-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Complement and compliment can be used as either nouns or verbs. On Wikipedia, the word compliment is defined as “An expression of praise, congratulation or encouragement”. It is not to be confused with complement which means “to complete, to bring to perfection, to make whole” (source: Wiktionary.org). Notice how the following two sentences are different: … Continue reading
Do you write down your thoughts when feeling stressed or angry? Not only can this process make you feel better, but when you read your notes back you may find gold nuggets of inspiration which can be used in a writing piece to help others too. Stressful and difficult situations can influence you into writing … Continue reading
I was going to write the words ‘shock horror’ in my blog yesterday but hesitated as I didn’t know if it was hyphenated, separated by a comma or just two separate words. The Cambridge dictionary defines it as “an expression used when you are pretending to feel very shocked by a piece of news” and shows … Continue reading
Have you ever revisited one of your own blog posts and even though you know that you read it through several times before posting it, you find a mistake – only a teeny-weeny one, but a mistake nevertheless? Alternatively, it may get pointed out by ‘Mr Smug’. So, apart from the obvious things like using spellchecker or going back … Continue reading
I had to revisit one of my previous notes today: Note 237 – Do you lay or lie on the settee? to check the past tense of the word lay which is laid and NOT layed, for example, ‘I laid the information out concisely’. I felt like it was an important point to note that there is no … Continue reading
I like the sound of the word synonymous, but have never used it in a sentence before (although I have written about synonyms). Dictionary.com define it as ‘equivalent in meaning’ or ‘expressing or implying the same idea’. Synonymous is in the top ten percent of words looked up in the Merriam-Webster dictionaries and their definitions of this 17th century word are: having the … Continue reading
Having always used the expression vicious circle, I was confused when I heard vicious cycle mentioned on an audio programme the other day. After some research I have found that both are used, although vicious circle is preferred. Here are a few notes: Cambridge Dictionaries online define vicious circle as “a continuing unpleasant situation, created when … Continue reading
After reading the following quote in my franklinplanner.com daily planning pages, I had to look up the word exigencies (which is the plural of exigency): “If difficulties arise, we must put forth new exertion and proportion our efforts to the exigencies of the times” ~ George Washington Wiktionary defines exigencies as “the demands or requirements of a situation”. … Continue reading
I would always have said that the main difference between the spellings centre and center is that the former is British English and the latter is American English; however, I have learnt today that there are some variations to this rule. Difference Between.net explains that countries such as Canada and India “have adopted the British system of spelling” and therefore spell it … Continue reading
“Is this a case of regional variation taking over?” said a work colleague when reading the following paragraph in the Metro newspaper: “A child can now be at greater risk sat in their bedroom on their computer than outside the school gates.” (Source: London Metro, 31 Jan 2012. Article: More at risk online than outside) … Continue reading
My Writing Notebook 