KNOW your English!

Today we’re moving on from all the dramatics and going to tackle, learning how to write. First off, it is wise to know the English language. I will stand by you in this journey and thank you, if you are one of my true followers.

Malapropisms abound -- Use and Misuse of the English Language

In writing, using the proper word from the English language is essential. (I’m assuming my readers are using the English version.) Understanding the meanings, pronunciations, and the proper spelling of words and phrases becomes a no-brainer to the avid writer.

awoken        wary        bored
awaken        weary       board
fined             who        decadence
find               whom     decadent's
wander         soared      inane
wonder         sword      insane
advise           advice      too many to name...

including words like, accept and except, allusion and illusion, council, counsel, affect, effect.

You get the picture? Words can be confusing not only to the eye but also to the ear AND on the Microsoft word page. You would think our spellcheckers pick up all of these little words we toss at it? Well it doesn’t. It is not THAT smart. It is not here to do our thinking, only to assist us along the way in getting our work correct.

There are many other words that I find my fellow writers seem to get confused with. It is my nature to be a spell freak. I mean it, if I spell a word wrong I am kicking myself in the butt then I sit with my dictionary and a cup of tea reviewing the English language yet again. (note: a typo is NOT a word spelled wrong!)

We as writers need to do the research in finding the correct and proper spelling before we click the send button. I see so many clicking send without even reviewing what they wrote and some are allowed to let slide without ever having someone point out the incorrect word. Don’t want to offend a writer, might get your head bit off and spit out if you do. But the REAL writers who embrace the page will take any insight to the matter, learn and grow from the subtle or harsh critique.

We can never fully comprehend all the meanings of every word in the English language but it is reasonable to understand and expect that writer’s will know of the words in which they write. So be insistent on learning new words. Be incessant, persistent, and exigent in learning and only then will your writing take off to new heights.

Vocab quiz?

malapropism ~ mal-a-prop-izm
1. Ludicrous misuse of a word, especially by confusion with one of similar sound.
2. An example of such misuse?  “Lead the way and we'll precede.”

verbiage ~
1. An excess of words for the purpose; wordiness.
2. The manner in which something is expressed in words: software verbiage.

altruistic ~ al-tru-is-tic
1. unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others.
2. Animal Behavior. of or pertaining to behavior by an animal that may be to its disadvantage but that benefits others of its kind, often its close relatives.