My Science School

Are you afraid of ghosts? Did you know that ghosts can lurk not only in haunted mansions and dark comers, but also inside dictionaries?

Yes, you read that right. Ghost words are words that have entered into the dictionary by a human error rather than normal linguistic transmission.

They are usually a result of a misprint or an erroneous reading of a manuscript.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a ghost word as “a word recorded in a dictionary or other reference work which is not actually used.”

Here are some ghost words that might be lurking inside your dictionary:

**Abacot is a ghost word that arose through a series of misreadings. The word first appeared in the second edition of “Holisnhed’s Chronicles” in 1587. It found its way into every major dictionary. Only 300 years later was it discovered that the word was a misprint of ‘bycoket’, meaning a cap or head-dress.

**Morse: The word ‘morse’ as a noun became popular after it appeared in  Sir Walter Scott’s 1820 novel, “The Monastery”. However, ‘morse’ mysteriously appeared as a verb in dictionaries. Was it Morse code? Not really, it was just a printing mistake, putting ‘morse’ instead of ‘nurse’.

**Momblishness: Though the word sounds similar to mumble, it turned out that momblish was actually a typographical error. The actual word was ‘ne-m’oublie-pas’. French for “don’t forget me”.

**Cairbow: Cairbow was mentioned in an early 20th century draft of the Oxford English Dictionary. The new word puzzled the editors: What was cairbow? A new type of rainbow or a polar creature? Well, none of the above. It turned out that cairbow was just a misreading of caribou.

 

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Some of us write simple straight sentences. Some of us prefer to use multisyllabic words (such as: integrative) and long sentences thinking, "When I know it, why not just use it?"

We use idioms to make a point and add colour to our writing. Look at the difference between "Don't go near that pond" and If were you. I wouldn't go near that pond. In short we all have our unique ways of writing. That's fine, as long as the reader gets the meaning and the purpose of your writing

What if you use words that are misleading or just plain wrong? It is good to make sure the words and phrases you use are precise, necessary and error free.

The following examples will help you avoid the pitfalls of writing without thinking properly.

Oxymoron

You have an oxymoron when two words opposite in meaning are expressed together. It is a figure of speech containing words that seem to contradict each other or cancel each other out. It's often referred to as a 'contradiction in terms

Oxymorons are used for a variety of purposes. Sometimes they're used to create a little bit of drama for the reader sometimes to add spice to the prose or poem; sometimes they're used for emphasis, or to make a person stop and think "Is this funny? Is this absurd?"

A common oxymoron is the phrase the same difference. This phrase is an oxymoron because the words same and difference have completely opposite meanings. Bringing them together into one phrase produces a puzzle

A true myth' eh? What do you make of that? Interesting, right? An oxymoron, as a figure of speech, is used in poems for emphasis. Shakespeare used these in his tragic play "Romeo and Juliet": loving hate, heavy lightness", feather of lead, 'bright smoke, cold fire', sick health'.

But if you use it without realising it is an oxymoron, it can lead to funny (read: absurd) phrases, that are best avoided. What is virtual reality? Who are paid volunteers?

Errors and effective phrases

Do you use the following in speech or writing? It's likely you have, or you may have heard of them.

Found missing, fully empty seriously funny, only choice. original copies, act naturally, clearly confused, deafening silence, farewell reception. growing smaller, open secret sweet sorrow, weirdly normal.

Writers have used oxymoron words and phrases to good effect. These examples, seen in their context will show us how this figure of speech can be effective not just as phrases, but in the meaning of the whole sentence.

I like a smuggler. He is the I only honest thief Charles Lamb

I can believe anything, provided that it is quite incredible. Oscar Wilde

And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true. Alfred Tennyson

Modem dancing is so old fashioned. Samuel Goldwyn

I am a deeply superficial person. Andy Warhol

We're busy doing nothing Bing Crosby

No one goes to that restaurant any more. It's always too crowded. Yogi Berra

A joke is actually an extremely really serious issue. Winston Churchill

I like humanity but i loathe persons. Edna St. Vincent Millay

I generally advise persons never ever to present assistance. P. G. Wodehouse

Avoid malapropism

Have you ever used the wrong word in the wrong context? Read more to find out how to avoid this mistake.

Malapropism is the act of using an incorrect word in place of one that is similar in pronunciation. Answer this: Which one is right?

The man is an imminent personality known for his books on climate change.

The man is an eminent personality known for his books on climate change. The word Malapropism comes from a character named Mrs. Malaprop in the play "The Rivals by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. The playwright Sheridan chose the name Malaprop because the word malapropos means inappropriate In the play. Mrs. Malaprop often used words that sounded similar but were wrong in the context. ("Illiterate him quite from memory instead of "Obliterate him") Malapropism is also referred to as Dogberryism, named after Officer Dogberry in Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing". Both characters made these speech errors. Here are some examples of malapropisms: Mrs. Malaprop said, "She's as headstrong as an allegory (alligator) Officer Dogberry said, "Our watch, sir, have indeed comprehended two auspicious persons (apprehended two suspicious persons)

 

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It is often said that short is sweet but sometimes stories need long, sprawling sentences to have a bigger impact. These long monologues and multi-line descriptions are known as the run-on sentence. And over the years, some of the authors have taken the nun-on technique as far as it can go writing some of the longest sentences in English in the process.

What is a run-on?

Run-on sentences are sentences that contain too many ideas, often without proper punctuation Typically, they include independent causes that are joined together without any connecting word or punctuation to separate the clauses.

However, not all long sentences are run-on sentences. For instance, the 800-word sentence in Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables" is one of the longest grammatically correct lines to appear in any work of literature But Hugo's sentence is not a run on.

Setting word records

James Joyce and William Faulkner, both renowned authors and poets, were among the earliest to master the run-on. Joyce held the world record for the longest nun-on with a 3,687 word sentence in Ulysses". The novel contains the character Molly Bloom's 36 page, two sentence monologue.

In 1983, Faulkner was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records for his lengthy passage from his 1936 book. "Absalom, Absalom!" The huge run on sentence consists of as many as 1,288 words and countless clauses. Once you get into its rhythm, the sentence immerses you in Faulkners stream of consciousness (unfiltered flow of thoughts). Faulkners experimental sentence style proved an inspiration to modern writers such as Samuel Beckett. Virginia Woolf and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Recent examples

Post modem writers are still influenced by Faulkners nun-on technique. The current record holder the longest English sentence is Jonathan Coe for his staggering 33-page 13,955-word sentence in "The Rotter's Club (2001).

Last year, Lucy Ellmann's "Ducks" which consists of a single sentence (published in parts throughout the novel) running over 1,000 pages, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

 

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One of the first things that you should pay attention to when you write is this: See that your verb agrees with the subject you have chosen to write about.

What you want to write about your choice. You can choose Sachin Tendulkar as your topic.

You can choose to write about your neighbours pesky dog that barks all night.

Once you have made your choice about the subject the not thing is to place a verb that matches the subject in the sentences you make.

You know that verbs change.

[1] The verb changes when the action described happened in the past. He wrote the novel several years ago.

[2] The verb you pick depends on whether the subject is singular (he she, it) or plural (they, you). Of course the pronoun is special and takes the verb an in the present tense.

If your action state of being is in the present tense, you need to write He writes, she writes, it writes. I write you write, we write. They write. He is, she is, it is. I am. You are, we are, they are.

What about "has and "have"? Has" is used for subjects in the singular, when the action/state of being is in the present tense. He has, she has, it has

"Have" is used for subjects in the plural when the action/state of being is in the present tense.

I have, you have, we have, they have

For action verbs, the past tense does not make a difference. It changes to the past tense and remains the same for all subjects.

She/he/It//We//You/They wrote many letters to the government

Read these examples for seeing the rules clearly.

He has done his work. She has done her work. It has done its work.

I have done my work. We have done our work, You have done your work. They have done their work.

"Has" and "have" are also used to show possession. Shenji (He) has a large house. I have a library at home.

As the examples above show, the rules for using "has", "have" for showing possession are the same as the rules for using them as helping verbs.

Here are some tips to remember

Singular subjects take on singular verbs. (he/ she/it = is/was/has) Plural subjects take on plural verbs (you/ we/they = are/were/ have)

* For all the subjects, all the past tense verbs are the same

So, when you write your sentences, watch out! See that the verb agrees with the subject

Pick your verb, place the questions what or "who" before it. The answer is the subject.

Example 1: She has done her work very well. Which is the verb? "has done."

Who has done? "She". So "she is the subject. The sentence is "She has done".

So the verb "has done agrees with the subject "she." Example 2: Her anms across her chest she lays.

Which is the verb? "lays. Who lays? "She". So "she" is the subject. So the verb "lays" agrees with the subject "She".

 

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