Quote of the Day
January 22, 2016
“All poets write bad poetry. Bad poets publish them, good poets burn them.” ― Umberto Eco
Month: January 2016
Monologue of a Dog Ensnared in History by Wisława Szymborska
January 22, 2016
There are dogs and dogs. I was among the chosen. I had good papers and wolf’s blood in my veins. I lived upon the heights inhaling the odors of views: meadows in sunlight, spruces after rain, and clumps of earth beneath the snow. I had a decent home and people on call, I was fed, … More Monologue of a Dog Ensnared in History by Wisława Szymborska
Quote of the Day
January 21, 2016
“If you’re afraid – don’t do it, – if you’re doing it – don’t be afraid!” ― Genghis Khan
Problems with Adjectives
January 21, 2016
Spot the adjective errors in the following sentences: Ben Carson’s policy pronouncements are quite unique for their complete lack of content. Trump supporters had a fun time at the cross burning. Sarah Palin’s head appears to be emptier than most heads. So far, Jeb Bush’s attacks on Trump have been less fatal than similar attacks … More Problems with Adjectives
Style
January 20, 2016
Style To write just one antecedentless “that” Can produce syntactic absurdity That sprawls out across the page like a cat In a fog of feline obscurity Defining clauses set off by commas Mislead the meanings to mean what they don’t Making the text have textual traumas That should really do it in, but they don’t … More Style
Quote of the Day
January 20, 2016
“Everybody does have a book in them, but in most cases that’s where it should stay.” ― Christopher Hitchens
Quote of the Day
January 19, 2016
“The wretched of the earth get no help from witch doctors, and when academic language gets beyond shouting distance of ordinary speech, voodoo is all it is.” ― Clive James, Cultural Amnesia: Necessary Memories from History and the Arts
Adverbs
January 19, 2016
Adverbs are words that modify verbs, which indicate actions or states of being: The clown acted goofily. Canada did wonderfully in the World Cup. The cat scratched me viciously. Adverbs also modify adjectives: a goofily dressed clown, a wonderfully diverse Canada, a viciously behaved cat. Adverbs also modify other adverbs: a really goofily dressed clown, … More Adverbs
Quote of the Day
January 18, 2016
“You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt
Quote of the Day
January 17, 2016
“Can one imagine a constitutional change in the US, declaring that all Anglo-Saxons worldwide are US citizens, while African-Americans and Hispanics are not? Well, perhaps Donald Trump can. Perhaps not.”—Uri Avnery, “Imagined Nations” http://original.antiwar.com/avnery/2015/12/29/imagined-nations/
No Harm Spilt 