Those Difficult Words

Andrew Lay -- shocked after correctly spelling 'negas'

We each have our own list of difficult words, here are a few I've had to overcome:

Truly, skeptical, amateur, schedule, rendezvous, especially, hierarchy, prescription, ricochet, champagne, bourgeoisi . . .

Think about which words you have difficulty with, it's fun!

Additional examples:
http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/mispron.html
https://www.espressoenglish.net/silent-letters-in-english-from-a-to-z/

Figures of Speech

 

Did you find the image amusing? It takes the figure of speech "I feel great" and turns it on its head. A good writer is able to use common phrases to paint a fuller picture.The words are not meant to be taken at face value but have an inherent meaning when used together. Try to count how many figures of speech you use in a day, the answer may surprise you.

How to Avoid Misinformation

In the age of information, ignorance is a choice. . .

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ryjpu-NWYm8

Deeper Meanings Behind Effective Sentences

Seeing the words is only the first layer.

The magic of words is held in their ability to construe many meanings, in a limited space. Whether it is a poem, short novel, or a lifelong masterpiece; each word builds libraries of interpretation.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. —Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (1859)"

In so many words, Charles Dickens is saying that this was a time of mixed perspectives. People are filled with light, wallowing in despair, or falling somewhere between the two. He covers all his bases, allowing the reader to attach to at least one of the perspectives. He allows the reader to pick the tone or blend the extremes at their own discretion. The story has now become the reader's tale instead of just the authors story; with realities limited only by one's imagination.

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Interesting topics:
Droste Effect
More Quotes

Writing With a Purpose: Examples of Exemplary Writing from Martin Luther King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." [MLK Jr. 1963]

Persuasive works appeal to three major themes; logic (logos), credibility (ethos), and emotion (pathos). This post will include examples of persuasive writing found in Martin Luther King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail."

Logos:

"One may well ask: "How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?" The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all."
Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority. Segregation, to use the terminology of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber, substitutes an "I it" relationship for an "I thou" relationship and ends up relegating persons to the status of things. Hence segregation is not only politically, economically and sociologically unsound, it is morally wrong and sinful. Paul Tillich has said that sin is separation. Is not segregation an existential expression of man's tragic separation, his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness? Thus it is that I can urge men to obey the 1954 decision of the Supreme Court, for it is morally right; and I can urge them to disobey segregation ordinances, for they are morally wrong." [MLK Jr. 1963]

King Jr. logically explains how his actions were justified. He uses deductive reasoning to show how segregation laws are unjust and ought to be disobeyed. Laws are meant to protect and empower mankind, not degrade it.

Ethos:

"Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood." [MLK Jr. 1963]

King Jr. draws upon the words of many philosophers. How can anyone trust the words of only one man (i.e. King Jr.)? Instead he pulls upon the collective works that span the centuries. The struggle of social justice is a lifelong pursuit, not an isolated event of the 1960's.

Pathos:

"But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people; when you have to concoct an answer for a five year old son who is asking: "Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?"; when you take a cross county drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you; when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading "white" and "colored"; when your first name becomes "nigger," your middle name becomes "boy" (however old you are) and your last name becomes "John," and your wife and mother are never given the respected title "Mrs."; when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of "nobodiness"--then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait." [MLK Jr. 1963]

This quote is actually one sentence. Under normal circumstances, one would separate the independent clauses into separate sentences, but by he gets his message across by postponing the expected period. King Jr. is saying what atrocities the Black Community has to endure while they "wait"; this is in contrast to the reader who is only waiting for a period.

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Additional Resources:

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Live Reading

'Gramical' pet peeves

Be prepared, all who enter here.

Yes, "grammatical" pet peeves was meant to strike a nerve. Like nails on a chalkboard, we try to avoid them and we dislike when others disregard them. Many mistakes are typically forgiven for informal settings, not always for professional works. Perhaps a part of those pesky pet peeves:

1. There, their, they're, to, two, too
These words sound the same but have different meanings. Knowing the difference between numbers, places, possessions, is essential for a well written work. Sure, others may still understand you but it may be better to avoid the embarrassment.

2. Me and So-n'-so
It is not necessarily wrong to mention yourself first but it may be interpreted as impolite. Like holding the door open, it is just more polite to let others through before yourself.

3. OMG, LOL, TTYL
English is contently evolving and texting has opened the language to many new "words" (please note the intended bias). Yes, these "words" can be found in Webster dictionary but they are actually acronyms of existing words (i.e. talk to you later). SMS language (text speak) was made collectively to make texting easier. Now that texting is easier there is no real need for these abbreviations or slang words, but they are still used today. It is best to avoid them when it comes to professional works and keeping them exclusively for texting (if you really must).

Crucial Grammar Terms

Many concepts are required for proper grammar. This post will introduce some key terms needed for casual writing.

Grammar follows many simple rules which can be difficult to master. One such rule, subject-verb agreement, lays the foundation for clear writing. Key terms for this skill include:

Subject- this is the person, place, or thing that is doing the action.

Verb- a word used to describe an action or state of being.

Object- what is receiving the action.

Example 1: He drove the car. 

This simple sentence has one subject, verb, and object.

Example 2: The car was driven by him. 

This example is also a simple sentence, so what happened? In the first example the order was subject, verb, and object. The second sentence is read with the object first, the verb second, and the subject last. The second example is wordier without saying anything different. Subject-verb sentences improve readability because they require less words to orient the reader.

Additional readings:
http://grammar.about.com/od/terms/a/topgramterms.htm