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I LOVED your golfing
story. Read every word. You're a wonderful writer.
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Birmingham, UK)
Having enjoyed reading your
biographical, They
can't take that away from me... I
would love to post your article (for my) course for
seniors entitled Autobiography and Journaling ... and
let them read your article as a good example of what
I call the reader's writer, clearly expressed and easy
to read. (Howell)
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Read
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originally found this site after searching for
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The Write Way
23 November
2001
Words that are often confused
Greetings,
Do you ever come across little
things that really aggravate you?
Umm ... things like using aggravate,
when you mean annoy?
Aggravate means to make
worse and it comes from the Latin ad (to) and gravis (heavy). Annoy
means to irritate or upset and is derived from the Latin in odio (in
hatred).
Little things can annoy you and make
you go batty, like those medical treatments that seem to aggravate your
condition, rather than relieve it.
There are dozens of words like this
- here are a couple more that are frequently confused:
accept / except
I eagerly accept your
invitation to attend Lavinia's Come-As-You-Are party and everyone except
young Harold (who, unhappily, was trying on his Chicken costume when the phone
rang) is looking forward to it.
Accept means to receive and
it's always a verb. It comes from the Latin ad (to) and capere (to
take).
Except can be a verb, meaning
to leave out or a preposition meaning not including.
You won't be surprised to hear that
it comes from Latin - the same root word as accept, capere, but with a
different prefix: ex (out).
A final pair that are always mixed
up are continuous and continual. Both have the same origins (yes,
Latin again) com (together) and tenere (to hold), but continuous
means unbroken, without cessation or interruption (you might think that
the dog next door that barks all night is barking continuously - but he's not
really - he has to take a breath in between barks. The solid lines that separate
traffic are continuous). Continual means going on all the time but
with some breaks or pauses (sort of lulling you into a false sense of
security ... a bit like that dog next door when he stops and you think "Aah
... peace at las..." Woof woof woof!)
Here's an extract from a wonderful
poem sent in by Kate (in the USA). It's by Billy Collins and I just know you'll
be able to relate to it as much as I did!
Forgetfulness
...
Whatever it is you are struggling to remember
it is not poised on the tip of your tongue,
not even lurking in some obscure corner of your spleen.
It has floated away down a dark mythological river
whose name begins with an L as far as you can recall,
well on your own way to oblivion where you will join those
who have even forgotten how to swim and how to ride a
bicycle.
No wonder you rise in the middle of the night
to look up the date of a famous battle in a book on war.
No wonder the moon in the window seems to have drifted
out of a love poem that you used to know by heart.
Isn't that great? How many times have you said something similar? ... I
know it starts with L and it's a short word ...
If you occasionally chat to friends
about what you've read in this newsletter, please do me a small favour and
invite them to subscribe. They can just click on this link: mailto:WritingTips-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
.You can unsubscribe at any time (not that you'd ever want to ... would
you?) There's a link at the end of every issue or you can go to http://www.yahoogroups.com
to do the deed (or to change your subscription details). Go on ... think of a
couple of friends who share our sense of the ridiculous and send them the link
now ... I'll wait ...
Back so soon?
Thanks for that :)
This week's quiz:
Match the word with its meaning:
nadir, exculpate, obtrusive, propitiatory, ineluctable, peripatetic, zenith,
pedantic, mendicant, doggerel,
1. trivial, poorly constructed verse
2. walking
3. a beggar
4. conciliatory, appeasing, mitigating
5. bookish, showing off learning
6. bottom, the lowest point
7. top, the highest point
8. projecting,
prominent, undesirably noticeable
9. to clear from a charge of guilt
10.certain, inevitable
If you've been wondering what you get in the Write a Book
package, here's a quick peek:
- You’ll get a complete 200+ page manual that takes you
step by step through the process of writing. This manual has been tested,
retested and proven so the results you’re looking for are right there.
Everything you could ever want to help you write and publish your book in
the shortest possible time is contained in this manual.
- You also get an extensive collection of audiotapes so
you can learn while you drive, or while you relax. Some people simply learn
faster by listening to the information. Now you have that option. All the
information you need is in this audiocassette library.
- A “QuickStart” audiotape that will have you
well on your way to producing your book in just 30 minutes. Getting started
is always the hardest part and this tape gives you all the incentive and
help you need to overcome the first big hurdle on the path to writing your
book.
There's nothing quite like getting
tips and pointers "straight from the horse's mouth" and with this
package, that's exactly what you get. If you didn't have time last week, take a
couple of minutes to have a look now: http://www.writeabooknow.com/welcome/write368now
Given my experiences last week with all things
technical, I thought I'd share this with you ... just so you can avoid some of
my problems:
Proper Diskette Care instruction guide...
- Never leave diskettes in the drive, as the
data can leak out of the disk and corrode the inner mechanics of the drive.
Diskettes should be rolled up and stored in pencil holders.
- Diskettes should be cleaned and waxed once a
week. Microscopic metal particles may be removed by waving a powerful magnet
over the surface of the disk. Any stubborn metal shavings can be removed
with scouring powder and steel wool. When waxing a diskette, make sure the
surface is even. This will allow the diskette to spin faster, resulting in
better access time.
- Never insert a diskette into the drive upside
down. The data can fall off the surface of the disk and jam the intricate
mechanics of the drive.
- Diskettes cannot be backed up by running them
through a photo copy machine. If your data is going to need to be backed up,
simply insert TWO diskettes into your drive. Whenever you update a document,
the data will be written onto both disks. A handy tip for more legible
backup copies: Keep a container of iron filings at your desk. When you need
to make two copies, sprinkle iron filings liberally between the diskettes
before inserting them into the drive.
- If your diskette is full and needs more
storage space, remove the disk from the drive and shake vigorously for two
minutes. This will pack the data enough (data compression) to allow for more
storage. Be sure to cover all openings with scotch tape to prevent loss of
data.
- Periodically spray diskettes with insecticide
to prevent system bugs from spreading.
No, no ... don't thank me ... I try to find
useful bits of information for you every week ... all part of the service!
Umm ... you do know that you shouldn't really try
this at home, Boys and Girls ... don't you?
Last week's quiz:
Match the words: apotheosis, panegyric,
salubrious, spurious, effluvia, officious, alacrity, repudiate, denigrate,
paradigm,
1.disown, disavow, reject as untrue - REPUDIATE
2.blacken, belittle, sully, defame - DENIGRATE
3. outflow in a stream of particles; a noxious
odor or vapor - EFFLUVIA
4. cheerful promptness - ALACRITY
5. healthful - SALUBRIOUS
6. a model, example, or pattern - PARADIGM
7. deification, glorification to godliness -
APOTHEOSIS
8. meddlesome, pushy in one's services -
OFFICIOUS
9. false, counterfeit - SPURIOUS
10. formal praise, eulogy - PANEGYRIC
Mondegreen of the week: Ghost
man so close to me. Don't stand so close to me.
(The Police)
Word of the week: Celebriphilia
(n) An abnormally intense desire to
have a romantic relationship with a celebrity. (This
comes from a wonderful site: logophilia.) I think we could add the rest of the
word family, don't you?
How about celebrophile - the person who
wants to have a relationship with a celebrity?
Celebrophilic - the adjective;
celebrophilically - the adverb ...
If you can come up with some sentences to
illustrate the use of these words - feel free to send them along.
This week's Latin phrase could have been written
for me - I think I'll print this one out and post it over my 'puter.
Absit omen (May the omen be absent) This
is a plea for protection against evil ... like corrupted files ...on PCs and
little grey cells!
Thanks to everyone who pointed out my error in Tempus
(not tempis) fugit! I'm tempted to claim it was a typo (have a look
at your keyboard ... they are very close!) No, I know you'd never believe
me ... sorry ... I should have picked it up. Thanks again - it's comforting to
know that there are so many Latin lovers out there ... chuckle ...
Regards,
Jennifer
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