Sun, 18 Oct 2026 04:42:18 EDT
Consider This Sentence
The following sentence occurs in Reuters on Apple News. “Rioting erupted in cities across France on Saturday as demonstrations against rising living costs and declining public services spiralled out of control in some of the worst violence the country has witnessed for decades.”
Too long.
I dislike present participles. They feel weak to me. Therefore I will ditch the gerund rioting. In the same spirit, I will ditch rising and declining.
Rioting erupted…as demonstrations…spiralled out of control is two clauses. I will reduce this to protests turned into riots.
Some of the worst violence is editorial. I will ditch it.
I will gather some specific details from other sources.
My rewrite: “On Saturday, protests against the high cost of living and cuts to public services turned into riots in several French cities. Rioters set fire to buildings, looted businesses, and vandalized government offices.”
Thu, 15 Oct 2026 22:54:00 EDT
Rehearse
The verb to rehearse means to repeat actions to consolidate skill or to consolidate memorization in preparation for a performance. This sense of the verb appears in the late 16th century. At the beginning of the 14th century, to rehearse meant to recount events, to narrate what has happened or what has been said.
Mon, 12 Oct 2026 16:56:56 EDT
Ungainly
The adjective ungainly means clumsy, inelegant, or difficult to manage. Ungainly derives from the Middle English ungein, which was the negative of gein, which meant suitable or convenient.
Gein derives from the Old Norse gegn, which had a main meaning of against in the sense of opposing. The verb to gainsay preserves this meaning. The meaning of gein extended to toward and direct and eventually helpful.
Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:24:10 EDT
“Insanely Delicious”
The phrase is hyperbole, but what does it mean? Can the delicious item only be perceived as delicious if the perceiver is insane? Don’t tell me that the item is so delicious that it’s insane. What is insane? How can a thing or an attribute be insane? Only sentient beings can be insane. Does the delicious item drive sentient beings insane? I need to know.