thoughts on the English language

Inconceivable!

Niall O'Donnell 11 Comments

OK, I’m a day late with this, but better late than never, eh?

So: in-. Continue reading →

Indifferent

Niall O'Donnell 1 Comment

I came across this word while reading today, and I noticed that it’s a little unusual. We usually think of in- as a negative prefix, making a word the opposite of the word that follows the prefix. But indifferent isn’t the opposite of different.

Or is it? Continue reading →

Of Sound Body and Mind

Niall O'Donnell 7 Comments

Did you ever wonder why we use the word sound with this meaning?

No? Well luckily for you, I have! Continue reading →

Diventerò un Pipistrello…

Niall O'Donnell 12 Comments

What’s the Italian for Batman? Continue reading →

What’s Your Fav Abbreviation?

Niall O'Donnell 4 Comments

I’ll tell you what’s not mine: fav.

Let me explain why. Continue reading →

Straightforward

Niall O'Donnell 7 Comments

While writing yesterday, I paused to think of le mot juste, and it turned out that straightforward was juste the mot I needed. I paused again, then, to think a little more about that word, straightforward.

It’s quite a straightforward word, isn’t it? Continue reading →

Dearly Beloved…

Niall O'Donnell 2 Comments

You probably won’t be amazed if I tell you that the past simple and past participle forms of regular verbs in English are formed by adding -d or -ed. You also wouldn’t be very surprised if I told you that that E is usually silent, except when it follows a T or D (e.g. contrast commenced and finished with started and ended).

What about a word like beloved then? Continue reading →