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Maeve Maddox

Less is More When it Comes to “Unique”

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The word unique is related to a whole class of words derived from the Latin word for one, (unus) for example: uniform, unilateral, and unicorn. Soldiers tend to look alike when they are in uniform. Among allied states, a unilateral action is one taken by one member or “side” only. (Latin latus = side) A … Read more

Who Is My Neighbor?

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It’s ironic that my recent criticism of what I perceive to be an unidiomatic use of folks earned me several comments from Southern readers defending the object of my criticism as acceptable Southern usage. Ironic because as a Southerner myself, I often react to the way people from other regions of the country mispronounce, misunderstand, … Read more

Orwell: Timeless Guidelines for Writers

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If you’ve never read George Orwell’s 1946 essay “Politics and the English Language,” treat yourself. Written more than half a century ago, it remains as timely in 2007 as it was when he wrote it. Unfortunately. In this essay Orwell discusses the political use of language to manipulate and obscure: Millions of peasants are robbed … Read more

Folks versus People

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Recently I was amused to hear Jon Stewart express bewilderment at George Bush’s continued use of the word folks in inappropriate contexts. This is one of many of the President’s peculiarities of speech that has bothered me for some time. Stewart was referring to this remark in the President’s July 4 speech: Many of the … Read more

English Spelling is Not Total Chaos

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Daniel’s recent fun spelling test got me thinking about English spelling. Google “English spelling” and you’ll get 23,300,000 hits. Visit a few of the sites and you will be told how ridiculous, crazy, outrageous, cruel, and in-need-of-reform is English orthography. English spelling is more complicated than that of some other languages, but it’s not total … Read more

The Dictionary of Concise Writing

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Serious bloggers understand the importance of concise writing. Unfortunately, great writing tips on brevity are scattered among many resources. Fortunately, a book called The Dictionary of Concise Writing crossed my desk. Written by Robert Fiske, The Dictionary of Concise Writing is the definitive guide to fat-free writing. This book literally contains its subtitle – more … Read more

“Putting on Airs” or Expressing One’s Thoughts?

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Daniel’s word of the day on July 15, 2007, rhetoric, is an example of a useful word that some people might find offensive. Really. In the movie Alone With a Stranger, a man becomes furious when his brother uses the word rhetorically — “as casually as I tie my shoes!” The detectives on Law and … Read more

Breaking the Lockjam and Buttoning Down the Hatches

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The President has invited some factions to Washington to break the lockjam. The copywriter who came up with this statement confused two common English expressions used to convey a state of of inaction: deadlock and logjam. The term “deadlock” refers to a stoppage brought about by the opposition of two forces, neither of which will … Read more

Where and Whence

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A few years ago a TV special aired with the title “The From Whence We Came Awards.” I don’t recall what the awards were for. I just remember reacting to the use of “from” with the word “whence.” “Whence” is not synonymous with “where.” Whence means “from what place/source/origin.” Examples: The wealthy man never forgot … Read more

Dealing with “he said” and “she said”

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I once had a high school English teacher who encouraged her students to use as many synonyms for “said” as possible, for example: “he gasped,” “she grumbled,” and “they snorted.” Maybe she was just trying to get us to stretch our vocabularies.

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