I learned English as a second language (native is Finnish). The emphasis in school was on vocabulary and very basic grammar; we did not to my recollection deal with stuff like passive voice etc. So in terms of writing in English, much of my "voice" has developed simply from what sounds right inside my head. However, I've been told that the way I write is overly complicated. Is this so?
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posted by Unhyper
on May 22, 2013 -
45 answers
I aspire to write beautifully -- what is some great writing that uses colorful, creative language and style?
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posted by switcheroo
on Apr 29, 2013 -
52 answers
As a reader, how do you feel about invented language versus familiar words in imaginary worlds?
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posted by batmonkey
on Nov 21, 2012 -
67 answers
Can anyone figure out the language/writing on the
bottom of this teapot? If it helps, it was probably purchased in the NYC area between 1940 - 1970.
posted by mikepop
on Aug 27, 2012 -
8 answers
English language friends: Why do we use the word “different” when it doesn’t appear to be necessary?
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posted by bryon
on Apr 17, 2012 -
18 answers
I like ClicheFinder and use it often to help me brainstorm clever titles for events and programs. What are some other sites that aggregate common word associations and turns of phrase? Or more general creative wordplay?
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posted by Miko
on Sep 1, 2011 -
8 answers
I have written a cover letter. I would like to know whether it makes recruiters jump for joy or punch the screen.
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posted by Fen
on Mar 11, 2011 -
40 answers
I'd like to read some sharp, simple fiction writing to improve my academic essays -- what would I like?
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posted by EmilyFlew
on Feb 21, 2011 -
26 answers
I'm looking for stories about telling jokes until they are no longer funny. How do people who write comedy tell if the jokes they are writing are still funny after repeating them so many times? I'm interested in hearing more about the short half-life of the joke, and the ways a joke can function after it has lost it's ha-ha-ha.
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posted by caseyg
on Dec 18, 2010 -
11 answers
Is there a term for the phenomenon of unintentionally using an entirely different word when writing?
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posted by Wossname
on Oct 19, 2010 -
9 answers
I'm trying to write Tamashek, the language of the Tuareg, in latin characters. I have nearly all the literature on this -- the problem is, there are a variety of proposed systems, and all of them seem to be based on a largely impractical phonetic alphabet. Most of the proposed alphabets are around 36 to 50 letters, rendering it largely ineffective, especially when trying to teach writing to illiterate native speakers or second language learners.
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posted by iamck
on Oct 2, 2010 -
14 answers
I'm moving to the UK for the next three years and have some questions about my identity and language use.
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posted by iamkimiam
on May 5, 2010 -
41 answers
Sacrifice, speech, writing and art: I am interested in the different ways in which a sacrifice, a sacrament, a spoken word and a written word act as signifiers. The notion for instance that the sacrament, at the point of its acceptance, is understood as
becoming the signified. What can you tell me / what has been written about the notions of sacrifice and their relationship to speech, art and the technologies of writing?
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posted by 0bvious
on Feb 24, 2010 -
8 answers
I bookmarked a site years ago that was all about people listing their favorite words - sort of like "delicious" but for word nerds. Does anyone have a clue what this is? thanks
posted by debu
on Nov 15, 2009 -
7 answers
Tell me everything you know about this sentence construction:
"Are you finished your lunch?"
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posted by peep
on Oct 22, 2009 -
91 answers
Does anyone know of a free, online program that, for lack of a better phrase, I'll call a random sentence scrambler? I see there are a lot of anagram makers but I want one for about 500 word bodies of text. Theoretically I could paste in the text and it would spit it out with all the words intact, the sentence structure preserved, just arranged into a new sequence. Thanks.
posted by holdenjordahl
on Aug 16, 2009 -
10 answers
Where might I find real-life examples of 300-700-word pieces of prose that are neither perfect nor unsalvageable — "problematic," let's say — on which I can practice the craft of editing?
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posted by colinmarshall
on Aug 7, 2009 -
25 answers
I often have a whole bunch of 500-3000 word articles to read - all reasonably plain English with headings and sub-headings (and occasionally images). Is there any software out there which will take an article (or articles) and write a reasonable one or two paragraph summary of the article, or produce a list of key points?
posted by zaebiz
on Jun 16, 2009 -
13 answers
I am looking for writings on
mimesis in regards new, digital, hypertext and hypermedial technologies and cultures.
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posted by 0bvious
on Feb 16, 2009 -
7 answers
As a result of my poor vocabulary, I use the term 'as a result', 'therefore,' and other like words far too often. Help me state my conclusions with eloquence!
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posted by mrgreyisyelling
on Dec 3, 2008 -
26 answers
Is there a word or a phrase, other than the too-broad "understand," for when a listener understands what someone else is trying to convey even when the speaker doesn't express it clearly and/or correctly?
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posted by amyms
on Apr 28, 2008 -
31 answers
I am interested in the mimetic and narrative capacities of
artefacts, how cultural remnants transmit information through time and how meaning is translated once an artefact is re-appropriated or examined from a new perspective. I have several avenues of study at the moment (a list in extended explanation), but would like some more ideas. Areas of critical theory, linguistics, evolutionary psychology and poetics are all relevant.
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posted by 0bvious
on Jan 27, 2008 -
12 answers
Does anyone have a suggestion for where to go in Montreal to improve my written French?
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posted by mikel
on Nov 1, 2007 -
1 answer
Explain tenses to me? Past/present/future, continuous/simple/perfect, and so on, in English. I can use them with fluency, but I need to be able to explain them (when each is used, how to form them). I've tried Fowler's, Chicago Manual of Style, and a number of other resources, but they seem to subtly contradict one another. Is there a simple, go-to reference for this?
posted by sarahkeebs
on Sep 28, 2007 -
16 answers
Help me come up with an evocative simile that conveys a profound but unemotional appreciation of a thing. My existing, imperfect prose is inside for your delectation.
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posted by perissodactyl
on Aug 4, 2007 -
22 answers
Wordfilter: looking for a word or phrase that describes social paradoxical effects, where the action results in the opposite of its intention.
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posted by dragonsi55
on Oct 23, 2006 -
6 answers
I'm interested in learning more about language/literature-based events. Not so much the traditional poetry reading, more like innovative ways people come together in a relaxed environment to do some sort of activity that revolves around reading stuff aloud and telling stories.
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posted by lalalana
on Mar 4, 2006 -
7 answers
What's the deal with expressing ownership on names that end in 's'? If I had a buddy named 'Loveless' and wanted to talk about his pet dog, I would write "Loveless' pet dog". But I would clearly
pronounce the exact same sentence like "Lovelesses pet dog". Doesn't that suck?
posted by fucker
on Nov 23, 2005 -
22 answers
On behalf of a friend, though it actually sounds like an interesting question and I think I'd like to know too:
Could you put up something asking about whether there's a real-world source/derivation for the words "hron" and "hronir" used in Borges' "Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius"?
posted by Rev. Syung Myung Me
on Nov 5, 2005 -
3 answers
