Did you know that adjectives have to go in a specific order in the English language or they just sound plain weird? In 2016 a paragraph from a book “The Elements of Eloquence” by Mark Forsyth went viral: Adjectives in English absolutely have to be in this order: opinion-size-age-shape-colour-origin-material-purpose Noun. So you can have a…
Writing
My Excuse Monday
Poking fun at the but in all of us… Reprinted with permission of Sam Morrison
Cyberspace friends
I’ve written about this before, but it’s something important to me. Writers are by nature solitary creatures. I sit at home in my office by myself and have no regrets about not being in an office full of people. But I do love being connected to my writing friends. Trouble is, they are scattered around…
My Excuse Monday
Poking fun at the but in all of us… Reprinted with permission of Sam Morrison
Ablaut Reduplication
Until recently I’d never heard of “ablaut reduplication”, but I have unknowingly been applying it my whole life…and so have you! Ablaut reduplication is when you repeat a word that has a similar sound or spelling. The following examples are from ProEdit: Chitchat Crisscross Dillydally Ding-dong Kitty cat Knickknack Mishmash Ping-pong Pitter-patter Riffraff Singsong Splish-splash…