Word Wise

Jane Eyre, I Care

I’ve written here before on the connection between being an avid reader and being a good writer ("Where You Read, I Will Follow"). I won’t go into it again, but I am constantly reminded of it. I’m currently reading “Jane Eyre” (I never read it in high school or any other school)  and aside from loving the story, loving the beautifully written prose, and loving the fact that several people on the bus to and from work over the past two weeks since I started reading it have interrupted my reading to talk about the book – how cool is that? – I’m loving all the words, the words in English that must have been commonly used in 1847 when Charlotte Bronte wrote “Jane Eyre,” and which I’ve never seen before. Inditing – Recalling her school days, Jane says of the miserly and miserable headmaster Mr. Brocklehurst, “he bored us with…readings from books of his own inditing, about sudden deaths and judgments” – in other words, books he wrote himself Disembarrassed – When being formally introduced to Rochester for the first time (after already having met him on the road when he fell from his horse) Jane is nervous and “quite disembarrassed” when she’s able to take a seat, “relieved” at Rochester’s lack of false politeness Wot – When Rochester says “God wot I need not be too severe about others,” in this case wot means “knows,” as in “God knows…” Condoled – Describing the housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax’s attempt to maintain conversation with Rochester, her employer, Bronte writes that “she condoled with him on the pressure of business,” condoled being related to condolence and here meaning sympathize Celerity – Upon being brought tea to serve to Rochester, Mrs. Fairfax arranges the cups and spoons with “assiduous celerity,” or speed Adventitious – Jane, pondering Rochester’s appearance, thinks that there is “so haughty a reliance, on the power of other qualities, intrinsic or adventitious, to atone for [his] lack of mere personal attractiveness…,” with adventitious meaning “coming from another source and not inherent or innate” Meed – Describing Rochester’s compliment on her teaching skills, Jane says “it is the meed teachers most covet,” with meed meaning “reward” Contumelious – During a house party the comely Miss Ingram pushes Rochester’s little ward Adele away “with some contumelious epithet,” not a terribly charming way to behave to a child, as it means “rude” These are just a few of the words (in fact, they appear within pages of one another) that make reading “Jane Eyre,” or any book that uses words that may no longer be much in use, such an adventure. More than that, though, they continuously remind me of the beauty of language and the written word and the importance of choosing the right words to evoke emotion, pass along information, and maintain your reader’s interest. You may not have the need to use words like meed or wot or celerity very often, but aren’t you disembarrassed to know they’re there when you need them?

Note: You can download Jane Eyre for free here from Project Gutenberg.

One (Isn't) the Loneliest Number

A cut 'n' save special: Some of the phrases I see a lot that can easily be replaced with one word without losing meaning are: at all times: replace with always at the present time: replace with now or currently because of the fact that: replace with because due to the fact that: replace with because for the purpose of: replace with for in order to: replace with to in spite of the fact that: replace with although or though prior to, in anticipation of: replace with before with regard to: replace with about on an annual basis: replace with yearly at this point in time: replace with now subsequent to: replace with after a large majority: replace with most be in a position to: replace with to or can in view of the fact that: replace with because in the event that: replace with if at your earliest convenience: replace with soon be in a position to: replace with are or can under the circumstances: replace with because or therefore

Face It

I once posted a writing tip about instant messaging and the need to be careful so you don’t mix up client and friend and, for instance, unintentionally say something saucy to your client contact, but also vigilant in how you write. You can’t go wrong with complete sentences, good grammar, and correct spelling. (I’ve made peace with all-lowercase letters, given the casual format of IM’ing.)   With IM’ing, though, no matter how good or bad you come across, at least you know to whom you’re coming across in the first place. Not so with Facebook, since your commentary often ends up read by “friends” of “friends.”   Facebook is the only place on earth where the CEO of my company, with whom I’m friends, and my 17-year-old nephew, with whom I’m also friends, may read one another’s commentary on life, love, and soccer, among other things (Matt, meet Eli); where a colleague of mine in Mexico City may read the messages of my cousin in Berkeley (Osvaldo, meet Wendy); where a still-learning-English friend in Warsaw can read the comments of a friend who’s a Shakespeare scholar at a prestigious university in Chicago (Maciej, meet Jeff). It’s thrilling in its own way, yet utterly terrifying, as well. I keep this in mind when I’m writing something on Facebook, since I never really know who’s reading it, what cultural sensitivities I may come up against, and where my words may end up.   I hate to use this word, but you are your “brand” and how you communicate defines your place and creates your image – just like how you communicate on behalf of your clients does so for them. The divide between work and the rest of your life has fallen: No doubt your Facebook “friends” include actual friends, colleagues, clients, acquaintances, family, and even a few people you don’t like at all but were too embarrassed to “ignore” when they friended you. It's a big gossipy party.   In our interconnected world it’s more important than ever to remember just how little is in our own control – what you write on social networking sites like Facebook can take on a life of its own. At least, however, you can control the quality of your writing. Be mindful, be thoughtful, and be kind. Use good grammar. Spell things the way they were meant to be spelled. Use uppercase and lowercase letters. Your many friendships may depend on it.

Let's Do It, Chicago-style

Soon after posting "Let's Do It," a friend sent me this column by Mary Schmich from last April in the Chicago Tribune, a hilarious must-read on this topic.

Let's Do It

Let’s get one thing straight: lets and let’s – despite sharing the same four letters and pronunciation – are separate words used in specific circumstances. To some of you I know this comes as a surprise. How do I know? Because lately I’ve been dialing up my friends and colleagues who misuse them to point out the difference between lets and let's. Most common reaction? "Really?" Really. In fact, it's not that people necessarily get them mixed up as much as it is that they don't even know lets and let's both exist. Either they use lets all the time or let’s, and that’s that. Convenient, yes. Correct, no. Lets (sans apostrophe) means "allows," as in “she lets me do my own thing.” Let’s (with apostrophe) is the contraction of “let us,” as in “let us pray,” and is used more commonly in phrases like “let’s party.”