The Turner Ink blog contains rants, bloopers, observations and opinions. It also has handy tips on grammar and punctuation such as colons: semicolons; and full stops. As well as some very useful ‘how tos’. Feel free to leave comments. Be nice though.

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Archive for December 2010

Ennui, Obfuscate, Imbroglio and other words that make you sound clever

31st
Dec
by Sarah Turner

Of all the presents I got for Christmas, one of my faves was a book called How to Sound Clever: Master the 600 English words you pretend to understand when you don’t by Hubert van deb Bergh and it’s a dazzling collection of sumptuous words such as denouement, anthropomorphise and obfuscate.

I recently chatted to a chap at a mulled wine and organic cheese party (yes, really) who used the word contemptuous (expressing contempt) when he was actually looking for the word contemporaneous (happening during the same period of time).

What do you say in situations like this? Do you correct the person in question (Oi, dufus, I think you mean…) or do you smile sweetly and nod eagerly? (I chose the latter.)

Mind you, I once answered a maths question at school with the utter belief that approximately meant exactly, on the button, accurately – rather than the exact opposite. (In my defence, I was only 10.)

So here are a few words from the book that you may or may not know. But see how many you can squeeze in tonight when you’re out partying.

  • Anachronistic (adj): Very old-fashioned
  • Anthropomorphise (verb): To attribute human form to something not human
  • Behemoth (noun): A huge thing, especially an organisation
  • Conflation (noun): The act of fusing two or more ideas together
  • Denouement (noun): Climax of several actions when the outcome becomes clear
  • Dichotomy (noun): A contrast between two things that are polar opposites
  • Ennui (noun): Dissatisfaction when nothing exciting happens for a while
  • Fetid (adj): Unsavoury smell
  • Garrulous (adj): Talkative, especially on unimportant matters
  • Halcyon (adj): A happy and peaceful time in the past
  • Imbroglio (noun): A messy and embarrassing situation
  • Obfuscate (verb): To bewilder
  • Quango: A quasi non-governmental organisation like the Press Complaints Commission
  • Perfunctory (adj): Done carelessly, as a matter of routine
  • Parse (verb): To examine something closely by breaking it up into parts
  • Sanguine (adj): Optimistic, upbeat
  • Vicarious (adj.) Experiencing feelings via someone else’s description

Posted in Book reviews, Word stuff | comments icon 2 Comments »

‘I’ll bare that in mind’. Or will I? Is it bare or bear?

8th
Dec
by Sarah Turner

There are some words which get even the most competent writers in a twist. I always struggle to spell the town Grimsby (luckily it’s not a word I have to type often). And I have to really think about the homonyms bear and bare. Is it ‘bare that in mind’ or ‘bear that in mind’?

So this post is for me as much as it is for you.

Bare means lacking a natural, usual or appropriate covering i.e. butt naked. It also means exposed, unfinished, empty, lacking, having nothing left or added, or not being disguised or embellished in any way. And it means reveal or uncover.

So anything to do with nakedness, uncovering or revealing is bare:

  • She was completely bare faced
  • Bare as the day he was born
  • With my bare hands
  • He bared his teeth
  • Riding barebacked
  • Bare one’s soul
  • The house was stripped back to its bare bones
  • The top revealed a bare midriff

Whereas bear (as well as those big furry things) means to carry or transport, to show a feeling, to have a name, to give birth, to produce fruit or flowers, to support weight, to go in a certain direction, to show patience and to aim a gun.

  • Can you bear with me a moment?
  • At the next turning bear right
  • To bear the cost
  • He’ll bear the scars for years
  • Will it bear the weight?
  • She’ll bear the brunt of that
  • Bear down
  • I think it will bear fruit every year
  • They’ve been ordered to bear arms
  • I’ll bear that in mind

So if it’s not anything to do with nakedness, uncovering or revealing – it’s bear.

For more tips on grammar and punctuation download the ebook.


Tags: bare, bear, homonyms
Posted in Grammar tips, Word stuff | comments icon 9 Comments »

Why are England so bad at football? And other questions we’ve asked this year

2nd
Dec
by Sarah Turner

Where do you go when you want answers? The newspapers? The Encyclopaedia Britannica? Your mum? Nah. Our first port of call is the Internet. In fact, my little nephew could say “Google it” before he could say “Dog”.

Ask Jeeves has compiled a list of the top ten questions asked by Brits in 2010. Do we want to know the meaning of life? Or if God exists? Of why is it so freezing today when global warming is supposedly on the rise?

Nope. This is what we want to know:

1. Why are England so bad at football? (So little time)

2. Is the X-Factor fixed? (Yes)

3. What will the Government cut next? (Defence? MPs salaries? We live in hope)

4. Who is Justin Bieber? (Who indeed)

5. Did I vote for the right party? (Probably not)

6. Do all footballers cheat? (Yes. On and off the field)

7. Should I buy an Ipad? (Jeez. I dunno. Do you want one or not?)

8. What is Glee? (It’s faaaabulous!)

9. Why didn’t Coleen leave Wayne? (Aaah the BIG question. Because it’s better to be with a cheating scumbag that’s worth £33m than be a divorced single mother without a job. Just a hunch)

10. Will Big Brother ever come back? (Please, no)


Posted in Word stuff | comments icon 5 Comments »

 

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