Simon Kewin The English language is constantly evolving. The meanings of words drift or even change completely. Sometimes words stop being used altogether and they die out. But at the same time new words are constantly being added. These new words – neologisms – can be a source of some irritation to traditionalists, especially when there is … Read more
If something is “bimonthly”, does it occur twice a month or once every two months? In fact, just to demonstrate how slippery the English language can sometimes be, the correct answer would be “either”. The Oxford English Dictionary definition is very straightforward : appearing or taking place twice a month or every two months.” … Read more
Getting your work published onto Amazon’s Kindle eReader is really very easy. Perhaps you’re a writer interested in self-publishing some of your work. Or you might simply want to learn more about the ePublishing revolution and how to get involved. In either case, doing so is actually very straightforward. Since January this year, Amazon’s Digital … Read more
This is a common source of disagreement. Both “orient” and “orientate” are verbs meaning to align or position yourself; to work out where you are within a particular situation or environment. The origin of both words is the same : the Latin word oriens meaning “rising” and “east”, because of the rising sun. Orient as … Read more
It’s tempting to think that dissect and bisect mean the same thing : to cut something in two. After all, the bi- and di- prefixes both convey the meaning of “two” or “twice”. So we have bicycle (with two wheels) and dioxide (with two oxygen atoms). In fact only bisect means to cut in two. … Read more
Poetry is an area of writing that has a language all of its own, as contributors to the recent poetry competition will be aware. The following are some of the terms specific to the writing of poetry : alliteration A repeated sound, usually applied only to consonants. anapest A metrical foot : two short/unstressed syllables … Read more
In the recent economic troubles, we’ve grown used to hearing about millions, billions and even trillions of dollars, pounds, euros etc. It’s worth noting, however, that these words do not have a universally-agreed meaning. What one person means by billion can be very, very different from that assumed by another. A thousand is always 1,000 … Read more
Language can be a slippery beast, with the meanings of words changing over time. This can be a great source of confusion, especially if a word ends up with two distinct, even contradictory meanings. One example of this occurs with the word fulsome. Fulsome now has two separate meanings and it isn’t always clear which … Read more
As with all activities, writing fiction involves getting to grips with professional jargon. The following are some of the more common terms you may come across as you learn your craft and market your writing. POV (Point of View): the eyes through which the events of a story are seen. MC: The main character in … Read more
“Economic” and “economical” are two adjectives that are frequently used interchangeably. They are clearly related but they have, strictly speaking, quite distinct meanings. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the definition of economic is Relating to economics or the economy. Economical, however, means Giving good value or return in relation to the resources used or … Read more
The Washington Times recently printed an editorial about H1N1 flu calling the disease “tow-the-line flu”. The use of the phrase “tow the line” is a common mistake; what the paper should have written was “toe the line”. To “toe the line” means to conform to some rule or standard, to fall into line. Politicians, for … Read more
The words “flammable” and “inflammable” mean the same thing: “easily set on fire.” Why is this? In English, the in- prefix is often used to reverse the meaning of an adjective. Thus inactive is the opposite of active and inelegant is the opposite of elegant. So why isn’t inflammable the opposite of flammable? The reason … Read more