Metamorphemis

It's time we discuss the word "interesting." Wow, Karla, you're researching bugs for a science project? That's so interesting! Look at Karla over there, playing with bugs. She's...interesting. Wasn't gonna buy the picture. Courtesy of Shutterstock What does interesting mean? The OED's first definition spells it out to indicate concern, to touch, to affect, or to indicate importance ...yet it's commonly used today to convey a variety of sentiments: When something is unique or niche; Teaching ASL to apes When something is bland or boring; Making photocopies of tax forms When something is weird or abnormal; Eating spiders The worst part is how ambiguously the word is used, having multiple connotations. It can be used to wholeheartedly indicate interest, halfheartedly dismiss, and sarcastically make fun and tease. While aggravating to encounter "interesting" in the wild, it's a good example of the versatility and metam

In today's fast-paced, ultra concise society of communication, few social media producers have time to check their grammar and punctuation, and even fewer social media consumers will care if there are mistakes (so long as the sentiments are clear).  Courtesy of Beyond Thrilled The "wild west" of communication, where no man's laws apply, is typically reproduced through social media fronts such as Twitter and Facebook, or instant messaging applications, including iMessage or texting. A realm without punctuation. You know what that means? That's right baby, comma splices are in. While punctuation is important in terms of grammar, it also eliminates some areas of potential confusion. A dedicated reader can strong-arm her way through each phrase to discover tone and establish a context, but certain marks make the jobs easier, e.g., question marks signal questions, exclamation points signal exclamations. The classic example of grandma's comma con

Behind the front desk in the Church of Scientology lies a simple quote, proudly displayed: Image courtesy of an anonymous visitor "Scientology is a science of life. It is the one thing senior to life because it handles all the factors of life." - L. Ron Hubbard Personal sentiments regarding Scientology aside, that is a problematic quote, and certainly not something that should stand as the introduction to a church. To start off, Hubbard used " life "  three times in two sentences - an issue of redundancy. Redundancy is a tricky issue, as it is often mistaken for emphasis. For example, some public speakers are taught that repetition is crucial when giving a speech, as it plants an idea in a listener's mind. While it is true that I will only think of waffles if I hear someone repeat "waffles" multiple times in quick succession, there is little to gain from it. Repeating a word makes it stand out - yet the intention is to plant an idea, not