Ah, English. That impressive language continues to fascinate me – as well as many of you – and probably will for the rest of our lives. Ever since the arrival of three Germanic tribes who invaded Britain during the 5th century AD and spoke a group of West Germanic (Ingvaeonic) dialects, English has steadily developed over the course of more than 1,400 years. The fact that a new word is added to the dictionary every two hours (almost 4,000 words during the course of the year) is proof that English as a language is alive and kicking.
Being writers, we use English as the driving force of our passion. We simply won’t be as effective in communicating our stories if we did not know how to use English the right way. With that said, details about this language will always be interesting to learn. Here are 8 facts about English that you (probably) didn’t know.
Do words ‘die’?
Yes. Typically, they have a lifespan of anywhere between 1,000 and 20,000 years. More commonly used words tend to last longer. They don’t go to heaven or hell when they ‘die’ though. They just fall out, become obsolete in general usage. Have you heard about ymbsittend (an “around-sitter” or neighbor), cicisbeo (a married woman’s lover) or gadzooks (an expression of surprise of annoyance)? Right, you haven’t. It’s because these words are dead.
Some, however, refuse to go outdated and are here to stay. A study published in 2013 revealed that there may be 23 oldest words in the world dating as far back as 15,000 years including, mother, man/male, worm, black, fire, ashes, and spit. This means that if an Ice Age person could hear you speak today, she or he could probably understand you.
Is there a word like ‘siblings’ for nieces and nephews collectively?
No, though it would be very useful. In fact, “nephew” was once used regardless of sex, but this usage is long extinct. Older use of the word “cousin” for a range of blood relations would have encompassed nephews and nieces, but no specific term is now available.
How do you use “a” and “an” before a word?
That’s easy. You should use “a” before words that start with a consonant, and “an” before words that start with a vowel. Right? It may be a popular rule but not quite right. The real rule is to use “a” before words that starts with a consonant, and “an” before words that start with a vowel sound. For example, “It was an honor to present this award.”
What does the abbreviation q.v. mean?
The abbreviation q.v. stands for the Latin phrase quod vide (meaning “which see”). It is used to direct a reader to another part of a book or article for further information.
Do you capitalize season (summer, winter, etc.)?
The seasons do not need a capital letter. They are general or common nouns, so they follow the capitalization rules that apply to other general nouns. This rule is all part of the trend to plainer English, which includes fewer capital initials. Poetic souls know that you use capital initial for seasons only when personified, which really amounts to mostly poetry.
What is the correct or more usual written form when writing the time – a.m., am, or A.M.?
British style, as laid down in the Oxford Guide to Style, is 7.30 a.m. The Chicago Manual of Style and the Associated Press Stylebook recommends the same. In Scandinavia, North America, and elsewhere the full point between the numerals is replaced by a colon (as on digital watches and clocks). The greatest simplicity is achieved by use of the 24-hour clock: 07.30 or 19.30.
Is it politically correct to use “they” instead of “he” or “she”?
Whoever invented the English language, unfortunately, missed making up a simple singular pronoun which does not specify gender. Various people have suggested new words to fill this gap, but none of them has caught on. However, modern users of English (that’s us!) have found the obvious solution to this conundrum: rather than using the formal and awkward formula “he or she”, they simply use “they”. It’s probably just to be fair to the words “anyone” and “no one” which are strictly singular but often imply a reference to more than one person.
If you do not find this usage acceptable, there are options. You could resort to the awkward “he or she” formula, or to the practice of writing “he” when you mean “he or she” (which many “politically correct” people find objectionable), or to rephrasing all your sentences to avoid the problem!
What are crutch words?
Crutch words are filler words we use to give us more time to think about our response. Who hasn’t used a friendly “you know?” to end sentences? I bet, you’ve found it convenient to use “um”, “actually” and “like” when you try to explain something. Yet in writing, crutch words are often overused and can ruin your prose.
How do you know you’re guilty of using too much crutch words? Grab an older piece of writing – an old blog post, an essay, early versions of your manuscript – anything else you haven’t touched in a while. Go through it. With your highlighter/marker, underline it every time you see the same word or phrase. Then, do the same thing on a more recent piece of writing. If you find similar words or phrases being used generously, there! You’ve found your crutch word! Not all of these words are bad though. You don’t have to eliminate every instance you see it on your prose. If your character is speaking, they’ll probably use words like “just” or “very” and that’s okay. Dialogue works to tell your readers more about the character and how they converse or react with others. It needs to be as closer to real life as possible. And in real life, when we speak, we are often all over the place. Think about it: Good dialogue is like a cleaned-up version of a real conversation. The role of the writer is to select what’s important and then refine it down to its very essence.