Kylie Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 I've always loved 'ethereal' too, Roxi. There was a horse by that name in the Melbourne Cup several years ago. Needless to say, I put a bet on it and wound up with it in a couple of office sweeps. For the first (and I think only) time, my horse came first! So I love the word even more now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 As a writer who's been told to cut the allitterion-mania because it's not funny and it's not clever but, rather, snobby and pretentious... you have just made my day ! I don't like over-use of it (although I think I'm quite guilty of that in my own writing - oops! ), but if its cleverly employed it can be very effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 I don't like over-use of it (although I think I'm quite guilty of that in my own writing - oops! ), but if its cleverly employed it can be very effective. Obviously over-use of anything is bad (Stephen Fry is currently in my head, exasperated, crying "Too much is that quantity which is excessive! That's what it means! Too much water would be bad for you!"), although given that in my case the expression was employed by post modernists who don't believe in syntax, let alone figures of speech, I interpret "over-use" to have meant "any use at all, like, ever" - just as I interpret "over-written" to have meant "employing polisyllabic words". Re: words, I am nursing a newly-sprung love for the word swordsmanship. It contains within itself a whole romantic world of swashbuckling derring-do (as a failed but wistful fencer, I like this), as well as the word wordsmanship (guess why I like that one...). Derring-do itself is another good one, I find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SillyBeggar Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 My vocab's fairly vast so the best way for an author to impress me is to use a word that, back in the days of living at home, would make me shout "Muu-uuum! What does x mean?" It doesn't happen very often, but when it does I try to have a notebook handy to jot the new word down to look up, mull over, and strive to use in my own work. One word I hate seeing over-used is, quite simply, "said". When language allows you to convey emotion, depth, atmosphere, relationships with words like "whispered", "exclaimed", "cried", "blurted out", "blubbered", "muttered", "sighed", "smirked", "jeered", "rejoiced", "agreed", "concurred", "exploded", "called", "whimpered", "simpered", "shouted", "trilled", "requested", "demanded", "conceded"... you say "said". and. repeat. it. for. two. pages. of. dialogue?!?!! Well said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.