing sentence. In the preceding sentence, the phrase “sometimes called simply a parenthetical” is itself a parenthetical because the segments of the sentence that precede and follow it can be attached to form a complete sentence without it: “A … Read more
What’s the difference between amiable and amicable? Their etymology is identical, but their senses are distinct. Amiable means “agreeable,” “friendly,” suggesting a person or an experience marked by a congenial personality or atmosphere: “He seems like the amiable sort”; “They were engaged in an amiable conversation.” The word ultimately derives from amicus, the Latin word … Read more
Words ending in -ade (or -cade) have a certain panache to them, often denoting a vivid action (including, frequently, military activities or endeavors) or a product or outcome of an action — hence several words referring to food or drink. Most terms in English are borrowed from the French suffix -ade, cognate with the Italian … Read more
Do you like Easter egg hunts? No, not the kind with puzzled toddlers and woven baskets and brightly colored candy and hardboiled eggs. The type of Easter egg in question is a hidden message or other feature in any piece of content or even a computer or software program. A variation on this theme is … Read more
What’s the difference between extraneous and superfluous? Are they redundant to each other, and how do these terms relate to redundant and other synonyms? Extraneous, which stems from the Latin term extraneus (related to strange), means “irrelevant” or “nonessential, or “coming from or existing outside.” Extravagant means “beyond what is reasonable or appropriate,” with multiple … Read more
The omission of commas in a sentence can damage its comprehensibility. Employed according to the statement’s structural requirements, they clarify the syntax and therefore the meaning. Here are three sentences repaired with the assistance of one or two of these punctuation marks. 1. “Egyptian boys held posters of Ahmed Hussein Eid who was fatally stabbed … Read more
Humor is in the eye (or, frequently, the ear) of the beholder, but if you prefer elegance in your entertainment and wish to find inspiration for your own mirthful musings, check out the works of these five twentieth-century titans of comic composition. 1. Robert Benchley Benchley was a master of parody and surreal humor, often … Read more
What’s the difference between corporal and corporeal, and what do these words have to do with other teams beginning with the syllable corp-? They are all of a body. As you may have guessed, most words beginning with the element corp- refer to a body, denoting either a human or animal’s mortal coil (as in … Read more
1. “It was a serious distraction and threat to more meaningful reform efforts.” Something is wrong with this sentence. To diagnose the problem, remove one of the noun phrases from the beginning of the sentence and determine whether the remaining statement is still correct, then replace it and remove the other one. “It was a … Read more
Does your last piece of writing feel flat, static, repetitive? Is a soporific sentence rhythm dulling your edge? Combining sentences is an easy solution for making your prose flow more smoothly and briskly. 1. “The logging practices of the time were extraordinarily wasteful. They involved cutting and then burning in order to clear the logged … Read more
What is the origin of various symbols used in English, and when is the use of each appropriate? Here’s a guide to twelve common signs, including how they developed and in which contexts they are used or avoided. 1. & (Ampersand) The ampersand was, at least until well into the nineteenth century, treated as the … Read more
Everyone has an eye-rolling story about a teacher who misspelled words on the chalkboard or on printed assignment sheets, but a school’s marquee is too often is the scene of the crime when it comes to high-profile errors, too. The following photos document such transgressions. Sometimes, these letter kits lack enough letters to go around, … Read more