Category Archives: Writing Notes

solicitude

From today’s A.Word.A.Day: “solicitude” derives from the Latin word for whole (sollus). To be complete, one must care.

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roots: bher- (to carry)

One leads, but both carry . . . The Indo-European root of “opprobrium” (from Latin opprobrium (reproach), from ob- (against) + probrum (infamy, reproach)) bher– (to carry) is also the root of bear, birth, barrow, burden, fertile, transfer, offer, suffer, … Continue reading

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Tales Retold: Something Old, Something New

Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue On the persistence of fairy tales in what we read & what we write In thinking about how to talk about drawing on sources from deep in our cultural history and … Continue reading

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ending with prepositions

Remember Churchill’s famous self-amendment when challenged about ending a sentence with a presposition?  “Up with which we will not put?”  Sounds silly?  It is.  English is not a dead language.  Render thoughts in workable English, saving the contorted constructions promoted … Continue reading

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assure, ensure, assure

Dictonary.com has a clarifying note on when to use which:  assure, ensure, or insure (hint: “insure” is the only one having anything to do with insurance).

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