We came across this fantastic website about English grammar recently: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/home.htm
It’s been developed by University College London, but appears to be open to everyone (at least it was when we wrote this). If you need to brush up on the active and passive voice, remind yourself when to use capitals or learn more about the difference between the subject and object of a sentence, check it out.
It is firmly on our Bookmarks list.
Nominalisation is one of our pet hates. It’s also one of the commonest ways in which writing falls down – which is why we bang on about it so much.
Nominalisation means turning a verb into a noun. So instead of using a construction with ‘to terminate’, you use ‘the termination of’; instead of ‘to discuss’, you use ‘discussion’; instead of ‘to negotiate’, you get ‘the negotiation of’, or instead of ‘to implement’, you end up with ‘the implementation of’.
e.g.
The problem with nominalisation is that is removes the action from the sentence (verbs, after all, are doing words) and replaces it with something static (a noun), which makes for writing that risks being bland, vague and dull.
So try and hold on to your verbs:
It makes for livelier, more engaging and more ‘human’ writing.
Meaning: a temple slave.
Example: ‘Be patient, my love. The kitchen is my temple and you my hierodule. So get washing up.’
We were sad to read about the death of composer Vic Mizzy recently. Mizzy was responsible for the irresistibly catchy theme tune for the Addams Family (you know the one: “buh-buh-buh-bump…snap-snap”)
In a piece about Mizzy on BBC Radio, however, we were quite surprised to hear the Addams Family described as a ‘dysfunctional family’, which if my memory serves me well, does them a huge disservice and is an incorrect use of the word ‘dysfunctional’.
Here at Wordsworks Towers, in the context of a family, dysfunctional would tend to mean broken, maybe violent, abusive, loveless, irresponsible… those kinds of negative characteristics.
The Addams Family may have been many things, but they were none of the above. One of the running themes of the show was the passion between Gomez and Morticia, their love for their children Wednesday and Pubert/Pugsly, the closeness between all the extended family (including Uncle Fester, Cousin It, Grandmama and, of course, Thing.) They were not abusive or violent to one another. They were not irresponsible. They always stood together as a family, supported each other and enjoyed each other’s company.
Calling them dysfunctional is not just lazy journalism, it is plain wrong. The Addams Family is one the most functional families I know.