English possesses dozens of nouns that mean “short sayings that encapsulate truth or wisdom passed on from previous generations.” Proverb and adage are two of them. proverb: a short, traditional, and pithy saying; a concise sentence, typically metaphorical or alliterative in form, stating a general truth or piece of advice; an adage. adage: a proverb … Read more
In Old English, the letter g represented four sounds. (Check out the etymological note in the OED for details.) I shall limit my remarks to the two sounds of g in modern English. Unlike the letter c, which is an alternate spelling for the sounds of k and s and has no sound of its … Read more
The noun locution comes from a Latin verb meaning “to speak.” As an English noun it means “a form of expression.” The prefix circum- is also from Latin and means “around.” Circumlocution, therefore, means “expressing oneself in a round about way.” Circumlocution has its uses. Alexander Pope uses it to comic effect in his mock … Read more
As public school districts drop instruction in cursive handwriting, and young bloggers reflect with amazement that “there was a time where [sic] just about everything was handwritten,” it’s easy to believe that no one under the age of 105 would dream of sending a handwritten note to a friend, colleague, or client. Don’t you believe … Read more
A reader commenting on my post about pair poses this question about the nouns scissors and pants: Isn’t each blade one scissor, and each leg part one pant? Short answer: No. Just because a noun ends in s does not mean there’s a matching “singular” without an s. For example, we never speak of: one athletic, … Read more
A reader wonders about the difference in meaning between caretaker and caregiver: It seems to me that they should have opposite meanings. Is there a difference in usage? Although “to give” and “to take” describe opposite actions, caretakers and caregivers both mean “people who provide care and attention.” Caretaker has been in the language since … Read more
A reader commenting on Wile vs While wrote: Modern speakers and writers have a problem with “W” words such as “while” and “wile” (another example: “whale,” “wale,” and “wail”) because there is no longer a distinction made between the way “wh” and “w” are pronounced. Not all American speakers distinguish between the sounds of whine … Read more
Sometimes eggcorns catch on. An eggcorn is the reshaping of a common word or expression that makes sense in a certain way. The term comes from misspelling eggcorn for acorn. As explained by Chris Waigl, “the substitution [of eggcorn for acorn] involved more than just ignorance: an acorn is more or less shaped like an … Read more
A reader wants to know if there’s a difference between the verbs supervise and monitor. Both are synonyms for the act of overseeing the execution of a task or activity. Some speakers use them interchangeably, but they do differ in connotation. Supervise implies more interaction than monitor. Supervisors have the responsibility of informing and directing, … Read more
A question on an ESL forum alerted me to the expression “to come to bear.” What is the meaning of “comes to bear” in this context: Speaker One: I want to tell you about summer camp. It was a wonderful childhood experience. Speaker Two: We can get to it later. Speaker One: We can get … Read more
I find the word “turn”, its usage, and its derivatives tricky at times. Can we elaborate on “turn” please? My first reaction to this reader’s suggestion was, “what can possibly be said about turn that would fill a post?” But then I started typing all the “turn” expressions I could think of and came up with … Read more
Shakespeare called z an “unnecessary” letter, but the letter c is probably a better candidate for the title. In modern English, c is a substitute letter, a stand-in symbol for two English sounds that have distinctive letters to represent them. These sounds are /k/ and /s/, as in cat and cent. C wasn’t always a … Read more