Fogarty - Grammar girls 101 words to sound smart

Table of ContentsIts a presumptuous task to choose 101 words that smart people use. Who says whats smart? Whats the difference between a well-crafted sentence and a pompous sentence? How could you possibly choose just 101 words? These were the thoughts on my mind as I began this book. I started with a long list of candidates, and the words that were easy to reject helped clarify in my mind the types of words I should include. For example, I considered ligature, but it was too obscure; banal, but it seemed too easy; catholic, but the secular use is too easily lost or misinterpreted among the mountain of religious uses; and quotidian, but every use I could find seemed unnecessary and pretentious. Many of the words that made the cut are at least familiar to most people, but convey an especially deep meaning when the reader has an understanding of history ( Machiavellian, bowdlerize,Rubicon), different cultures ( Talmudic, Sisyphean, maudlin), or philosophy ( existential). The words are also general enough that most prolific writers could find a reason to use them on occasion.

In his essay Politics and the English Language, George Orwell wrote, Never use a long word where a short one will do, and its generally good advice, but sometimes, the short word wont do. Sometimes the five-dollar word really does add a nuance you cant get with a short word. In many cases, the words in this book provide extra layers of meaning over more common, similar words. Limiting the words to 101 turned out to be the challenge I couldnt overcome. Thats all we get! I would never argue that these are the best 101 words smart people use or the definitive list of smart person words, but I believe they are an excellent start. Abjure and jury both share the Latin root for swear. Abjure and jury both share the Latin root for swear.

Whereas a jury swears an oath, to abjure is to swear something off, to forswear it. Abjuring can be a formal act sealed by an oath, or an informal act similar to recanting a statement or shunning a person or activity. I abjure you, Alcide said. Colonel Flood winced, and young Sid, Amanda, andCulpepper looked both astonished and impressed, as if this were a ceremonytheyd never thought to witness. I see you no longer. I hunt with you no longer.

Ishare flesh with you no longer. Charlaine Harris in the Sookie Stackhouse novel Dead to the WorldI have from an early age abjured the use of meat, and the time will come whenmen such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon themurder of men. Leonardo da Vinci The root of anachronism is the Greek word khronos, which means time. Youll find the same root in other time words such as chronology and chronographer. Anachronism literally breaks down to against time, and we use it to describe something that is out of place in time, usually something that seems old fashioned. For example, some young people in Britain believe their monarchy is an anachronism, that it is an out-of-date institution without much relevance in the modern world. Since the arrival of container ships in the 1960s, with their need for giant cranesand open acres of wharfage, the 43 deepwater finger piers of San Franciscosnortheastern waterfront have largely become an anachronism. No longer used forcargo, some serve cruise ships, ferry boats and tour boats; others have taken onnew, nonmaritime uses. David Littlejohn writing for The Wall Street JournalAnathema comes from a Greek word describing something that was cursed or devoted to evil, and later, in Latin, anathema was associated with excommunication.

For example, in the 1200s, the Catholic Church enacted various levels of excommunication and the most severecutting a person off from God and the Church, proclaiming him damnedwas also called anathematization. The curse read during the excommunication ceremony was called the anathema. Today, something that is anathema is hated, repulsive, or cursedthe epitome of evil. Elizabeth Warren, the Harvard law professor and consumer advocate who iscurrently a special adviser to the president, is charged with setting up the[consumer finance protection] bureau. She remains a hugely popular figureamong many Democrats and anathema to many Republicans. Deborah Solomon writing for The Wall Street JournalAnodyne comes from a Greek word that means painless, and it was originally used in English to describe a drug or treatment that eased pain such as opium, liquor, or herbal remedies. Musica + Alma + Sexo was an opportunity for [Ricky] Martin to redefine histwo-decade career for American audiences, and demonstrate that he is muchmore than the goofy pop singer who scored several anodyne crossover hits at theturn of the millennium. Tris McCall writing for The Star-Ledger (New Jersey) There was something soothing and alienating all at once about the anodyne upper-middle-class blandness of the neighborhood. Kirsten Tranter in The LegacyAtavistic comes from the Latin word for ancestor. Musica + Alma + Sexo was an opportunity for [Ricky] Martin to redefine histwo-decade career for American audiences, and demonstrate that he is muchmore than the goofy pop singer who scored several anodyne crossover hits at theturn of the millennium. Tris McCall writing for The Star-Ledger (New Jersey) There was something soothing and alienating all at once about the anodyne upper-middle-class blandness of the neighborhood. Kirsten Tranter in The LegacyAtavistic comes from the Latin word for ancestor.

Its meaning is close to primitive, with a dash of resurgence thrown in. Something primitive has always been primitive, but an atavistic emotion is something primitive that surfaces even though people believed they had overcome or lost it. I might have come away from the annual [Super Bowl] experience howling in thestreets for my avenged Jets, had not my viewing been sullied by an atavistic rashof misogynistic commercials. Edward Champion writing for Reluctant HabitsThat is the political imperative that drivesChinas exchange-rate policy right