background preloader

INTERESTING SITES

Facebook Twitter

Nelson Mandela's Life Story. One Sentence Stories. 20 Common Grammar Mistakes. I’ve edited a monthly magazine for more than six years, and it’s a job that’s come with more frustration than reward.

20 Common Grammar Mistakes

If there’s one thing I am grateful for — and it sure isn’t the pay — it’s that my work has allowed endless time to hone my craft to Louis Skolnick levels of grammar geekery. As someone who slings red ink for a living, let me tell you: grammar is an ultra-micro component in the larger picture; it lies somewhere in the final steps of the editing trail; and as such it’s an overrated quasi-irrelevancy in the creative process, perpetuated into importance primarily by bitter nerds who accumulate tweed jackets and crippling inferiority complexes. But experience has also taught me that readers, for better or worse, will approach your work with a jaundiced eye and an itch to judge. While your grammar shouldn’t be a reflection of your creative powers or writing abilities, let’s face it — it usually is.

Who and Whom This one opens a big can of worms. Which and That Lay and Lie Moot Nor. Synonym Finder. How to Use Commonly Misused Words. Steps Method 1 of 17: "Affect" and "Effect" 1Use “effect” as instructed.

How to Use Commonly Misused Words

"Effect" is a noun referring to something that happens as a result of something else. E.g., "The antibiotic had little effect on the illness. ""Effect" is also a verb meaning to bring something about. 2Use “affect” as instructed.The verb "affect" means to change something in some way. Method 2 of 17: "Anxious" and "Eager" 1Use "anxious” as instructed.When followed by a gerund (the "–ing" verb form), anxiousness refers to anxiety, not pleasant feelings such as enthusiasm or excitement. 2Use “eager” as instructed.Eagerness conveys enthusiasm and is followed with an infinitive.Ex.

List of idioms in the English language. This is a list of notable idioms in the English language.

List of idioms in the English language

An idiom is a common word or phrase with a culturally understood meaning that differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest. For example, an English speaker would understand the phrase "kick the bucket" to mean "to die" – and also to actually kick a bucket. Furthermore, they would understand when each meaning is being used in context. An idiom is not to be confused with other figures of speech such as a metaphor, which invokes an image by use of implicit comparisons (e.g., "the man of steel" ); a simile, which invokes an image by use of explicit comparisons (e.g., "faster than a speeding bullet"); and hyperbole, which exaggerates an image beyond truthfulness (e.g., like "missed by a mile" ). Idioms are also not to be confused with proverbs, which are simple sayings that express a truth based on common sense or practical experience. Visit Wiktionary's Category for over eight thousand idioms.

See also[edit] Vocabulary, Free Word Puzzles and Activities. Words to Try to Use in Colloquial Speech Without Sounding Like a Pretentious Ass - Wordnik List. Tone/Attitude Words. Writing Meaningful Description. To the reader? The world of your book is a black box. Devoid of all sensation—no sights, sounds, tastes, smells, or aural pleasantries beyond dialogue. It is up to you and your prowess of description to fill that world out—to let the reader experience it as you would have it experienced. Such power! Such responsibility. If you do it right, you can grant readers the ultimate experience: the immersive feeling of actually being in another world. So—what goes into writing evocative descriptions?

Show Don’t Tell I know, I know! For example: “The evil trees were scary and dumb looking.” While certainly opinionated, this description of trees somehow manages to avoid telling us anything about how the trees actually looked—it fails to paint even the smallest picture. So, what does one do? For example, “The trees were the dead white of bloodless flesh, with bark that cracked and split, like skin pulled tight over too much meat.” Metaphors, Similes, and Other Comparisons The trees were white as snow. Feelings Character Table. Character Feelings You can describe your character's feelings in more exact terms than just "happy" or "sad.

Feelings Character Table

" Check these lists for the exact nuance to describe your character's intensity of feelings. SF Characters | SF Items | SF Descriptors | SF Places | SF EventsSF Jobs/Occupations | Random Emotions | Emotions List | Intensity of Feelings. CALLIHOO Writing Helps.