E-Feelings

Do not e-mail a potentially emotional message.

That is the advice I got from a corporate manager, and she speaks from experience.

Furthermore, researchers recently discovered how easily, in an e-mail, even mundane remarks can be misinterpreted. College students sent e-mail messages about weather and cafeteria food to friends, and expected misinterpretations of the messages' emotional content only about 22% of the time. Instead, respondents invested the messages with unintended emotional meanings 44% of the time (Kruger & Epley, J Pers & Soc Psych, December 2005).

Emoticons or smilies are outdated. Few of us still use IMHO (in my humble opinion) or FWIW (for what it's worth). But old-fashioned courtesies remain. Perhaps we might bring back the "warm regards" and "thank you so much" of earlier eras. And if the message is emotional, let's avoid e-mail and use telephone or face-to-face contact.

At least, that's my humble opinion.

Verbs

To build a better vocabulary, I concentrate first on learning verbs. Specifically, I move verbs from my passive vocabulary (I understand them) to my active vocabulary (I use them appropriately and readily). Here are a few verbs from my recent reading:

doff Jim doffed his disguise and we saw the real man.
abstain The CEO wanted to protest, but wisely she abstained [or refrained] from speaking in haste.
I would have liked a martini, but that night I was abstaining.
recant Mary once believed in unbridled capitalism, but she has since recanted.
sate It seems that no amount of music can thoroughly sate America's demand.
rebuff Acme offered $15 million, but Standard Widgets rebuffed that offer.
ascribe I know the report came from Brad, but insiders ascribe its recommendations to Brad's deputy, Sara.
engross Numbers engross her; that is why she is pursuing a degree in accounting.
amplify He summarized the report on the phone, but a longer e-mail will amplify that summary.
augment I will augment the evening's menu by bringing a basket of fruit and some French pastry.
expound He announced his plan, and then he expounded it. Could you expound on that observation?

Flesch Readability: 57.3 Flesch Kincaid Grade Level: 8.3

Adjectives: More Perplexing, Most Perplexing

One-syllable adjectives usually form their comparatives by adding –er and superlatives by adding –est. Of course, there are irregular adjectives such as good, better, and best. But wrong, wronger, wrongest?

Three-syllable adjectives usually require “more” and “most.” Examples: transparent, more transparent, most transparent.

But some two-syllable adjectives are written both ways. The Gregg Reference Manual (9th edition, 2001) advises us to avoid some –er and –est forms: “your ear will tell you when.” In other words, we are on our own, and may heaven pity the foreigner.

What do you think of each of these?

1. Activer activest
2. Frugaler frugalest
3. Commoner commonest
4. Simpler simplest
5. Yellower yellowest
6. Purpler purplest
7. Oranger organgest
8. Worthier worthiest
9. Silverer silverest
10. Disturbeder disturbedest