Tall tales and other thoughts from storyteller, sailor and nomad Dennison Berwick. "Kuan Yin" is his 32-foot go-anywhere home.
Posted in Books/Language on Jul 25th, 2010
When you hear the stunted, semi-grunting way many speak – and write! – these days, the language of a book such as The Elements of Style seems to come from a different planet. What’s the point of clarifying the correct usage of “which’ and “that” when someone can’t utter a sentence that doesn’t have f**k [...]
Posted in Books/Language on Jan 17th, 2010
Whether English is your mother tongue or a second language, everyone struggles with the absurdities of this amazing language. Here’s a great example of some of its wonderful illogicalities that’s sure to make you smile:
We’ll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes;
but the plural of ox became oxen not oxes.
One fowl is a [...]
Posted in Books/Language on Jan 14th, 2010
There’s no denying English is an absurdly illogical language. It’s full of traps for the unwary and even native speakers get tripped up when it comes to pronunciation. Here are some of the best examples of the craziness of English.
It’s sure to make you smile:
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was [...]
"Serendipity" is the art of finding something valuable or delightful when you're not looking for it. It's how you might also define living life as an adventure - which is something I seek to do everyday - and accepting whatever happens.
