A Word With You!
March 8th, 2010
jo·cose
Pronunciation: \jō-ˈkōs, jə-\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin jocosus, from jocus joke
Date: 1673
1 : given to joking : merry
2 : characterized by joking : humorous
synonyms see witty
— jo·cose·ly adverb
— jo·cose·ness noun
— jo·cos·i·ty \jō-ˈkä-sə-tē, jə-\ noun
Okay, it’s time to get imaginative. I rather pride myself on having a rather extensive vocabulary. I love words, long words, short words, weird words. I like being able to come up with the right word to describe, exclaim, or illuminate what I want to say. And as I’ve mentioned, I have read the dictionary, not once but twice, and have in fact just begun reading number three. Therefore, my challenge words will begin to move outside of the ordinary. Don’t be scared, this will be fun. Promise.
Today’s entry for instance; I can honestly say that I have never used the word jocose in a sentence. On the other hand, it’s derivation, joke, is most commonly used. Cool, huh? So the next time you want to tweak an obnoxious coworker for his apparent need to crack wise, you can just tell him to stop being so jocose!
Grammar Punk Sentence
J O 3 ! Pro. Jocose
Patting the copy of Acme’s 101 Favorite Jokes of all Time tucked into his back pocket, Lionel prepared to join the party; he may not be handsome but by golly, he could be jocose!
Share your sentence with us. Make sure it contains 3 words with the letters J and O and the word jocose or one of its derivatives.
Dictionary Deux
March 2nd, 2010
I’ve talked about utilizing the dictionary, which I do. A lot. I love the dictionary, it is, in fact, my favorite book of all time. I always felt that way, even as a kid. I read through the dictionary for the first time in the seventh grade, then again as an adult. I know what you’re thinking—you actually read the dictionary? The entire dictionary? Yes. I did. Twice. And I’m prepared to do it again. Okay, it’s a little thin on plot and a tad wordy, but… Seriously, it’s a great book.
I’ve always had a thing for the dictionary, then I read a perfectly marvelous book: The Professor And The Madman. Title notwithstanding, the book is about the amazing and monumental task of compiling the dictionary.
I suppose I’d given some thought as I was wading through A to Z what prodigious amount work must have gone into its creation—then again, maybe I didn’t. The dictionary has always just…been there. Need to know how to spell a word? Look it up? What does that word mean? Look it up. There it was, once upon a huge tome sitting on a shelf in your bedroom, nestled between Nancy Drew and that copy of Wuthering Heights you forgot to return to the library. Just there.
Well guess what, it was compiled one word at a time, one definition at a time, one language ideation at a time. I’ll talk more about this remarkable book and the remarkable men who undertook this mammoth task, and yes, you’ll find it interesting. Maybe even interesting enough to pick up that big old dictionary from your own shelf and begin with the letter A…
Commonly Confusing
February 26th, 2010
This one isn’t precisely a commonly confused as much as it is a commonly annoyed—for me. This particular duo is in fact one word pronounced and used correctly and another word that is often used instead. Sort of the way Calvary and cavalry are mispronounced; this is also more about diction than it is about spelling, but bear with me.
Jewelry vs. Joolery.
Pretty obvious, right? One is obviously correct, one is so not. I never mispronounce that word, you say to yourself. And maybe you don’t. But sooo many do. Pay attention next time you’re watching television, a movie, or eavesdropping. It so often comes out joolery. Diction, people! One is right, the other wrong. One means pretty, shiny, expensive adornments, the other means…nothing!
Diction is another of those ideas that seems to have lost (most) some of its popularity in the past few decades. Knowing how to spell a word is one thing, pronouncing it should (must!) be a priority.
Okay, climbing off my soap box.
“Hey,” Myron protested, “what happened to my joolery box?”
“I threw it out, Myron,” Natasha said snottily. “If you can’t pronounce jewelry properly you don’t deserve it!”
Thank you.
Spelling 105
February 23rd, 2010
Spelling 105
The dictionary is our friend.
With the popularity of typing instead of writing, spell-checkers, and gulp, dare I approach, texting, one of our oldest and most reliable friends seems to have fallen by the wayside; or at least been left to the side of the road. The dictionary!
Now even I’m not vouchsafing the monstrously heavy old Unabridged I used to have sitting on the corner of my desk like a ponderous old toad, I’m still talking computer dictionaries. Not sure how a word is spelled? Get as close as possible, highlight that puppy (if your spellchecker hasn’t already attempted to give you alternatives) and look it up!
Another challenge—and opportunity—that presents itself with dictionary use is expansion of your vocabulary. It’s such a temptation when writing along and you’re reminded by your spellchecker that a word you’ve used is spelled incorrectly to just replace that word with a simpler, more prosaic word. Fight the temptation! Stretch your word usage and your writing by exploring new meanings and new words with the use of the dictionary!
A Word With You
February 22nd, 2010
hor·ti·cul·ture
hɔr tɪˌkʌl tʃər | [hawr-ti-kuhl-cher]
–noun
1.
the cultivation of a garden, orchard, or nursery; the cultivation of flowers, fruits, vegetables, or ornamental plants.
2.
the science and art of cultivating such plants.
Yet another example of how snooty you can sound when speaking about something rather prosaic. We’re talking gardening here, digging in the dirt, tucking seeds into the ground, plowing, reaping and sowing. Horticulture sounds so…elevated. So noble. I suddenly can’t wait for Spring!
Grammar Punk Sentence
H I 3
Giving her Stanislavsky Blue Sweetheart Orchid a tender pat, Stephanie tucked in her Horticulturists Rule! T-shirt and headed off to the Annual Flower Show.
Share your sentence with us. Make sure it contains 3 words with the letters H and I and the word horticulture or one of its derivatives.
Commonly Confused
February 19th, 2010
Their, There or They’re
Their is a possessive pronoun
There refers to a location
They’re is a contraction of they are
Like too, two, and to, the commonly confused words their, there, or they’re get messed up regularly. And they shouldn’t be.
Like most commonly confused words getting them right is pretty much a matter of paying attention. Their and there, okay, those can be a bit confusing. Sort of. I myself remember them with another one of those little mnemonic kind of tricks.
Their is a possessive pronoun, that means it will always deal with a person, which makes me think of I, therefore, I know that the their I need to use when talking about ownership or possession of something I use the their with the I in it. Thus eliminating the other there. There. The last of the trio, they’re is also a no-brainer. It’s “they are!” That’s all it is, no ambivalence about it!
Note: As I’m trying to write this blog my spell-checker kept bopping in and changing all my variations of “there’s” to, you guessed it, there’s! I told you to watch out for spell-checkers; the can mess you up good!
Grammar Punk™ Examples:
R E 4 | All I know is that these are their sweaters and I’m tired of looking at them.
P U 2 | Don’t ask me who put them there, Paula, but I’m setting them over here.
H E 4 |They’re going to have to come and get those sweaters themselves.
Write your own sentence using these commonly confuseds.
A Word With You
February 15th, 2010
glis⋅san⋅do
glɪˈsɑn doʊ[gli-sahn-doh] adjective, noun,
–adjective
|
1. |
performed with a gliding effect by sliding one or more fingers rapidly over the keys of a piano or strings of a harp. |
–noun
|
2. |
a glissando passage. |
|
3. |
(in string playing) a slide. A rapid slide through a series of consecutive tones in a scalelike passage. |
Origin:
1870–75; < F gliss(er) to slide + It -ando ger. ending
Grammar Punk Sentence: S I 3 ( )
Ehlrich’s triumphant piano recital (and self-esteem) was in ruins as his piano teacher shouted from backstage, “Glissando, Ehlrich, you must glissando!”
Share your sentence with us. Make sure it contains 3 words with the letters S and I, the punctuation symbol parentheses and the word glissando or one of its derivatives.
Spelling 103
February 9th, 2010
Spelling 103
Watch what you’re doing. Or writing. Many spelling mishaps happen because we’re not paying attention. This is what editing is for. Watch for careless errors; misuse of homonyms, commonly confused words, missing apostrophes. Taking a bit of extra care when beginning writing and going back over finished work with careful proofreading can eliminate many simple—and not so simple—errors.
Looking at what you’ve written word by word can also help catch errors. Often words just don’t “look” right. The
Don’t be complacent. Give your finished work the care in the formation of the words you’ve given to the concepts or ideas you’re writing about. Practice makes perfect. The more you write, the more you proofread, finding spelling errors will become easier and you will become a better writer.
A Word With You
February 8th, 2010
flum⋅mox
–verb (used with object) Informal.
|
to bewilder; confound; confuse. |
Interesting word. I do like a word with an x in the middle of it for no good reason. It’s another word that doesn’t get used enough and should be. It is such a descriptive word, so means what it means. Sounds like what it means. And it’s fun to say aloud. Great word.
GP Sentence
L E 3 ;
Completely flummoxed, Simon surveyed the birthday party debris; he honestly had no idea where to begin.
Share your sentence with us. Make sure it contains 3 words with the letters L and E, the punctuation symbol semicolon and the word flummox or one of its derivatives.
Commonly Confused
February 5th, 2010
This next example of commonly confused words may not be all that commonly confused but I did happen to run into this particular pair while reading a novel just the other day and it cracked me up.
Broach and brooch
Broach: to introduce a subject for discussion, usually one that is awkward
Brooch: a piece of jewelry that is fastened to a garment by a hinged pin and catch
As usual the two words couldn’t be more disparate and when used incorrectly they most definitely do not convey what the word is meant to convey: the character in the book had a large unwieldy subject that is awkward to approach pinned to her sweater.
C A 4 ,
Reluctant to broach the sensitive subject, Stu avoided the bake sale, especially the cupcake table.
C E 3 ? Pro
Julia pinned a saccharine smile on her face as her new mother-in-law presented her with the perfectly hideous family brooch; was the thing alive?
You give it a try.