Words of the Week : Abase and Abate

English is a complicated language, and the world knows it, especially the non-native speakers. The same word can have different meanings when used in two disparate voices, and a single a letter can turn the meaning upside down like the one which we will look at today. I want to introduce two new words : abase and abate. They are rhyming… Continue »

Word of the Week : Deja Vu

I have a special liking for French origin words in English. There are a few favorites, the one on top of it all is déjà vu. It refers to something that you have experienced before and find a resemblance in your present world. The word is special as I do not know of any other word that can easily replace… Continue »

Word of the Week : Occidental

I learnt this word recently and was amused to start with, but gradually fell in love with it. Occidental simply means Western. You need to use the word with the capital O always. So, I could say, my dad wanted to watch some Occidental movies and I believe such movies sets the generation apart. From dictionary.com: oc·ci·den·tal – of, pertaining to, or characteristic… Continue »

Word of the Week : Premonition

A word that is close to my heart, well, you could say that it is a word that I used as a title for my first website. Long long ago, so long ago, Abhinav learnt HTML programming through a book and built his first website and called it, AC Premonitions; AC stood for Anti Christ. AC Premonitions was in… Continue »

Word of the Week : Muse

Right, this week, I bring to you – muse. I like this word for a simple reason reason. I generally use the term – let me sleep over it or let me think over and let you know. And, this word replaces the thinking and sleeping terminology completely. Muse refers to thinking over in most general terms. Meaning of muse from… Continue »

Word of the Week : Spasmodic

This is something new. I will start to publish the word of the week every Sunday. I believe that all of us have to grow, especially with our personal English lexicon. So, the first word that I want to introduce is spasmodic. The word sounds biological but the usage is purely in non-technical terms. Meaning of spasmodic : sudden and short lived You… Continue »

Great Resources for Writers

I have been searching for specific tools for my requirements to start on my fictional novel and a personality development guide. I came across this article by Tom Walker that puts seventeen tools on the table, and compares each one of them briefly. I am a little sad that most of the best tools are designed for Mac, and Windows users… Continue »

When is the Best Time to Write

I am sure you would have heard this topic a few hundred times and read a dozen different articles on it. I feel obligated to share my two cents on the topic with fellow writers and writers hopefuls. The answer to the question of best time to write can never be one fold and far from being universal. You should be… Continue »

I Shot an Elephant in my Pajamas

Misplaced modifiers are common sight these days with the advent of blogs. Well, maybe it didn’t shoot up since the blog era, but it is out in the open for everybody to read and judge. A nice write-up by Grammar Girl on misplaced modifiers is something that smacks most of us right in the face. Here’s an excerpt: Continue »