Words of Wisdom: Michael Levy's Gatherings

Gatherings
By Michael Levy

One sunny morning, a happy-go-lucky man was walking in a park overflowing with beautiful flowers and trees. He was holding a large basket over one arm. Every so often, he would grab out at the sky and put something into his basket.

A small boy was watching the man with considerable fascination. After a while, his curiosity got the better of him. He approached the man and asked, pardon me mister, but what are you doing?

The man replied, this afternoon I am to give a keynote speech at a grand historic conference. It will be attended by all the greatest minds in the world who believe in their own opinions, ideas and perceptions of the truths, in their religions and science.

I am grabbing different aspects of truth, putting them all in my basket, so that I can present them to all the noble minds. It may enable them to study and understand their own truths more clearly. The little boy looked inside the basket to find it full of thin air.

A Word about Words

Don’t let these commonly misused/misspelled words and phrases trip you up
By Mark Terence Chapman

Here are some more words and phrases that are commonly misused or misspelled. A conscientious writer should use these correctly. More importantly, using these words/phrases correctly will reduce the odds of your writing being rejected by an editor due to excessive errors (Editors don’t want to waste time on pieces that require an inordinate amount of their time to clean up.).

Even if you write only business reports and emails, you still wouldn’t want people chuckling over your misuse of the English language, would you? Just as importantly, using the correct word can better convey the nuance you desire. As Mark Twain once said, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”

Solution vs. Solve

Wrong: We need to solution this problem in a hurry.
Right: We need to solve this problem in a hurry.
Right: We need a solution to this problem in a hurry.

Solution is a noun, yet I’ve heard it (mis)used as a verb. But we already have a perfectly good verb to use: solve. Please don’t solution anything!

Conversated vs. Conversed

Wrong: We conversated about that very subject.
Right: We conversed about that very subject.

To converse is to talk informally. Conversate (back-formed from conversation) is a slang version of the verb converse.

Climatic vs. Climactic

Wrong: The climatic scene was intense.
Right: The climactic scene was intense.

Climatic (verb) is to climate (noun) as climactic is to climax.

Pseudo questions

Wrong: I wonder why she did that?
Right: I wonder why she did that.

Sometimes a sentence seems like it should be a question even though it isn’t. In the above example, the word why suggests a question, but in fact the sentence is a statement. Had it been written “Why did she do that?” it would be a question.

Emulate vs. Simulate

Wrong: We’re attempting to emulate emotions in a robot.
Right: We’re attempting to simulate emotions in a robot.

To emulate is to attempt to equal or exceed. If you emulate someone you are trying to be like him or her. On the other hand, if you simulate something you are creating a likeness, assuming the appearance, or copying. A person might simulate, or feign, interest. One way to think of the difference is that emulation is real, while simulation is fake.

Nevermind vs. Never mind

Wrong: Nevermind about that.
Right: Never mind about that.

Nevermind is a noun that means attention, notice, or heed (as in “Pay him no nevermind.”). It can also mean business or affair. (“It’s no nevermind of yours.”) Never mind, however, is an idiom that means “don’t worry” or “it’s of no concern.”

Carat vs. Caret vs. Karat

Wrong: I bought my fiancé a 2 caret diamond ring.
Wrong: This bracelet is made of 14 carat gold.
Right: My necklace is 14 karat gold, with diamonds totaling 2 carats.

It’s easy to get the various spellings confused, as similar as they are. A carat is a measure of weight used for gemstones, totaling 200 milligrams. In the U.S. and Canada, karat is a measure of the fineness, or purity, of gold, with 24 carats being 100% pure. (In some countries, it’s spelled carat.) Of course, at that purity, it’s too soft to be practical as jewelry, hence the more common, sturdier, and less expensive 10K, 14K, and 18K fineness. Silver, copper, and other metals are added not only for strength, but to create different colors as well (such as white gold and red or rose gold). A caret (^) is nothing more than a special symbol used in editing to indicate where something is to be inserted. It’s not as valuable as a carat or karat (except, perhaps, to an editor).

Pompous grass vs. Pampas grass

Wrong: That bush over there? That’s pompous grass.
Right: That bush over there? That’s pampas grass.

Pampas grass, or Cortaderia selloana, is a tall, reedlike, ornamental grass, native to South America. Because it’s pronounced like pompous (POM-pus), it’s easy to understand the misspelling.

Over run vs. Overrun

Wrong: The cabin was over run with rats.
Right: The cabin was overrun with rats.

Overrun, when used as a verb, means to invade, swarm over in great numbers, overwhelm (as an army), exceed (as in a budget or allotted time), or overflow (as a river bank). When used as a noun, overrun can mean a surplus (an overrun of 500 copies) or the amount exceeded (as in a cost overrun). Over run is simply an error.

Revenge vs. Avenge

Wrong: Cough, cough. Promise me you’ll revenge my death!
Right: Cough, cough. Promise me you’ll avenge my death!

The verb avenge refers to doling out punishment as an act of justice or retribution. Revenge, when used as a verb, suggests doing harm or inflicting pain in retaliation for real or imagined wrongs. (The noun revenge refers to an act of revenge.) To avenge is to seek justice; to revenge is to “get even.”

If you’ve ever been confused about any of these words or phrases, tack this column to the wall by your desk. It’ll help you avoid similar errors in the future.

Mark Terence Chapman writes in various genres: He’s a poet, short story writer, novelist, humorist, and even a nonfiction writer tackling computer topics and nanotechnology. To find out more about Mr. Chapman, please visit his Web site at: http://tesserene.com or his blog at: http://tesserene.blogspot.com.

A Word about Words

Don’t let these commonly misused/misspelled words and phrases trip you up
By Mark Terence Chapman

Here are some more words and phrases that are commonly misused or misspelled. A conscientious writer should use these correctly. More importantly, using these words/phrases correctly will reduce the odds of your writing being rejected by an editor due to excessive errors (Editors don’t want to waste time on pieces that require an inordinate amount of their time to clean up.).

Even if you write only business reports and emails, you still wouldn’t want people chuckling over your misuse of the English language, would you? Just as importantly, using the correct word can better convey the nuance you desire. As Mark Twain once said, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”

Forego vs. Forgo

Wrong: I decided to forego meat for Lent.
Right: I decided to forgo meat for Lent.

To forgo something is to abstain from, renounce, or do without. Forego means to precede (literally, to go before).

Afterward vs. Afterword

Wrong: He ended his book with an Afterward.
Right: He ended his book with an Afterword.

Afterward means at a later time, or subsequently, while an afterword is a concluding section of a book or treatise, or a closing statement.

Vane vs. Vain vs. Vein

Right: They accidentally uncovered a rich vein of coal.
Right: The rocket engine uses control vanes for steering.
Right: You’re so vain I don’t know how you get that big head of yours through the barn door.

These words are all too often confused. A vane is a blade or plate affixed to a rotating cylinder or drum, as in a pump, turbine, or weather vane. A vein is one part of the system of branching blood vessels in the body, or a defined stratum of ore in a mine, streaks running through wood or marble, and so on. And of course, someone who is overly concerned with his or her appearance may be referred to as vain. It can also mean ineffective, as in “Her efforts were in vain,” or irreverent: “She took God’s name in vain.”

Standard

Wrong: This computer comes with standard DVD.
Right: This computer comes standard with DVD.
Right: This computer comes with DVD standard.

This is another case where the position of the word within the sentence can alter the meaning of the sentence. In the first example, it is unclear whether the use of standard is meant to distinguish it from an enhanced form of DVD drive (such as DVD-RW), or if it merely means that a DVD drive is built into the computer. The other two examples are clearer (although specifying DVD-ROM vs. DVD-RW, DVD+RW, or DVD-RAM would be clearer yet).

Tow the line vs. Toe the line

Wrong: You’d better tow the line, mister, if you know what’s good for you!
Right: You’d better toe the line, mister, if you know what’s good for you!

To toe the line is to follow the rules precisely, without deviation, as in putting one foot ahead of the other, along a painted stripe. The expression can also be used similarly to putting one’s nose to the grindstone or shoulder to the wheel, meaning to take responsibility and work hard. Tow the line is simply a misspelling of this expression.

Dual vs. Duel

Wrong: Aaron Burr shot and killed Alexander Hamilton in a dual.
Right: Aaron Burr shot and killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel.

Dual means consisting of two, or having a twofold nature. (A dual overhead cam engine.) A duel is a ritualized form of combat, often to the death, fought according to an agreed-upon code of conduct. More generally, it can also refer to any contest between two individuals.

Wont vs. Want

Wrong: I took an afternoon stroll, as I’m want to do.
Right: I took an afternoon stroll, as I’m wont to do.

If you want something, it’s a desire, need, or craving. On the other hand, wont (used as a noun or a verb) means something you are accustomed to doing, a habit or practice. You may occasionally want to take an afternoon stroll, but if you do it on a regular basis, then it’s a wont. (Don’t confuse wont with won’t, a contraction of will not. Wont is pronounced the same as want, hence the confusion.)

Friend(ed) vs. Befriend(ed)

Wrong: She was the new girl in school, so I friended her.
Right: She was the new girl in school, so I befriended her.

To befriend (verb) someone is to become his or her friend (noun) or act as a friend to someone. Unfortunately, social networking websites, such as MySpace and Facebook, have popularized the phrases “Friend me” and “I friended him/her,” such that these expressions are being used in everyday conversation as well. My dictionary does list one definition of friend as a verb, meaning to befriend, but describes this use as “rare.” Thus, it’s best to use befriend as the verb in a sentence and save friend for the noun.

Duffle vs. Duffel

Right: I threw my camping gear in a duffle bag.
Right: I threw my camping gear in a duffel bag.

The duffel bag, a cylindrical bag made of a thick-napped cloth or canvas, is named for the town of Duffel in Belgium, where the cloth was first made. However, today both spellings of the word are considered correct. So spell it however you prefer, but be consistent in which spelling you use. Don’t mix-and-match.

Drier vs. Dryer

Right: After the storm, I was drier than you were.
Right: I threw my damp clothes in the dryer.
Right: I threw my damp clothes in the drier.

Drier means more dry. Dryer most often refers to a machine used to dry clothing. But both spellings are interchangeable. So feel free to spell the machine whichever way you prefer.

If you’ve ever been confused about any of these words or phrases, tack this column to the wall by your desk. It’ll help you avoid similar errors in the future.

Mark Terence Chapman writes in various genres: He’s a poet, short story writer, novelist, humorist, and even a nonfiction writer tackling computer topics and nanotechnology. To find out more about Mr. Chapman, please visit his Web site at: http://tesserene.com or his blog at: http://tesserene.blogspot.com.

A Word about Words

Don’t let these commonly misused/misspelled words and phrases trip you up
By Mark Terence Chapman

Here are some more words and phrases that are commonly misused or misspelled. A conscientious writer should use these correctly. More importantly, using these words/phrases correctly will reduce the odds of your writing being rejected by an editor due to excessive errors. (Editors don’t want to waste time on pieces that require an inordinate amount of their time to clean up.) Even if you write only business reports and emails, you still wouldn’t want people chuckling over your misuse of the English language, would you?

Just as importantly, using the correct word can better convey the nuance you desire. As Mark Twain once said, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”

Pour(ed) vs. Pore(d)

Wrong: He poured over the manual for hours.
Right: He pored over the manual for hours.

To pour over is to spill a liquid or loose particles onto something. To pore over is to read or study intently or with a steady gaze, or to meditate over something.

Fort vs. Forte

Wrong: Singing is not my fort.
Right: Singing is not my forte.

A forte (FOR-tay) is someone’s strong point, something at which he or she excels. It is often mispronounced fort, which leads to the misspelling.

Gape(ed) vs. Gap(ped)

Wrong: His jacket gaped open.
Right: His jacket gapped open.

To gape is to open wide, as with an open mouth. In this context, to gap is to come open or to show a gap.

On route vs. En route

Wrong: Don’t worry. The ambulance is on route.
Right: Don’t worry. The ambulance is en route.

The French phrase en route (pronounced ahn-ROOT) means on the way or along the way. Because of the French pronunciation, it is often misspelled as on route. (The Anglicized pronunciation en-ROOT is also correct.)

Solicit vs. Elicit

Wrong: I’ve tried to solicit a reply, to no avail.
Right: I’ve tried to elicit a reply, to no avail.

To elicit is to draw out, bring forth, evoke, or provoke a response. To solicit is to entreat, invite, request, or petition, as well as to offer sex for money.

Effective vs. Efficient

Right: We acquired the merchandise in an effective manner.
Right: We acquired the merchandise in an efficient manner.
Right: We acquired the merchandise effectively and efficiently.

Each of the above examples could be correct, depending on the nuance you are trying to convey. Effective means adequate to the task of accomplishing one’s goal—making a sale, or winning a battle, for example. On the other hand, efficient means performing or functioning in the best possible manner and with the least amount of waste.

Whereas an army might be effective at winning a battle, it might do so at the cost of thousands of troops. Another army might be equally effective, but more efficient at winning the same battle, by sending a small strike force behind enemy lines to capture the opposing general, with few—if any—losses.

Appraise vs. Apprise(d)

Wrong: Keep me appraised.
Right: Keep me apprised.

Appraise means to assess the value of an asset or to estimate the quality or importance of something. Apprise means to inform, advise, or give notice to.

Past vs. Passed

Wrong: The passed is the passed.
Right: The past is the past.

Past means earlier. It’s used to describe the passage of time. Passed is the past-tense of pass, which has a number of meanings, including to go by (pass a truck on the highway), skip or ignore (pass through the town without stopping), endure (thus passed a thoroughly unpleasant hour), complete successfully (pass a test), transfer or transmit (pass it on, pass the ball), etc.

Premium vs. Premiere

Wrong: This is our Premium offering.
Right: This is our Premiere offering.

Premium, in this context, means of exceptional quality or greater value than others of its sort. But it can also mean greater cost. (“Quality comes at a premium.”) That’s probably not the message the advertiser wished to convey in the first example. Therefore, the second one is probably better. Premiere means initial, principal, or leading. So, in the above, example, it means top-of-the-line or best.

Metaphor vs. Analogy vs. Simile

Right: The play was a metaphor for life.
Right: The internal combustion engine is a good analogy for how the human heart works.
Right: An apt simile is this: His home-made helicopter flew like a lead balloon.

A metaphor is something that represents or symbolizes something else figuratively. An analogy compares the similarities of two things. A simile, on the other hand, compares the dissimilarities of two things. The comparison usually is introduced with words such as like or as. These three terms are confused so often—especially metaphor and analogy—that it’s important to understand their differences and how they should be used.

If you’ve ever been confused about any of these words or phrases, tack this column to the wall by your desk. It’ll help you avoid similar errors in the future.

Mark Terence Chapman writes in various genres: He’s a poet, short story writer, novelist, humorist, and even a nonfiction writer tackling computer topics and nanotechnology. To find out more about Mr. Chapman, please visit his Web site at: http://tesserene.com Click here or his blog at: http://tesserene.blogspot.com.Click here

A Word about Words

A Word about Words
Don’t let these commonly misused/misspelled words and phrases trip you up
By Mark Terence Chapman

Here are some more words and phrases that are commonly misused or misspelled. A conscientious writer should use these correctly. More importantly, using these words/phrases correctly will reduce the odds of your writing being rejected by an editor due to excessive errors. (Editors don’t want to waste time on pieces that require an inordinate amount of their time to clean up.) Even if you write only business reports and emails, you still wouldn’t want people chuckling over your misuse of the English language, would you?

Error vs. Err
Wrong: Let’s make sure we error on the side of caution.
Right: Let’s make sure we err on the side of caution.

I’ve heard this one too many times. To err (verb) is to make a mistake (or stray morally, as in “to err is human…”), while an error (noun) is the mistake. One is the act, the other the result.

Bisect vs. Dissect
Right: The interstate bisects the railroad tracks at mile marker 93.
Right: She refused to dissect the frog in today’s lab.

To bisect is to cut into two approximately equal parts, or to intersect or cross (as in the case of two roads), or even to fork. (“The old church is right past where highway 47 bisects.”) To dissect is to cut apart or examine in minute detail (such as dissecting an animal or an idea).

Egress vs. Ingress
Wrong: Egress is through that entrance.
Right: Ingress is through that entrance.

Egress is an exit, or the act of exiting. Ingress refers to going in or entering through a point of ingress (an entryway).

Congradulations vs. Congratulations
Wrong: Congradulations on your promotion!
Right: Congratulations on your promotion!

Congradulations is simply a misspelling of congratulations, an expression of pleasure or joy in the good fortune of another.

Simplistic vs. Simple
Wrong: There’s a simplistic solution to that problem.
Right: There’s a simple solution to that problem.

Simple means easy, while simplistic refers to something made overly simple (oversimplified), as in “You have a simplistic view of the world.” Simple is usually good; simplistic is not.

Flush out vs. Flesh out
Wrong: Write up an outline. We can flush it out later.
Right: Write up an outline. We can flesh it out later.

To flesh out an idea is to add meat to the bones, to give it substance or character. To flush out is to clean with a flow of liquid, as in flushing a toilet or fuel line. That’s probably not quite what the speaker has in mind when referring to flushing out an idea. (It can also mean to force a person or animal from hiding.)

Prospective vs. Perspective
Wrong: Have you met Mary’s perspective husband yet?
Right: Have you met Mary’s prospective husband yet?

Perspective, a noun, refers to a viewpoint or a way of looking at an idea (putting it in perspective), or a technique for displaying spatial relationships in two dimensions (artistic perspective), among other meanings. Prospective, an adjective, means future, likely, or expected. So, the perspective may be off in a blueprint of a prospective skyscraper.

Proscribe/Proscription vs. Prescribe/Prescription
Wrong: My doctor proscribed a sleep aid.
Right: My doctor prescribed a sleep aid.

Doctors prescribe, or order the use of, prescription medicines. To proscribe something is to prohibit, condemn, or outlaw—the exact opposite of prescribing.

Cache vs. Cash vs. Cachet
Wrong: Let’s cash some supplies in the basement in case of emergency.
Right: Let’s cache some supplies in the basement in case of emergency.

A cache (pronounced CASH) is a hiding place for food, ammunition, treasure, and so on; it can also mean the things hidden in the cache, as in “a cache of food.” Cash, of course, is money, including both coins and the folding variety. It can also refer to cash equivalents, such as checks and money orders. Cachet (pronounced ka-SHEY) has several meanings, including an official mark, seal, or stamp (as in a mark of excellence), as well as prestige. (“The title holds a certain cachet.”)

Acute vs. Chronic
Right: She’s suffering from an acute illness.
Right: She’s suffering from a chronic illness.

Acute means sharp, severe, or serious, such as an acute water shortage. Something that’s chronic continues for a long time or recurs frequently. An acute illness is brief and severe, while a chronic one is of long duration. Medically speaking, the two words have opposite meanings, so be sure to use them correctly.

If you’ve ever been confused about any of these words or phrases, tack this column to the wall by your desk. It’ll help you avoid similar errors in the future.

Newsletter contributing columnist Mark Terence Chapman writes in various genres: He’s a poet, short story writer, novelist, humorist, and even a nonfiction writer tackling computer topics and nanotechnology. To find out more about Mr. Chapman, please visit his Web site at: http://tesserene.com Click here or his blog at: http://tesserene.blogspot.com.
Click here

A Word about Words

A Word about Words
By Mark Terence Chapman

Here are some more words and phrases that are commonly misused or misspelled. A conscientious writer should use these correctly. More importantly, using these words/phrases correctly will reduce the odds of your writing being rejected by an editor due to excessive errors. (Editors don’t want to waste time on pieces that require an inordinate amount of their time to clean up.) Even if you write only business reports and emails, you still wouldn’t want people chuckling over your misuse of the English language, would you?

Envelop vs. Envelope

Wrong: Stick it in an envelop and mail it.
Right: Stick it in an envelope and mail it.

An envelope (pronounced EN-vel-ope or ON-vel-ope) is a flat container, usually made of paper, in which to put letters or other papers. Envelop (en-VEL-up) is a verb that means to enclose, surround, or wrap up. Therefore, you might envelop a letter with an envelope.

Contingent vs. Contingency

Wrong: We have a backup plan as a contingent.
Right: We have a backup plan as a contingency.

As an adjective, contingent means dependent on (as in contingent upon the weather) or uncertain (contingent plans). The noun contingency refers to a chance event or uncertainty. (He was prepared for any contingency.)

Emigrate(ion) vs. Immigrate(ion), Emigrant vs. Immigrant

Wrong: She has plans to immigrate to Canada.
Right: She has plans to emigrate to Canada.
Wrong: He’s a recent emigrant to our country.
Right: He’s a recent immigrant to our country.

An immigrant is someone who immigrates, or moves here from another country. Conversely, an emigrant is someone who emigrates to another country. To keep them straight, think of the “e” in emigrate as standing for “exit.”

Grandiose vs. Grand

Wrong: This grandiose building will stand as a symbol of hope for decades.
Right: This grand building will stand as a symbol of hope for decades.

Something that’s grand is imposing, majestic, impressive, or magnificent. Grandiose means pompous, overblown, or affectedly grand—definitely not a compliment.

Imminent vs. Eminent vs. Preminent

Wrong: They were prepared for his eminent demise.
Right: They were prepared for his imminent demise.
Wrong: He’s a preeminent authority on the subject.
Right: He’s an eminent authority on the subject.
Right: He’s the preeminent authority on the subject.

Imminent means impending. Eminent means prominent, distinguished, or notable, as in a noted authority, while preeminent means at the forefront or above all others. Therefore, there can be many eminent authorities, but only one preeminent one.

Flout vs. Flaunt

Wrong: He seems to go out of his way to flaunt authority.
Right: He seems to go out of his way to flout authority.

To flaunt is to show off conspicuously or ostentatiously, as in flaunting a new sports car or jewelry. On the other hand, to flout is to treat with scorn, disdain, or contempt.

Pair vs. Pairs

Wrong: She bought four pair of shoes at Macy’s.
Right: She bought four pairs of shoes at Macy’s.

Pair means two. For more than one pair, use pairs—the plural form of the word.

Automatic vs. Automated

Wrong: The process is entirely automatic.
Right: The process is entirely automated.

Automatic means able to start or operate independently or without thought. Automated means to apply the principles of automation by having a machine perform a task.

Horde(ing) vs. Hoard(ing)

Wrong: She’d been hording food for years, in case of disaster.
Right: She’d been hoarding food for years, in case of disaster.

To hoard, a verb, is to stockpile for future use or preservation. Horde is a noun that refers to a large group of people or animals, as in a mob or herd.

Historic vs. Historical

Wrong: This is an historical day!
Right: This is a historic day!

Historic means noteworthy. A historic day is one that will be long remembered. Historical merely means relating to history (as in historical records)—something that happened once upon a time. (Note: “An” should only precede words that begin with vowels. Therefore “an historic” is incorrect, even though it frequently appears this way, as if the “h” were silent.)

If you’ve ever been confused about any of these words or phrases, tack this column to the wall by your desk. It’ll help you avoid similar errors in the future.

Mark Terence Chapman writes in various genres: He’s a poet, short story writer, novelist, humorist, and even a nonfiction writer tackling computer topics and nanotechnology. To find out more about Mr. Chapman, please visit his Web site at: http://tesserene.com or his blog at: http://tesserene.blogspot.com.

Click here

A Word about Words

Don’t let these commonly misused/misspelled words and phrases trip you up
By Mark Terence Chapman

Here are some more words and phrases that are commonly misused or misspelled. A conscientious writer should use these correctly. More importantly, using these words/phrases correctly will reduce the odds of your writing being rejected by an editor due to excessive errors. (Editors don’t want to waste time on pieces that require an inordinate amount of their time to clean up.) Even if you write only business reports and emails, you still wouldn’t want people chuckling over your misuse of the English language, would you?

Bookoo or Boocoo vs. Beaucoup

Wrong: We’re gonna get in boocoo trouble!
Right: We’re gonna get in beaucoup trouble!

Beaucoup is French for many, much, large, or significant (as in merci beaucoup: many thanks). Although the correct French pronunciation is bo-KOO, in English it’s often pronounced BOO-koo, leading to the incorrect phonetic spellings.

Intrical vs. Integral

Wrong: He’s an intrical part of this operation
Right: He’s an integral part of this operation.

Integral means consisting or composed of parts of a whole, or essential to the completeness of the whole. It can even refer the whole itself. Intrical is simply a misspelling and mispronunciation, and not an integral part of the English language.

Per say vs. Per se

Wrong: I don’t have an answer per say, but I do know how to find out.
Right: I don’t have an answer per se, but I do know how to find out.

Per se is Latin for “by itself,” and means “intrinsically,” “in and of itself,” or “with respect to its inherent nature.” Per say is simply a phonetic misspelling.

Clean up vs. Cleanup

Wrong: We need a clean up on aisle three.
Right: We need a cleanup on aisle three.

Cleanup is a noun that refers to the act of cleaning up. On the other hand, clean up is a verb phrase that means to wash or tidy up, purge of undesirables, finish, or make a large profit. So, you can straighten up a room, bat cleanup, or make a killing in the stock market.

Or either vs. Or else

Wrong: We can eat now, or either we can eat after the show.
Right: We can either eat now, or (else) we can eat after the show.

Or either is often heard in the southern U.S., but it’s exactly backwards. The choice is to either do this or do that. (Either we eat now, or we eat later.)

Astalavista vs. Hasta la vista

Wrong: Astalavista, baby!
Right: Hasta la vista, baby!

Hasta la vista (the h is silent) is Spanish for “until the seeing,” translated as “until we see each other again”—essentially, “See ya later.”

Shutdown vs. Shut down

Wrong: Always shutdown your computer during a lighting storm.
Right: Always shut down your computer during a lighting storm.

A shutdown (noun) refers to the cessation of an activity, such as shutting down a business, or a computer. The verb phrase to shut down means to close, stop, or hinder.

Smorgasborg vs. Smorgasbord

Wrong: I hear the new calling plan is a veritable smorgasborg of features.
Right: I hear the new calling plan is a veritable smorgasbord of features.

Unless your calling plan comes from the Star Trek universe, it’s a smorgasbord, which is an extensive variety or array, named for the Swedish word for a buffet of various hot and cold foods.

All be it vs. Albeit

Wrong: I’m here, all be it two hours late.
Right: I’m here, albeit two hours late.

Albeit is a conjunction that means “although” or “even if.” (It’s a 14th century contraction of “although be it.”) All be it is simply a phonetic misspelling.
If you’ve ever been confused about any of these words or phrases, tack this column to the wall by your desk. It’ll help you avoid similar errors in the future.

Mark Terence Chapman writes in various genres: He’s a poet, short story writer, novelist, humorist, and even a nonfiction writer tackling computer topics and nanotechnology. To find out more about Mr. Chapman, please visit his Web site at: http://tesserene.com or his blog at: http://tesserene.blogspot.com.

Click here

A Word about Words

Don’t let these commonly misused/misspelled words and phrases trip you up
By Mark Terence Chapman

Here are some more words and phrases that are commonly misused or misspelled. A conscientious writer should use these correctly. More importantly, using these words/phrases correctly will reduce the odds of your writing being rejected by an editor due to excessive errors. (Editors don’t want to waste time on pieces that require an inordinate amount of their time to clean up.) Even if you write only business reports and emails, you still wouldn’t want people chuckling over your misuse of the English language, would you?

Icebox vs. Refrigerator

Wrong: Let me get a cold one out of the ice box.
Right: Let me get a cold one out of the refrigerator.
Once upon a time, food was kept cold by storing in cabinets chilled by blocks of ice. These iceboxes were gradually replaced by electric refrigerators, but some people still cling to the old, now obsolete, term.

Tinfoil vs. Aluminum foil

Wrong: Timmy, please cover the casserole with tinfoil.
Right: Timmy, please cover the casserole with aluminum foil.
Tinfoil was once used to wrap food, but imparted a tinny taste to it. This unfortunate side effect, along with the higher cost, caused it to be replaced for that use not long after the first aluminum foil plant opened in 1910 in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland. Tin foil still has other uses in industry, but not as a food wrapper.

Dial the phone

Wrong: Hold on while I dial the phone.
Right: Hold on while I call her.
Back in the days of mechanical, rotary phones, we used to turn a dial to call someone. Now, with electronic touchtone phones it’s a matter of pushing buttons (or even using our voices) to call someone. If we use a Dial these days, it’s probably a bar of soap.

Where are you at?

Wrong: Where are you at?
Wrong: Where you at?
Right: Where are you?
Although there is nothing wrong with ending a sentence with a preposition, in this case “at” is unnecessary, adding nothing to the sentence (except an urban slang feel). If you’re worried the other party might respond “in my car” rather than “at the intersection of Pine and 10th” you might instead phrase the question, “What’s your location?” (Or, if you’re into CB/cop lingo, you can ask, “What’s your 20?”)

Assassinated vs. Murdered

Wrong: My mail carrier was assassinated by a crazed junkie.
Right: My mail carrier was murdered by a crazed junkie.
Assassination generally refers to a politically motivated murder. So, unless your mail carrier is also a politician, assassinated isn’t the best choice of verb.

Sometime vs. Some time vs. Sometimes

Wrong: I need sometime to myself.
Right: I need some time to myself.
As an adverb, sometime refers to an indeterminate point in time. (“She was here sometime yesterday.”) As an adjective, it can mean on-and-off, as in a “sometime boyfriend.” The two-word phrase some time means an unspecified interval or period of time. (“You need to take some time and consider your options.”) Sometimes means occasionally. (“Sometimes I just want to scream.”) Sometimes it pays to take some time off.

Capital vs. Capitol

Wrong: Raleigh is the state capitol of North Carolina.
Right: Raleigh is the state capital of North Carolina.
The city that contains the seat of political power for a state, province, or country is the capital. The Capitol building in Washington, D.C., houses the U.S. Congress.

Awhile vs. A while

Wrong: I need to rest for awhile.
Wrong: I need to rest a while.
Right: I need to rest for a while.
Right: I need to rest awhile.
Awhile refers to a short period of time. (“Can you stay awhile?”) The noun phrase a while has the same meaning, but is normally preceded by a preposition like for or after, as in “Can you stay for a while?” or “After a while it became obvious.”

Past experience

Wrong: If past experience tells us anything, it’s don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.
Right: If experience tells us anything, it’s don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.
Unless you have access to a time machine so that you can learn from future events, the only way you can learn from experience is via events that have already occurred. As a result, the phrase past experience is redundant.

If you’ve ever been confused about any of these words or phrases, tack this column to the wall by your desk. It’ll help you avoid similar errors in the future.

Mark Terence Chapman writes in various genres: He’s a poet, short story writer, novelist, humorist, and even a nonfiction writer tackling computer topics and nanotechnology. To find out more about Mr. Chapman, please visit his Web site at: http://tesserene.com or his blog at: http://tesserene.blogspot.com.
Click here

A Word about Words

Don’t let these commonly misused/misspelled words and phrases trip you up
By Mark Terence Chapman

Here are some more words and phrases that are commonly misused or misspelled. A conscientious writer should use these correctly. More importantly, using these words/phrases correctly will reduce the odds of your writing being rejected by an editor due to excessive errors. (Editors don’t want to waste time on pieces that require an inordinate amount of their time to clean up.) Even if you write only business reports and emails, you still wouldn’t want people chuckling over your misuse of the English language, would you?

Addition vs. Edition

Wrong: The fifth addition of his book just came out.
Right: The fifth edition of his book just came out.

Given how common both words are, I’m surprised at how often I see addition confused for edition. An addition is something that is added, while an edition is a form in which text is printed. A special holiday section of a newspaper might be said to be an addition to the edition.

Melt(ed/ing) vs. meld(ed/ing)

Wrong: I’m looking forward to the melting of our cultures.
Right: I’m looking forward to the melding of our cultures.

To melt is to soften (as butter), dissolve (sugar), or lose shape or distinctiveness, often because of heat. To meld, on the other hand is to blend or merge. The melding of two families through marriage is enough to melt one’s heart.

Till vs. ‘Til

Wrong: He won’t be back till later.
Right: He won’t be back ‘til later.

Till is an erroneous contraction of until. The correct contraction is ‘til.

Skew vs. SKU

Wrong: We need to move some skews today, people!
Right: We need to move some SKUs today, people!

An SKU is a stock-keeping unit, or inventory item. This noun is often pronounced skew (skyoo) for brevity. Unfortunately, the similarity in pronunciation with the verb skew (to take an oblique course, look askance, or distort from a true value or symmetrical shape) produces confusion in spelling for those who don’t know the origin of the acronym. So don’t let a confusion with SKU skew your spelling.

Commas around names

Wrong: Where do you want to go James?
Right: Where do you want to go, James?
Wrong: So Mary what do you propose?
Right: So, Mary, what do you propose?

In dialog, when one character speaks to another and refers to him or her by name, always set off the name with a comma before the name, and—if another clause follows—one after the name.

Capitalizing proper names

Wrong: de Broux is the subject of a criminal investigation.
Right: De Broux is the subject of a criminal investigation.
Right: Patrick de Broux is the subject of a criminal investigation.

Many surnames begin with de, di, da, von, van and other lower-case prefixes. Although the correct spelling of Wernher von Braun is with a lower-case v, when beginning a sentence with the surname, always capitalize the prefix (as in “Von Braun became director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in 1960.”).

Grin and bare it vs. Grin and bear it

Wrong: Sometimes you just have to grin and bare it.
Right: Sometimes you just have to grin and bear it.

The verb bear has a number of meanings, including to hold up under stress. The expression grin and bear it, then means to endure with a smile on one’s face. It is akin to whistle while you work, in the sense that a smile or whistle theoretically makes difficulties easier to tolerate. The sound-alike grin and bare it evokes images of someone wearing a broad smile while streaking.

E-mail vs. Email

Right: Send me an e-mail.
Right: Send me an email.

Over time, on-line has shortened to online and World Wide Web site has contracted to web site and even website. Similarly, E-mail and e-mail are undergoing a contraction to email. Currently all forms are acceptable.

Vested vs. Invested

Wrong: Everyone on my staff is vested in providing the best service possible.
Right: Everyone on my staff is invested in providing the best service possible.
Wrong: By the power invested in me...
Right: By the power vested in me...

Vested has several meanings, including “protected by law” (such as vested retirement funds) and “held permanently or inalienably” (vested rights). Invested has even more meanings, including “committed,” “endowed with authority or power,” and “installed ceremoniously in office.” The first example refers to the commitment of the person’s staff, while the second indicates that the individual is endowed by church or secular law with the authorization and right to perform specific duties.

Bar none

Wrong: He’s one of the best in his field, bar none.
Right: He’s the best in his field, bar none.
Right: He’s one of the best in his field.

The expression bar none means without exception. Someone can be the best with no exceptions; but if only one of the best, by definition there are exceptions.
If you’ve ever been confused about any of these words or phrases, tack this column to the wall by your desk. It’ll help you avoid similar errors in the future.

Mark Terence Chapman writes in various genres: He’s a poet, short story writer, novelist, humorist, and even a nonfiction writer tackling computer topics and nanotechnology. To find out more about Mr. Chapman, please visit his Web site at: http://tesserene.com or his blog at: http://tesserene.blogspot.com.

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Wordplay

Wordplay

Unusual but cool sounding, interesting words to occasionally sprinkle into your writing.

Suggestion: Go very gently and wisely, lest you risk over-spicing your prose to point of the reader’s irritation.

Oblique—Slanting; expressed indirectly, not going straight to the point.

Ablution—A ritual cleansing. This can literally be a bath, or, more commonly, a spiritual purification. Vestal virgins probably engage in this kind of activity, since they have a lot of time on their hands.

Nonplussed—Completely perplexed.

Scurrilous—Incredibly abusive, obscenely nasty. Villains are guilty of scurrilous deeds.

Puerile—Juvenile, immature.

Acrimony—Biting sharpness or bitterness. It’s used to describe words, attitude, or disposition, not food. Old coffee is bitter; hostile divorces lead to acrimony between partners.

Runtish—An undersized person or animal.

Fey—Showing unnaturally high spirits, playful, mischievous, having a strange, otherworldly charm.

Besotted—Mentally stupefied, especially from drink.

Scabrous—Covered with small bumps, rough, sometimes a bit slimy or scaly; full of difficulties; scandalous, lacking in delicacy, salacious.

Final Caution: Before you unveil these words in public, look them up in your dictionary, learn all the different shades of meaning and uses, and roll them around on your tongue—and inside your head—until they feel comfortable to you.

Tip of the Day

Words are your tools, so constantly fill your toolbox by building your vocabulary.

When you see a word you don’t know, don’t just skip over it. Write it down in a special notebook. Look it up in the dictionary. Jot down the meaning. And exercise with it by using the word in sentences. Unusual words, especially, could add spice—and an entertaining surprise—to your writing.

Wordplay

Unusual but cool sounding, interesting words to occasionally sprinkle into your writing.

Suggestion: Go very gently and wisely, lest you risk over-spicing your prose to point of the reader’s irritation.

Bumptious—Overbearing or self-assertive to the point of being obnoxious; conceited bordering on arrogant. Salespeople in trendy, expensive shops can be bumptious.

Lubricious—Slippery, smooth, oily, lewd.

Imperious—Commanding, bossy.

Spluttered—To make a rapid series of spitting sounds, to speak rapidly or indistinctly, as in a rage.

Lambent—Soft radiance, lightly brilliant.

Aquiline—Hooked like an eagle’s beak.

Permeable—Able to be passed or flowed or spread through.

Abstruse—Complicated; difficult to comprehend. Like the theory of relativity, atonal music or the philosophers you pretend to understand in college. The next best thing to understanding Hegel would be to describe him as abstruse and move on.

Jangled—A harsh metallic sound, to cause irritation to the nerves, etc. by discord. Think of the sound of keys bouncing around in someone’s pocket.

Prig—One who is arrogantly pedantic or moral, and whose attitude bores others.

Final Caution: Before you unveil these words in public, look them up in your dictionary, learn all the different shades of meaning and uses, and roll them around on your tongue—and inside your head—until they feel comfortable to you.

The Word: A Digital Poem

Featured Quotes of the Day: Words of Advice

Featured Quotes of the Day: Words of Advice

Detail makes the difference between boring and terrific writing. It's
the difference between a pencil sketch and a lush oil painting. As a
writer, words are your paint. Use all the colors.
Rhys Alexander

Writing is a lot easier if you have something to say
Sholem Asch

I take the view, and always have, that if you cannot say what you are
going to say in twenty minutes you ought to go away and write a book
about it.
Lord Brabazon

Zest. Gusto. How rarely one hears these words used. How rarely do we
see people living, or for that matter, creating by them. Yet if I
were asked to name the most important items in a writer's make-up,
the things that shape his material and rush him along the road to
where he wants to go, I could only warn him to look to his zest, see
to his gusto.
Ray Bradbury

If you have other things in your life - family, friends, good
productive day work - these can interact with your writing and the
sum will be all the richer.
David Brin

Young writers shouldn't be afraid of striving to emulate their
favorites. It's a good way to learn, as long as you move on from it
and don't publish too many of the results.
Poppy Z. Brite

If you find yourself imitating another writer, that doesn't have to
be a bad thing, especially if you are a young or a new writer.
However, you should be conscious of exactly how you are imitating
him - word choice, sentence structure, motifs? - and think about why
you're doing it.
Poppy Z. Brite

Don't explain why it works; explain how you use it.
Steven Brust

Be like a duck, my mother used to tell me. Remain calm on the surface
and paddle like hell underneath.
Michael Caine

In writing a series of stories about the same characters, plan the
whole series in advance in some detail, to avoid contradictions and
inconsistencies.
L. Sprague de Camp

It only takes one person to change your life – you.
Ruth Casey

There are three difficulties in authorship: to write anything worth
publishing, to find honest men to publish it - and to get sensible
men to read it.
Charles Caleb Cotton

When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a gun in his
hand.
Raymond Chandler

I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best
advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite.
G. K. Chesterton

Always make sure you are right and then - go for it.
David Crockett

Never throw up on an editor.
Ellen Datlow

Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader. Not the
fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.
E.L. Doctorow

Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Albert Einstein

If you start with a bang, you won't end with a whimper.
T. S. Eliot

Talent alone cannot make a writer. There must be a man behind the
book.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

The ideal view for daily writing, hour for hour, is the blank brick
wall of a cold-storage warehouse. Failing this, a stretch of sky will
do, cloudless if possible.
Edna Ferber

Expansion, that is the idea the novelist must cling to, not
completion, not rounding off, but opening out.
E. M. Forster

If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write
things worth reading or do things worth writing.
Benjamin Franklin

Write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and
tell it as best you can. I'm not sure that there are any other rules.
Not ones that matter.
Neil Gaiman

You can take for granted that people know more or less what a street,
a shop, a beach, a sky, an oak tree look like. Tell them what makes
this one different.
Neil Gaiman

All fiction is a process of imagining: whatever you write, in
whatever genre or medium, your task is to make things up convincingly
and interestingly and new.
Neil Gaiman

Writing a novel is like heading out over the open sea in a small
boat. It helps, if you have a plan and a course laid out.
John Gardner

You must learn to overcome your very natural and appropriate
revulsion for your own work.
William Gibson

If you read good books, when you write, good books will come out of
you.
Natalie Goldberg

Put weather in.
Joseph Hansen

My mother drew a distinction between achievement and success. She
said that achievement is the knowledge that you have studied and
worked hard and done the best that is in you. Success is being
praised by others, and that's nice, too, but not as important or
satisfying. Always aim for achievement and forget about success.
Helen Hayes

They're fancy talkers about themselves, writers. If I had to give
young writers advice, I would say don't listen to writers talk about
writing or themselves.
Lillian Hellman

The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shock-proof
shit detector.
Ernst Hemingway

Prose is architecture, not interior decoration.
Ernest Hemingway

You have to have a lot of patience to learn patience.
Stanislaw Jerzy Lec

In order for you to be yourself, you have to be somebody first.
Stanislaw Jerzy Lec

The exit is usually where the entrance was.
Stanislaw Jerzy Lec

The two most engaging powers of an author are, to make new things
familiar, and familiar things new.
Samuel Johnson

Before you use a fancy word, make room for it.
Joseph Joubert

Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in
the face.
Helen Keller

There will never be another now -
I'll make the most of today.
There will never be another me -
I'll make the most of myself.
Helen Keller

Don't take life so serious. It ain't no-hows permanent.
Walt Kelly

It's hard for me to believe that people who read very little - or not
at all in some cases - should presume to write and expect people to
like what they have written. Can I be blunt on this subject? If you
don't have time to read, you don't have the time - or the tools - to
write. Simple as that.
Stephen King

One of the really bad things you can do to your writing is to dress
up the vocabulary, looking for long words because you're maybe a
little bit ashamed of your short ones.
Stephen King

If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the
tools to write.
Stephen King

My most important piece of advice to all you would-be writers: when
you write, try to leave out all the parts readers skip.
Elmore Leonard

Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say 'infinitely' when
you mean 'very'. Otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to
talk about something really infinite.
C. S. Lewis

Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

If you think you're boring your audience, go slower not faster
Gustav Mahler

For anyone who is: just keep writing. Keep reading. If you are meant
to be a writer, a storyteller, it'll work itself out. You just keep
feeding it your energy, and giving it that crucial chance to work
itself out. By reading and writing.
Robin McKinley

To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme.
Herman Melville

For all my longer works, for example novels, I write chapter outlines
so I can have the pleasure of departing from them later on.
Garth Nix

One has to live a life that creates a writer.
Erno Paasilinna

We writers have this saying 'Kill your darlings'... but I suppose you
family men don't agree with it.
Mike Pohjola

Make it new.
Ezra Pound

You only pass through this life once, you don't come back for an
encore.
Elvis Presley

Most beginning writers - and I was the same - are like chefs trying
to cook great dishes that they've never tasted themselves. How can
you make a great - or even an adequate - bouillabaisse if you've
never had any? If you don't really understand why people read
mysteries - or romances or literary novels or thrillers or whatever -
then there's no way in the world you're going to write one that
anyone wants to publish. This is the meaning of the well-known
expression "Write what you know."
Daniel Quinn

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
Theodore Roosevelt

Say all you have to say in the fewest possible words, or your reader
will be sure to skip them; and in the plainest possible words or he
will certainly misunderstand them.
John Ruskin

Resist the temptation to try to use dazzling style to conceal
weakness of substance.
Stanley Schmidt

To grow in craft is to increase the bredth of what I can do, but art
is the depth, the passion, the desire, the courage to be myself and
myself alone.
Pat Schneider

If you don't know it, don't write it.
Darrell Schweitzer

Suit the action to the word, the word to the action.
William Shakespeare

There are no rules in writing. There are useful principles. Throw
them away when they're not useful. But always know what you're
throwing away.
Will Shetterly

Moving around is good for creativity: the next line of dialogue that
you desperately need may well be waiting in the back of the
refrigerator or half a mile along your favorite walk.
Will Shetterly

Stories have a beginning, a midlle and an end. But not necessarily in
that order.
Robert Silverberg

The first chapter sells the book. The last chapter sells the next
book.
Mickey Spillane

When in doubt, blow something up.
J. Michael Straczynski

You are what you read.
Esko Valtaoja

If you really want to hurt your parents and you don't have nerve
enough to be homosexual, the least you can do is go into the arts.
Kurt Vonnegut

Books are never finished, They are merely abandoned.
Oscar Wilde

If you think that something small cannot make a difference, try going
to sleep with a mosquito in the room.
Anonymous

Quotes about Writing

“Find the key emotion; this may be all you need know to find your short story.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald

“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.” - Robert Frost

“The writer who cares more about words than about story – characters, action, setting, atmosphere – is unlikely to create a vivid and continuous dream; he gets in his own way too much; in his poetic drunkenness, he can't tell the cart – and its cargo – from the horse.” - John Gardner

“We read five words on the first page of a really good novel and we begin to forget that we are reading printed words on a page; we begin to see images.” - John Gardner

“It's better to write about things you feel than about things you know about.” - L. P. Hartley

Words of Wisdom

Oliver Wendell Holmes:
A man may fulfill the object of his existence by asking a question he cannot answer, and attempting a task he cannot achieve.

Omar N. Bradley:
Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount.

Oscar Wilde:
To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.

<>Pearl>
The truth is always exciting. Speak it, then. Life is dull without it.

Pearl S. Buck:
The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as a human being. His heart withers if it does not answer another heart. His mind shrinks away if he hears only the echoes of his own thoughts and finds no other inspiration.

Ralph Ellison:
Life is to be lived, not controlled, and humanity is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat.

Ralph Waldo Emerson:
Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. No man has learned anything rightly, until he knows that every day is Doomsday.


Ralph Waldo Emerson.:
Life is short, but there is always time enough for courtesy.

Ray Bradbury:
Life is "trying things to see if they work."

Raymond Charles Barker:
The principle of life is that life responds by corresponding; your life becomes the thing you have decided it shall be.

Robert Byrne:
The purpose of life is a life of purpose.

Robert Frost:
In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.

Robert Louis Stevenson:
The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life.

Roy H. Williams:
Lives, like money, are spent. What are you buying with yours?

Sarah Ban Breathnach:
An authentic life is the most personal form of worship. Everyday life has become my prayer.

Sarah Bernhardt:
Life begets life. Energy becomes energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich.

Sean O'Casey:
I have found life an enjoyable, enchanting, active, and sometime terrifying experience, and I've enjoyed it completely. A lament in one ear, maybe, but always a song in the other.

Seneca:
Our care should not be to have lived long as to have lived enough.

Stephen Covey:
Whatever is at the center of our life will be the source of our security, guidance, wisdom, and power.

Theodore Rubin:
There are two ways to slide easily through life: to believe everything or to doubt everything; both ways save us from thinking.

Thich Nhat Hanh:
Life can be found only in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.

Thomas Jefferson:
It is in our lives and not our words that our religion must be read.

Tom Lehrer:
Life is like a sewer. What you get out of it depends on what you put into it.

Toni Morrison:
Birth, life, and death -- each took place on the hidden side of a leaf.

Unknown:
Life would be much easier if I had the source code.

Ursula K. LeGuin:
If you see a whole thing - it seems that it's always beautiful. Planets, lives.... But close up a world's all dirt and rocks. And day to day, life's a hard job, you get tired, you lose the pattern.

Victor Frankl:
A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the "why" for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any "how."

Victor Hugo:
Life is the flower for which love is the honey.

Wallace Stegner:
Most things break, including hearts. The lessons of life amount not to wisdom, but to scar tissue and callus.

Will Rogers:
Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.

William James:
These, then, are my last words to you: Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create that fact.

Winston Churchill:
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.

Zeno:
The goal of life is living in agreement with nature.

Words of Wisdom

Katharine Hepburn:
Without discipline, there's no life at all.

Leo Buscaglia:
What we call the secret of happiness is no more a secret than our willingness to choose life.

Madame de Stael:
The mystery of existence is the connection between our faults and our misfortunes.

Marcus Aurelius:
The universe is transformation; our life is what our thoughts make it.

Marcus Aurelius:
Remember that no man loses any other life than this which he now lives, nor lives any other than this which he now loses.

Marcus Aurelius:
And thou wilt give thyself relief, if thou doest every act of thy life as if it were the last.

Margaret Fuller:
Men for the sake of getting a living forget to live.

Maria Mitchell:
Study as if you were going to live forever; live as if you were going to die tomorrow.

Marian Wright Edelman:
Service is what life is all about.

Marie Curie:
Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.

Mark Twain:
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain:
Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.

Martin Luther King, Jr.:
An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.

Mary Oliver:
To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go. Blackwater Woods

May Sarton:
A garden is always a series of losses set against a few triumphs, like life itself.

Mohandas K. Gandhi:
Where there is love there is life.

Norman MacEwan:
Happiness is not so much in having as sharing. We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.

Norman Vincent Peale:
Live your life and forget your age.

Words of Wisdom

George Santayana:
Life is not a spectacle or a feast; it is a predicament.

Germaine Greer:
Security is when everything is settled. When nothing can happen to you. Security is the denial of life.

Goethe:
A useless life is an early death.

HH the Dalai Lama:
What is the meaning of life? To be happy and useful.

Harry Emerson Fosdick:
Nothing else matters much -- not wealth, nor learning, nor even health -- without this gift: the spiritual capacity to keep zest in living. This is the creed of creeds, the final deposit and distillation of all important faiths: that you should be able to believe in life.

Helen Keller:
Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

Henri Frederick Amiel:
Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark journey with us. Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind.

Henry David Thoreau:
However mean your life is, meet it and live it: do not shun it and call it hard names. Cultivate poverty like a garden herb, like sage. Do not trouble yourself much to get new things, whether clothes or friends. Things do not change, we change. Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts.

Henry James:
Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.

Henry Van Dyke:
Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love, to work, to play, and to look up at the stars.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:
Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
and things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art; to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Immanuel Kant:
Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life.

Isaac Asimov:
If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster.

James F. Bymes:
Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem to be more afraid of life than death

Jean-Paul Sartre:
Everything has been figured out, except how to live.

Joan Baez:
You don't get to choose how you're going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you're going to live. Now.

John Dewey:
Education, therefore, is a process of living and not a preparation for future living.

John Lennon:
Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.

Words of Wisdom

Colette:
I love my past. I love my present. I'm not ashamed of what I've had, and I'm not sad because I have it no longer.

Corita Kent:
Love the moment. Flowers grow out of dark moments. Therefore, each moment is vital. It affects the whole. Life is a succession of such moments and to live each, is to succeed.

Dorothy Thompson:
Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.

Edith Wharton:
Life is the only real counselor; wisdom unfiltered through personal experience does not become a part of the moral tissue.

Edna St. Vincent Millay:
My candle burns at both its ends;
It will not last the night;
But oh, my foes, and oh, my friends --
It gives a lovely light.

Edna St. Vincent Millay:
Life is a quest and love a quarrel...

Elbert Hubbard:
Life is just one damned thing after another.

Elbert Hubbard:
Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.

Eleanor Roosevelt:
I could not, at any age, be content to take my place by the fireside and simply look on. Life was meant to be lived. Curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.

Elie Wiesel:
The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.


Elizabeth Drew:
The test of literature is, I suppose, whether we ourselves live more intensely for the reading of it.

Emily Dickinson:
If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain.
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.

Emily Dickinson:
That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.

Ernest Becker:
The irony of man's condition is that the deepest need is to be free of the anxiety of death and annihilation; but it is life itself which awakens it, and so we must shrink from being fully alive.

F. Forrester Church:
Religion is the human response to being alive and having to die.

Franklin P. Jones:
Love doesn't make the world go 'round; love is what makes the ride worthwhile.

Frederick Buechner:
The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt.

Friedrich Nietzsche:
And we should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once. And we should call every truth false which was not accompanied by at least one laugh.

George Bernard Shaw:
I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.

George Eliot:
What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?

George Sand:
Life resembles a novel more often than novels resemble life.

Words of Wisdom

A. Powell Davies:
Life is just a chance to grow a soul.

Abraham Lincoln:
And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

Alan Bennett:
Life is rather like a tin of sardines - we're all looking for the key.

Albert Einstein:
Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.

Alice Walker:
Deliver me from writers who say the way they live doesn't matter. I'm not sure a bad person can write a good book. If art doesn't make us better, then what on earth is it for?

Amelia Burr:
Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.

Anais Nin:
People living deeply have no fear of death.

Anais Nin:
The personal life deeply lived always expands into truths beyond itself.

Annie Dillard:
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.

Ben Jonson:
A good life is a main argument.

Benjamin Franklin:
Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that the stuff life is made of.

Buckminster Fuller:
Now there is one outstandingly important fact regarding Spaceship Earth, and that is that no instruction book came with it.

Buddha:
If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.

Carl Jung:
There are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the year's course. Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.

Carl Sandburg:
Life is like an onion: You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.

Charlotte Bronte:
Life is so constructed that an event does not, cannot, will not, match the expectation.

Chinese proverb:
When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other.