Posts tagged as:

WRITING

OBTUSE: dull

November 14, 2011

A person can be obtuse. So can a topic, a program, a comment, even a movie.   It all depends upon how engaging they are.  And some people are just plain obtuse … boring … dull. It doesn’t take a lot to dis-engage someone.  A discussion may start out in a very interesting way, but soon [...]

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DENOUEMENT: in a novel, the final outcome of the plot

November 2, 2011

Much of the contemporary literature I’m reading has a variety of plots which are twisting and turning throughout the story.   I find myself scrambling to keep the names and circumstances straight … and frequently wondering just where this story is going.  I found that to be the case in the Steig Larsson series, “The Girl [...]

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PAUCITY: a condition of scarcity

August 29, 2011

Paucity is one of those words that easily could be exaggerated by misunderstanding the true meaning.   If someone says that their refrigerator is absolutely empty and their cupboards are bare, it is inappropriate to say they have a paucity of food.  The truth is that they are food-less.  If there was a paucity of food [...]

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WORDROBE: The words and phrases that comprise a person’s vocabulary.*

May 16, 2011

One of the purposes of this blog is to introduce new or refreshed words into your vocabulary, as well as to put them in context through some dialogue.  Frequently I make mention of “adding this word to your lexicon” and assume that you understand the word lexicon to mean the list of words that comprise [...]

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METAPHOR: a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance*

April 13, 2011

The wonderful children’s story, The Emperor’s Clothes, depicted in the illustration for today’s posting, is a perfect example of the literary phenomenon known as a metaphor. It is a way of making a point by referring to an incident which illustrates it. The Emperor has convinced himself that his parading nude in public is not [...]

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WRITEPRINT: a unique style of writing that identifies the author

April 2, 2011

Quite a while ago I read one of the blog postings on Word Spy, written by my colleague, Paul McFedries.  I actually read his blog every day, but this day, in particular, caught my attention.  The word for the day was writeprint.   He went on to explain that every writer has a writeprint, just like [...]

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WHINGE: to complain or whine

February 15, 2011

I’m thankful to my colleague, John McIntyre, for the word whinge which came up in one of his postings a couple of weeks ago.   It’s a great word, available to writers who tire of the day-to-day words to describe a  phenomenon.    How easy would it be for a writer to say, “She just couldn’t stop [...]

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ALABASTER: a fine-grained usually white, opaque, or translucent variety of gypsum used for statues, vases, etc

November 17, 2010

It’s strange how something small and fairly insignificant can become important.   Friends  gave me a small, carved alabaster owl as a birthday gift.  The little tag that came with it says that it was carved by skilled artisans near Pisa, Italy, and that it is known as Gufo Piccolo, which means “the little owl.”   [...]

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LINEAR: a method of writing in which points are unmistakeably connected

August 23, 2010

Instead of depending upon someone else’s thoughts about a word, I want to go independent on this one.  There are lots and lots of ways in which the word linear can be used, thanks to the disciplines of mathematics, science, photography, and art. But I have a use for the word linear which may (or [...]

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INCIPIENT: about to happen; in the early stage of development

August 10, 2010

It seems as if the most common use of the term“early stage” is reserved for describing cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, and similar diseases.  When I hear someone use the term I anticipate that I am about to hear about a friend or relative being diagnosed with an illness. However, when the word incipient is used, my [...]

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