Grammar Punk Blog

Phantasm: illusion; ghost; figment of the imagination; a mental representation of a real object

Perfect word for Halloween time, right? I like a good phantasm, much preferring the imaginary to the real. And it makes me ponder the reality or…not of the whole thing. Do you believe in ghosts? I do. And I don’t.

When I was five, nearly six we moved to a most definitely haunted house in Clear, Alaska. This monstrous old behemoth of a house sat quite near to the beach. Except when I say beach don’t picture smooth sand and lovely blue water wooshing up, think rocky with patches of rough as sandpaper sand and a tide that would just love to suck you out to sea never to be seen again. In the back of the house was a boggy swamp of a lake complete with cadaverous old oak trees and a tire swing—the kind cut out of the tire itself, so you’d kind of sit your butt down in the space between the sides—hanging from a rotted looking rope and looking as if it had first been hung there by someone in the last century.

I was in heaven.

Yes, even then I had a bit of a dark bent—this house just set it in concrete.

There were two families living in the house, ours and my aunt and her family. Lots of kids and noise and activity—and did I mention it was haunted?

Now I knew basically nothing about things like ghosts or haunts or phantasms, for that matter, but I knew a cold spot when I shivered in one, like the one at the end of the hallway and the one in the kitchen and one in the third bedroom. I also knew when doors opened and slammed shut in empty rooms. And I knew when the record player downstairs would start to play by itself—in the middle of the night. And always The Tijuana Brass. To this day anything by them gives me a serious case of the willies.

You ask if I believe in ghosts or do I believe they’re all just phantasms? My firmly stated answer is: I don’t know. Do I believe that restless spirits hang around just to scare the crap out of us? I don’t know. Do I believe there are things beyond explanation that will also scare the crap out of us? You bet.

Grammar Punk Sentence: R I 4

Tossing aside the thought of ghosts or phantasms hanging about the old house, disregarding its horrific history, and hastily reburying the skeleton she’d stumbled across in the garden, Tanya pounded the For Sale sign into the ground.

Give it a try. Write a sentence with 4 words that contain the letters R and I and the word phantasm.

Teachers of English, grammar, and writing, this is also a great story prompt. Challenge your students to write about their own phantasms.

Maleficent: causing harm or doing evil intentionally, or capable of such acts

 A lovely word, maleficent, and so apropos for the season. But I want to concentrate more on the prefix mal.

Mal: bad or evil.

Don’t you just love a prefix that telegraphs its meaning before it even joins the word. Mal makes bad the words,

Malice, malevolent, malicious, maladjusted, malapropism, malady, malicious, malignant, malefactor, 
malefaction, malodorous, malfeasance, malcontent, maltreatment, malinger, malign, maladaptive, maladjusted, maladroitly, malapropian, malapropism, malapropist, malariology, malcontents, maledicting, malediction, maledictory, malefaction, malefactors, maleficence, malevolence, malfeasance, malfunction, maliciously, malignances, malignantly, malignities, malingerers, malingering, malposition, malpractice, maltreaters, maltreating…

Seriously, I could fill a page with these “bad” words.

Grammar Punk Sentence: P I 3

With a particularly malicious smile, Denny flipped the switch on the boom box; one last malevolent gesture to prove to those malingerers that he was serious when it came to Pilates.

All right you teachers of English, grammar and writing, toss this prefix out to your students and challenge to name all the mal words they can think of. Then throw a few into a sentence. Then put those sentences into short stories and enter them in the GP Creeper Short Story Contest!

go to www.grammarpunk.com for more details.

Autochthonous: \ȯ-ˈtäk-thə-nəs\ indigenous or native; formed or originating in the place where found.

I know at first glance the word autochthonous doesn’t appear to be a spooky sort of word, but it could be. This word grabbed me because first of all, I wasn’t familiar with it, and second it was that chth thing in the middle of the word that immediately brought to mind the weird and wonderful H.P. Lovecraft.

The word comes from the Ancient Athenians who considered their ancestors to be primordial inhabitants, in other words, springing from the very soil itself of the region they inhabited. The original Motherland or Fatherland as it were. Chthon means earth. Now that’s a cool word, though not one recognized nowadays.

I have read some Lovecraft, not much, he’s hard reading. Weird reading. Brilliant reading. And he stays with you. Whether you want him to or not.

What do we know … of the world and the universe about us? Our means of receiving impressions are absurdly few, and our notions of surrounding objects infinitely narrow. We see things only as we are constructed to see them, and can gain no idea of their absolute nature. With five feeble senses we pretend to comprehend the boundlessly complex cosmos, yet other beings with wider, stronger, or different range of senses might not only see very differently the things we see, but might see and study whole worlds of matter, energy, and life which lie close at hand yet can never be detected with the senses we have.

“From Beyond” Written November 16, 1920, published June 1934

I have dwelt ever in realms apart from the visible world; spending my youth and adolescence in ancient and little-known books, and in roaming the fields and groves of the region near my ancestral home. I do not think that what I read in these books or saw in these fields and groves was exactly what other boys read and saw there; but of this I must say little, since detailed speech would but confirm those cruel slanders upon my intellect which I sometimes overhear from the whispers of the stealthy attendants around me. It is sufficient for me to relate events without analysing causes.

“The Tomb” (1917)

Life is a hideous thing, and from the background behind what we know of it peer daemoniacal hints of truth which make it sometimes a thousandfold more hideous. Science, already oppressive with its shocking revelations, will perhaps be the ultimate exterminator of our human species — if separate species we be — for its reserve of unguessed horrors could never be borne by mortal brains if loosed upon the world.

“Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family” – written 1920; first published in The Wolverine, No. 9 (March 1921)

Cheery he isn’t. But he is one of the first to combine the creepiness of horror with the unknown vastness of space to create some truly unforgettable reading. And he would have loved the word autochthonous.

Grammar Punk Sentence: T U 2

Though she had been born elsewhere, Lilith took one look at the small isolated town with its larger than usual cemetery, five mortuaries, and annual Day of the Dead Festival and knew immediately that her soul was autochthonous to this place and that she would never leave.

Go ahead, write a sentence containing 2 words with the letters T and U and the word autochthonous.

Teachers of English, grammar, and writing, here’s a great segue to the GP Creeper Short Story Writing Contest. Encourage your students to try a little Lovecraft then create their own creeper from beyond the stars. Or the grave. Then enter it!

Go to www.grammarpunk.com for more details!

skimble-skamble

I’m not kidding, that’s really a word—albeit a hyphenate.

skimble-skamble: rambling and confused : senseless

Origin of SKIMBLE-SKAMBLE

reduplication of English dialect scamble to stumble along

First Known Use: 1596

And it’s been around a while—though I confess to never having run across it myself. Apparently we can blame Shakespeare for this one. Henry IV to be specific. It’s believed that the word came from scamble, meaning “to stumble along.” Another of those long-gone words that shouldn’t be. I think I’ll start using it.

October is here. Another favorite month. Not only is it right smack in the middle of my favorite season but it happens to contain my nearly favorite holiday: Halloween. My October A Word With You words are exclusively Halloween-ish, which may make skimble-skamble an odd choice. But not if you think about it.

I think skimble-skamble is the perfect definition for those dim-witted nitwits in horror movies who, knowing there’s a monster outside the door open the stupid door anyway. Or go down to the dark basement (where the light bulb is always broken or flickering) just in case the maniac didn’t think to go there first. Or run down the road directly in the pursuing car’s path! You get the idea.

I say we bring this one back into mainstream usage.

Grammar Punk Sentence: S E 5 | skimble-skamble.

Disregarding the confusing skimble-skamble of an explanation offered by the frightened teenagers, the stalwart detective pulled open the heavy metal door leading to the mysterious laboratory and was never heard from again.

Teachers of English, grammar, and writing, start your October with Halloween Writing Prompts. We’ll be getting frightful as we explore the darker side of writing. Be sure and head to www.grammarpunk.com and download info about our 6^th Annual GP Creeper Short Story Contest!

Pidgin: a simplified speech used for communication between people with different languages

I just had to go after this one because there seems to be an awful lot of “pidgining” happening lately.

The original pidgin seems to have begun in the early 19th century where merchants in China interacting with English-speakers (you just knew we’d have something to do with it!) pronounced the word “business” bigeon. Soon this became pigeon and eventually pidgin. There are many and varied varieties of pidgin and they all undoubtedly have their place and function. 

This is not to be confused with the confusing and annoying overuse of slang and colloquialisms. Or does it? It seems that every generation comes up with their own crop of counterfeit communication in an effort to make their own mark on the language. And every generation is sure theirs is the first to do it.

Teachers of English, grammar, and writing, ask your students to chime in on this. Identify their own pidgin and try to trace its etymology.

Grammar Punk Sentence: P E 2 Pidgin 

 In a confused mixture of many languages and a healthy smattering of pidgin, the passengers of the cruise managed to abandon ship before it sank completely. 

Give it a try. Write a sentence containing two words that include the letters P and E and the word pidgin. Then share!

Pidgin: a simplified speech used for communication between people with different languages

I just had to go after this one because there seems to be an awful lot of “pidgining” happening lately.

The original pidgin seems to have begun in the early 19th century where merchants in China interacting with English-speakers (you just knew we’d have something to do with it!) pronounced the word “business” bigeon. Soon this became pigeon and eventually pidgin. There are many and varied varieties of pidgin and they all undoubtedly have their place and function. 

This is not to be confused with the confusing and annoying overuse of slang and colloquialisms. Or does it? It seems that every generation comes up with their own crop of counterfeit communication in an effort to make their own mark on the language. And every generation is sure theirs is the first to do it.

Teachers of English, grammar, and writing, ask your students to chime in on this. Identify their own pidgin and try to trace its etymology.

Grammar Punk Sentence: P E 2 Pidgin 

 In a confused mixture of many languages and a healthy smattering of pidgin, the passengers of the cruise managed to abandon ship before it sank completely. 

Give it a try. Write a sentence containing two words that include the letters P and E and the word pidgin. Then share!

duen·de

 /ˈdwɛndɛ; Eng. duˈɛndeɪ/  Show Spelled[dwen-de; Eng. doo-en-dey] 

1.

a goblin; demon; spirit.

2.

charm; magnetism.

This one has a pretty odd etymology. This comes from the Spanish Word, goblin. Apparently the word traditionally referred to flamenco or other art forms and the nearly mystical force of a performer able to draw in their audience. Eventually, this came to refer to one’s unspoken charm or allure. Who knew—goblins alluring? Nevertheless it’s a handy little word that will have the recipient wondering if they’ve been complimented or insulted. Or possibly being accused of being a goblin.

Grammar Punk Sentence: M I 2

Max’s skills and almost eerie duende made him a wildly popular and much sought-after magician.

Teachers of English, grammar, and writing, challenge your students with this unusual and unused word

Not a word: acrossed, anyways, supposably

I’ve done the not a word before but these three keep popping up for me lately. Especially acrossed. I was watching a show the other day and one of the characters kept talking about running acrossed something. Saying it assuredly, precisely, confidently as if it was a real word. Till it began to sound like a real word. That’s the part I hate the worst about those non-words, sheer overuse can lend them credibility. And it is worst, not worse.

Once and for all, there is no such word as acrossed. It is simply across. I ran across a my long missing ukulele once I cleaned out my closet. See, no acrossed to be seen.

Supposably is another of those words that makes me crazy. And yes, I’m aware it’s more a case of pronunciation most of the time rather than assuming it’s an actual word. Doesn’t matter. It’s not a word. It is supposedly or probably, not a weird combination of the two.

Anyways I’ve complained about this stupid word before—and I’m doing it again. I know the dictionary people (in their endless wisdom) decided to give in to the pressure and made it an actual word, but it shouldn’t be. Anyways is a lazy way of segueing from one concept to another, usually in conversation. As in, Anyways, I have to get to the orthodontist to get my braces tightened. I don’t care if it’s now officially a word, it’s just wrong. And it sounds dumb. So don’t use it. Please.

Teachers of English, grammar, and writing, share with your students your favorite (most loathed) non-words. Ask for theirs. Then share!

Bootless: useless; unprofitable

I guess if you don’t even have boots…

Of course, English being ridiculously verbose and full of itself, and not always entirely reasonable, bootless has absolutely nothing to do with footwear.

The boot in this instance is an obsolete and obscure (never!) noun that meant to use or avail. That old English word is ultimately linked to our modern word “better.” So, it follows that less better is…useless. Or bootless.

Talk about a great insult to hurt at your good for nothing next door neighbor who borrows your BBQ grill, your mower and half your yard tools all summer, returning them at the first snow fall—if at all.

Grammar Punk Sentence: S E 5

If only someone had warned her that starting her own Falafel Stand would be so disastrously bootless she’d have invested in AT&T instead.

Write a sentence that contains five words that contain the letters S and E and the word bootless.

Teachers of English, grammar and writing challenge your students with this interestingly obscure little word. Then share! 

FINE!

Is it just me or is the word FINE really irritating? And certainly overused. And…bland. Don’t get me wrong, the word fine is…fine. So I took a better look at this word that I heretofore found rather annoying. And as usual the word won.

Fine: in a good, acceptable, or comfortable condition

a)    made up of tiny particles

b)    with sunny and clear skies

c)    very thin, sharp, or delicate

d)    very good to look at

e)    delicately formed: showing special skill, detail, or intricacy, especially in artistic work

f)     small and delicate: set very closely and carefully together

g)    unpleasant: extremely unsuitable or undesirable

h)    very subtle: so particular or small that it may hardly be noticeable

i)      extremely pure: with any or most impurities removed, especially in a precious

j)      Well: very well

Okay, so it’s another of those small words that packs quite a wallop, definition-wise. My main objection to the word is its rampant overuse and—now that I’ve been reacquainted with its many facets—is that is just as underused. Quite like I feel about the word AWESOME. Or SWEET. Don’t get me started. Fine is…fine. It’s acceptable, delicate, sunny, delicate, unsuitable, subtle, pure and very well. So when asked how you are, please, please, please, say you are anything but FINE!

I feel the same way about OF COURSE but that is a subject for another blog.

Teachers of English, grammar, and writing, challenge your students with this small word. Sometimes it’s the small ones that are the most interesting…