Sure, spelling the word “onomatopoeia” might strike you out of the spelling bee, but don’t you love that this word exists that refers to words that were formed in imitation of the sound they refer to.
Boom. Squeak. Purr. Buzz.
And then there’s “hiccup.” Or is it “hiccough”? They’re both pronounced the same, a wonderful imitation of that involuntary noise that comes from a contraction in the diaphragm and a response in the vocal chord.
Is it possible to be more proud than a peacock? Or, wait, is it “prouder” than a peacock? One is the correct form, but do you know the answer?
Let’s talk language tips for the curious or confused. This is Season 1, Episode 10. How we have only two episodes left in this first season, I have no idea, but here we are.
I’m presently building my list of ideas for Season 2, so contact me if you have a question or some fascinating word trivia to share. But for now, let’s dive in.
You know who’s exasperated? A snail moving uphill. The morning dew only exacerbates the journey.
Oh, English language, there you go again with words that are so similar that confusion reigns once again.
Language tips for the curious or confused. Because we really can fit into either category, depending on the day, the moment, the answer that slipped from your mind.
This is episode 9 of season 1, and I’ll admit it, this podcast started out as an experiment. Who in the world is as fascinated as I am by words and language and fine-tuning our communications, spit-polishing them until them shine? It turns out, I’m not alone. I love it.
But let’s dive in. Or should I say, let’s giddy-up. Today, we’re talking about cowboys.
Was the band Puddle of Mudd bleary when they sang, “Everything’s so blurry”?
Bleary-eyed. Blurry vision. I know they’re close, but these two words are not one and the same.
I can’t “take it all away.”
I’m not “shoving it in your face.”
But let me “explain again to [you].”
Oh, Puddle of Mudd, I know you’re not singing about this word confusion, but for a moment, I’m going to pretend that you are.
We all need these little word choice reminders, don’t we?
We need to remember the difference between “insure” and “ensure,” without a doubt understanding that “insure” with an “i” is talking about insurance.
We need to know that when you might say “I could care less,” that means that you do indeed care about something. If you say, “I could care less,” then you must care a bit to be able to care a smaller amount. The expression you might be looking for is “I couldn’t care less,” which means that you already care so little that it’s impossible for you to care less than you already do. There’s a difference.
Our words have the power to meddle or to muddle if we don’t pay attention to them.
But without further ado, here’s today’s writing tip for the curious or confused.
If you’re looking forward to “diving in,” this is different from looking forward to “delving in.” One involves shovels and/or deep exploration. One involves an enthusiastic move forward and maybe even aquatic life.
Before I dive into the trickery of English language spacing, let me tell you a story about selling books at midnight at the launch of J.K. Rowling’s 5th book in the Harry Potter series, The Order of the Phoenix.
I was in college at the time, working at a bookstore, and the build-up had been growing for weeks. Pre-orders were organized. Boxes were piled up in the back. Everyone working that night had to don at minimum a cape. The one I was given was purple and sparkly. If you know me, you’ll know that purple sparkly capes are not quite my style, but these are the things we do for the love of books and the love of readers.
Rumors are flying, so what do you do? Do you tamp them down or tap them down? If a business strategy isn’t quite working, are profits tamped down or tapped down?
Sure, you think trouble might come from uppercuts and jabs, but here’s a case when gentle tapping (or should I say, “tamping”?) causes the biggest blows—at least in terms of correct word choice.
I want to talk about monsters. A scary story can be fun any time of year, but especially near Halloween. It’s good to know that a collection of ravens is an “unkindness” and a collection of crows is a “murder.” It’s good to know that there are these things called “ghost words,” which are typos in the dictionary, creating words that don’t actually exist.
Spooky, right? Maybe. Maybe not.
But today, let’s talk about “Frankenstein” vs. “Frankenstein’s monster.” I think a lot of folks are a bit confused.