When you dust the blades on your ceiling fan, are you removing the fine particles of dirt or adding them? When you have a fast horse, does it move quickly or is it stuck in one spot? You state that something is finished. Is it completed, or is it destroyed? dike A dike is a wall or…
How would you feel if you were trapped amidst a congregation of crocodiles? Would a corps of giraffes make your heart beat any easier? Do you think a crèche of penguins would be well cared for by a crash of rhinoceroses? Would a cry of hound dogs be rendered speechless by a dazzle of zebras? A congregation…
Do you brake or break the eggs? Is bread or bred served with dinner? Do you breath or breathe to stay alive? When you ride a horse, do you put a bridal or a bridle on it? Would you brows or browse through the selection of books in a library? brake, break A brake is a device…
What was his inspiration for this book? Are the characters based on real people, or are they completely fictional? When was he diagnosed with MS? Why does he believe that he has beaten this incurable disease? What advice does he offer for writers? What was your inspiration for this book? Grief. Modern grief that is.…
Could this be a picture of things to come in our society? The business of psychiatry has changed just a bit. Grief is now big business, and Jonathon is an employee of it. He is a Taker. It is his job to listen and take in and listen to all the grief that ails his…
Would you eat a bomb or a bombe for dessert? Would you enjoy your picnic by a born, a borne, or a bourne? You bought a donkey. Did you purchase a borough, a burro, or a burrow? The robbers stole all of the gold bars from the vault. Did they steal bouillon or bullion? bomb,…
An oxymoron is a figure of speech made up of words that usually have completely opposite meanings. As a writer, you can create a character that has a tendency to use oxymorons in his or her speech. Even though oxymorons are pretty much self-explanatory, I will elaborate a bit on each one. I’m not saying…
I am proud to be an American. The reason for the festivities on the Fourth of July is to celebrate living in this great nation and to pay tribute to all those who fought and died for our freedom. Along with our gratitude though we should have a sense of humor. Star and Swipes: 30…
Homonyms are confusing enough, but there is another category of confusing words: contronyms. With contronyms, each word is its own antonym. When you offer someone an apology, are you saying sorry or are you defending what you have done? When you bolt down a chair, it stays put. But you can bolt from a fight?…
Would you eat soup from a bole, boll, or bowl? Would you be put to sleep listening to a boar, Boer, boor, or bore? Would a vicious dog bight you, bite you, or byte you? bight, bite, byte A bight is a the middle part of a rope. It is a curve, specifically the curved part of…
