Fellow wordsmiths would likely agree that parsing the English language is lots of fun. But is it the funnest thing to do? And is “funnest” even a word? Let’s take a look.
Adding the suffix “-est”to a word amps up the intensity. For example, eating a hot pepper may leave a tingle on your taste buds, but eating the hottest pepper will likely have you scrambling for a jug of milk. Sometimes, however, the use of this suffix bumps up against common grammatical conceptions. Such is the case with “fun” and “funnest” — is “funnest” even a word, or is it a linguistic taboo?
If you have the time of your life on a vacation or at a party, you may be tempted to say it was the funnest experience you ever had. But some sticklers raise their brows at the comparative adjective, decrying it as too informal and perhaps not even a valid word at all. Instead, many people defer to “most fun,” lest they risk misspeaking.
But if you ask Merriam-Webster, “funnest” is a perfectly acceptable word that suffers from a lack of widespread use. People are unjustifiably trepidatious about using the superlative form of the adjective “fun.” The evidence shows “funnest” appeared in print as far back as the 1870s, when it was used in a similar context to how people use it today.
So, even if some detractors would rather the word “funnest” not exist because it sounds like something a child would say, the word’s 150-year history can’t be denied. “Funnest” is very real, and sometimes it’s OK to use simple terms to express ourselves — especially about how much fun we’re having.
Bennett Kleinman is a New York City-based staff writer for Optimism. He is also a freelance comedy writer, devoted New York Yankees and New Jersey Devils fan, and thinks plain seltzer is the best drink ever invented.
Every writer has their quirks and foibles, and one of my grammatical sins is relying on an abundance of run-on sentences — but I have a good reason for it. Throughout high school and a bit of college, I took Latin classes. After getting a firm foundation in grammar and vocabulary basics, we moved into translating poetry and prose. Latin prose is notorious for especially lengthy sentences. The long sentences composed by Roman scholar and statesman Cicero are a rite of passage for Latin students, with examples full of digressions and overlapping clauses and multiple verb tenses. After being immersed in Caesar and Cicero, I found my English sentences got longer and longer. I am, with the help of editors, working on brevity.
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A run-on sentence, as defined by the Sweetland Center for Writing at the University of Michigan, is “two or more independent clauses incorrectly presented in a single sentence.” It’s a common error, especially when students start to express more complex ideas. Consider a sentence in a hypothetical book report about Pride and Prejudice:
Elizabeth Bennet rejects Mr. Darcy's first proposal she grows to love him.
Spot the issue? There are a few ways to fix it. The two clauses are connected, but they present two different ideas. You can separate them into two sentences, or use a comma and a conjunction.
Elizabeth Bennet rejects Mr. Darcy's first proposal. She grows to love him.
Elizabeth Bennet rejects Mr. Darcy's first proposal, but she grows to love him.
A semicolon would fix the run-on sentence as well; it requires two complete clauses on either side of it and no conjunction. Avoid inserting just a comma, without a conjunction, because that would create the separate issue of a comma splice. In some cases, however, you can use subordinating conjunctions, such as “while,” “when,” “because,” “although,” and “since,” without a comma.
Elizabeth Bennet rejects Mr. Darcy's first proposal; she grows to love him.
Elizabeth Bennet rejects Mr. Darcy's first proposal because she doesn’t yet love him.
Outside of the prescribed grammar rules, a run-on sentence may be identified as a sentence with too many ideas stuffed into it. If your sentences are running into three lines of text, try breaking up the clauses.
Some acclaimed authors are known for lengthy and meandering sentences, but we can’t all write like James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, or Gabriel García Márquez. For the rest of us, short sentences provide momentum. Mixing up sentence structure also can be a fun writing challenge. You don’t have to give up your long sentences entirely — I certainly haven’t — but a skilled writer knows how to vary their style and break grammar rules when it enhances their storytelling.
Julia Rittenberg is a culture writer and content strategist driven by a love of good stories. She writes most often about books for Book Riot. She lives in Brooklyn with a ton of vintage tchotchkes that her cat politely does not knock over.
Americans and Brits don’t just have different accents — sometimes they refer to the exact same object using different words. This is especially true in the culinary world, so let’s take a look at some common examples.
My YouTube feed is full of food content, and lately I’ve been noticing some differences in what I call certain foods and what those same foods are called by British people. In particular, hot and ready potatoes are a popular street food in the United Kingdom, where they’re called “jacket potatoes.” To me, this calls up a mental image of cute little potatoes with googly eyes and tiny felt coats, but they’re actually what I (and most Americans) know as “baked potatoes.” The language is the same, but key vocabulary differences between British and American English dialects have always intrigued me, so I did a little more research on the difference between jacket potatoes and baked potatoes.
While there are plenty of differences in dialects for clothing words, “jacket” as a lightweight outer garment is the same on both sides of the pond. The linguistic divide comes into play with a secondary definition for “jacket,” referring to the skin of a potato. British people refer to this particular form of potato by its skin, while those in the U.S. came to refer to it by the cooking method instead.
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Though largely the same, there are some slight differences between baked potatoes and jacket potatoes. For instance, jacket potatoes are usually cooked longer than their baked brethren — sometimes over an hour to ensure crispier skin. The toppings are also different depending on the location. While Americans prefer cheese, bacon, chives, and sour cream, British people go for a broader variety of toppings: cheese, baked beans, coleslaw, and even tuna fish.
All the differences in food terminology are fascinating, but I do have some favorites. Americans say “eggplant,” while Brits say “aubergine,” and a zucchini in New York is a courgette in London. And don’t get me started on the divide between fries and chips or cookies and biscuits. The opinions on appropriate condiments, textures, and flavor combinations could fill a book.
Bennett Kleinman is a New York City-based staff writer for Optimism. He is also a freelance comedy writer, devoted New York Yankees and New Jersey Devils fan, and thinks plain seltzer is the best drink ever invented.
Maybe you’ve had the itchy eyes and runny nose of seasonal allergies lately, but warmer weather also brings on the lifted spirits commonly known as “spring fever.” This idiomatic sensation is usually associated with feelings of excitement and perhaps restlessness after being cooped up in the winter months. But in the earliest days of this expression, it was more likely to be used to describe an actual ailment, one later identified as scurvy.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term “spring fever” came about by the late 17th century, but in those days, “spring fever” or “spring disease” was associated with painful symptoms such as swollen gums and achy joints. In the book Plagues and Poxes, author Alfred J. Bollet notes that many American colonists suffered from a common mysterious ailment as winter transitioned to spring. With modern medical knowledge at our disposal, we now know this was scurvy, a disease caused by a vitamin C deficiency, which most likely occurred due to the lack of fresh produce available in the cold winter months. As time progressed, people realized that this illness’s connection to spring was merely a coincidence.
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In time, “spring fever” shed its unpleasant connotation, and the phrase came to refer to the sense of excitement many people feel as the days get longer and warmer. This is especially true for those who suffer from seasonal affective disorder — these people are more prone to depression during colder months and show more obvious swings toward happiness in the spring. Part of this has to do with increased sunlight and warmth triggering the brain to produce mood-boosting chemicals such as serotonin.
So while “spring fever” isn’t worth seeing a doctor over, it’s definitely a real sensation that many people experience on a seasonal basis. Maybe a physician could help you with those annoying seasonal allergies, though.
Bennett Kleinman is a New York City-based staff writer for Optimism. He is also a freelance comedy writer, devoted New York Yankees and New Jersey Devils fan, and thinks plain seltzer is the best drink ever invented.
The Most Beautiful Words in the English Language, According to Linguists
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder — or in this case, the linguist. Find out what some experts consider to be the most beautiful English words.
If you were to ask 100 different people to pick the most beautiful word in the English language, you’d probably get 100 different answers. There’s a seemingly endless list to choose from, as some words evoke pleasant memories, while others sound mellifluous to the ear. While there’s no way to reach a universal consensus, many esteemed linguists have favorites of their own. These are a few of them.
Ailurophile
Accomplished linguist Dr. Robert Beard compiled a list of what he personally considers to be the 100 most beautiful English words. Up first — at least alphabetically — is “ailurophile,” which appropriately sounds quite alluring. The word, which essentially means “cat lover,” is derived from the Greek ailuros, meaning “cat,” and phile, meaning “lover.” Its origins date back to the 1910s, though the word continues to make the hearts of linguists purr today. Not only does it sound pleasant, but it also evokes the beautiful connection that humans have with their beloved pets.
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Tremulous
In 1995, wordsmith David Crystal unveiled a “matrix of criteria” that maps what makes certain words more beautiful than others. The word “tremulous” — meaning “shaking or quivering slightly” — fit every category. According to Crystal, beautiful words should contain three or more syllables, put a stress on the first syllable, and include an /m/ sound (as in “make”) and an /l/ sound (as in “all”). Six additional criteria relate to different manners of articulation and sounds made with different parts of the mouth, and “tremulous” hits every mark to a T, much to Crystal’s delight.
Murmuring
According to lifelong lexicographer Wilfred J. Funk, “murmuring” is one of the most beautiful English words. It’s defined as a soft, low sound, often spoken by a person or group, though the meaning isn’t the only reason it’s considered so beautiful. Rather, it’s the way the word is pronounced, with a double /m/ sound, as we touched on in the prior section. Three syllables and a wider variety of tones make “murmuring” more appealing than just “murmur.” According to Funk’s list, other beautiful words include “hush,” “lullaby,” and “luminous,” all of which sound pleasant and evoke positive feelings.
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Nefarious
Lucy Bella Simkins, a popular British YouTuber with over 12 million subscribers, created a video of 15 of the most beautiful English words. “Nefarious” — a word with a less beautiful meaning of “wicked or criminal” — made her list. Despite the criminal connotation, Simkins maintains the word is delightful to say and hear due to its expressiveness. She also praises the /eə/ sound in the middle, which adds to its euphonic appeal.
Mother
The British Council — a U.K. organization for cultural relations — conducted a 2004 survey among 40,000 non-English speakers to find the most beautiful word in English. The result was “mother,” beating out runners-up “passion” and “smile.” Chris Wade, the organization’s director of communications, noted, “All of us have a mother and have a reasonable idea of who that person is. It’s one piece of certainty we can have and it’s a very powerful word in a variety of cultures.” The word clearly evokes comfort in many cultures around the world, adding to its beauty.
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Radiance
In 1911, the Public Speaking Club of America offered a prize to challenge people to come up with the most beautiful English words, based on sound and meaning. New York lawyer James Shea submitted 21 words that were accepted, one of which was “radiance,” meaning “light or heat as emitted or reflected by something.” Both the sound and meaning of the word earned it a spot on the list, alongside “happiness” and “splendor.” “Grace” and “justice,” however, were disqualified for the harsh sounds made by the first letters.
We’d be remiss if we left off what some consider to be the most beautiful pairing of words in the English language: “cellar door.” Many have praised this combo for its euphonious sound. Journalist H. L. Mencken called it “intrinsically musical, in clang-tint and rhythm,” while Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien was a noted fan of its beauty. In 1963, author C. S. Lewis admitted his astonishment when he saw the phrase written as “Selladore,” which he found an “enchanting proper name.”
Bennett Kleinman is a New York City-based staff writer for Optimism. He is also a freelance comedy writer, devoted New York Yankees and New Jersey Devils fan, and thinks plain seltzer is the best drink ever invented.
Picture this: It’s Friday night and your plans include eating pizza while binge-watching Netflix (same!). Not only are these stellar plans, but you’ve also used not one but two gerund phrases. A gerund will always end in “-ing,” but it must fit some other requirements. It’s based on a verb, so it expresses an action or a state of being, but it functions as a noun. From grade school, we know that nouns are people, places, things, or ideas, but in grammar, they perform specific functions. In a sentence, they might be a subject, direct object, subject complement, or object of preposition. So if you spot an “-ing” verb that looks like it’s performing one of those jobs, it’s a gerund. In the above example, “eating” and “binge-watching” are subject complements of “plans.” Let’s look at some of the most common usages of gerunds.
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Many times, gerunds are the subject of the sentence, as in, “Running is a healthy hobby.” While “running” is traditionally a verb, in this case, it’s moonlighting as a noun. (The verb “is” works as a linking verb.) Gerund phrases are formed when a gerund has modifiers or objects related to it. For example, “Reading books is the best way to spend a rainy day” features the gerund phrase “reading books.” Here, the gerund is “reading” (a verb acting as a noun), the object of the gerund is “books,” and the verb is “is.”
Gerunds are also commonly found as the direct object of a verb (the thing being acted upon). Consider the sentence, “I enjoy baking cookies.” Here, “enjoy” is the verb, and “baking” is a gerund — it acts as a noun and is the direct object of “baking.” So, “baking cookies” is a gerund phrase.
But wait — why is it called a “gerund”? This word comes from the Latin gerundum, meaning “to be carried out.” In English, it’s used to refer to those shapeshifting “-ing” verbs that act as nouns, marking thousands of years of grammar evolution.
Rachel is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance writer. When she's not writing, you can find her wandering through a museum, exploring a new city, or advocating the importance of the Oxford comma.
What’s the Difference Between “Anyway” and “Any Way”?
These homonyms have drastically different uses: one as an adverb and the other as a noun phrase. You might think you know the difference, but let’s have a grammar review anyway.
As the legendary rock band Journey tells us: “Any way you want it / That’s the way you need it.” Journey wasn’t just delivering their first big hit of the ’80s with these lyrics — they were also (unintentionally) giving us a grammar lesson about the commonly confused homonyms “any way” and “anyway.” Only one of these words is suitable for the title of the rock anthem “Any Way You Want It.”
First, let’s look at “any way,” the term used in the song you might have heard at a karaoke bar or in the background of your favorite movie or TV show. “Any way” means “in any matter” or “by any means.” In this case, “any” is an adverb meaning “at all; in some degree (used for emphasis),” and “way” is a noun meaning “a method, style, or manner of doing something.” Consider the song lyrics — they’re all about flexibility and freedom. In another context, you might say, “I wanted to help in any way I could,” suggesting that you would help however possible.
Its counterpart, “anyway,” is used quite differently. “Anyway” is an adverb that most often means “regardless” or “in any case,” as in, “I’m not feeling very social, but I’ll go to the party anyway.” In a casual sense, it can help us change topics as a transition word or bridge that shifts the focus to something else: “Anyway, let’s talk about something more upbeat.” Keeping this in mind, a swap of Journey’s lyrics to include “anyway” instead of “any way” wouldn’t make sense at all.
Now, you might be thinking: “What about ‘anyways‘?” This word is actually an informal substitute for “anyway.” According to Merriam-Webster, it means the same thing as “anyway” but should be reserved for casual conversation and not formal writing. Adding to the confusion, in British English, “anyways” is used in formal situations, so it’s not uncommon to mix this up. The next time you’re typing up an email or shouting out song lyrics, remember that these homonyms (and their companion, “anyways”) might sound the same, but they produce different meanings, any way you slice it.
Featured image credit: Michael Putland/ Hulton Archive via Getty Images
Rachel is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance writer. When she's not writing, you can find her wandering through a museum, exploring a new city, or advocating the importance of the Oxford comma.
You’ve probably heard of April fools and june bugs, but what about maypoles? And why do they feature so prominently in folk songs? It’s time to stop dancing around the question — let’s get to answering it.
Scandinavia, Germanic Europe, and the British Isles have centuries-old festivals of dancing and folk songs with charming lyrics to celebrate spring or early summertime. Dancing around the maypole — a tall, thin, wooden pole, often adorned with floral garlands, other greenery, and colorful ribbons — is a tradition that began in pagan festivals, but it came to America with early settlers. The maypole features prominently in folk song lyrics across many cultures, celebrating the joys of the warmer seasons.
Maypoles have long been an essential part of the May Day (traditionally May 1) celebrations for which they’re named. This European folk festival, with roots in the ancient Roman festival Floralia, celebrates the transition from spring to summer. (“May Day” can also refer to International Workers’ Day, which celebrates workers’ rights around the world on May 1.) But despite their May-centric name, maypoles are also part of the Midsommar celebrations in Scandinavia, which honor the summer solstice in June. The poles were incorporated into Midsommar festivities by the 1500s — they’re called midsommarstång in Sweden, with stång being Swedish for “pole.”
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May Day dancing is often accompanied by folk songs with simple lyrics that are easy to memorize and don’t distract from the dancing. Unlike the comparatively serious church music of the 16th and 17th centuries, these lighthearted ditties were written to evoke feelings of positivity, celebration, innocence, and fun.
Take, for instance, the 17th-century song “Come Lasses and Lads,” still sung around maypoles today:
“Come lasses and lads, get leave of your dads
And away to the maypole hie
For every fair has a sweetheart there
And the fiddler’s standing by.”
“Here We Go ’Round the Maypole High” — sung to the tune of “Here We Go ’Round the Mulberry Bush” — follows an even simpler repetitive pattern: “Here we go ’round the Maypole high, the Maypole high, the Maypole high, here we go ’round the Maypole high, let colored ribbons fly, let colored ribbons fly.” These words seem to be written to capture the joy of spring, not to impress audiences with lyrical complexity.
Maypoles — and in turn, the related folk songs — came to the U.S. with English settlers in the early 17th century. In 1627, Merrimount settler Thomas Morton staged an inadvertently scandalous maypole celebration that left Puritan settlers aghast. They were taken aback by lyrics such as “Uncover thy head, and fear no harm, For here’s good liquor to keep it warm.” This tale was retold in 1836 by author Nathaniel Hawthorne in a short story titled “The May-Pole of Merry Mount.”
This May 1, will you be dancing around the maypole and singing folk songs? There are plenty to choose from.
Featured image credit: Matt Baca/Wirestock Creators/ AdobeStock
Bennett Kleinman is a New York City-based staff writer for Optimism. He is also a freelance comedy writer, devoted New York Yankees and New Jersey Devils fan, and thinks plain seltzer is the best drink ever invented.
The abbreviations “i.e.” and “e.g.” come from Latin, but they remain widely used in the English language. Despite their prevalence, a lot of folks don’t know how to use them correctly or use them interchangeably. In truth, “i.e.” and “e.g.” have their own unique meanings. Thankfully, it’s easy to tell them apart so long as you know a little about their etymological roots.
The abbreviation “i.e.” comes from the Latin id est, meaning “in other words.” The abbreviation “e.g.,” on the other hand, stands for the Latin exempli gratia, which roughly translates to “for instance.” In practice, you should use “i.e.” when attempting to add a bit of clarification, whereas “e.g.” is better suited for listing out examples. As a helpful mnemonic device, think of the “i” in “i.e.” as the start of “in other words,” and the “e” in “e.g.” as “example.”
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Here’s a hypothetical situation: You’re texting someone about an upcoming trip to Europe, and want to give them some details. Either of these texts would be grammatically acceptable:
I plan to visit many European countries, i.e., I have a very full itinerary.
I plan to visit many European countries, e.g., Portugal, Spain, and France.
In the first sentence, the phrase following “i.e.” reiterates the message of the preceding phrase. It could also be read as, “I plan to visit many European countries; in other words, I have a very full itinerary.” Subbing in “for example” doesn’t work as well — “I plan to visit many European countries; for example, I have a very full itinerary” — so we know “i.e.” is the correct abbreviation. In the second sentence, however, “for example” makes more sense before the list of countries than “in other words,” so we know “e.g.” is correct. Also note that a comma always follows both of the abbreviations and their requisite periods in the sentences.
This should clear up how to differentiate between “i.e.” and “e.g.” — but you may still be wondering why you should use “e.g.” instead of “ex.” (an abbreviation of the word “example”). The main reason is that “ex.” can also be a shortened version of other words such as “executive” or “exact,” and it may not always mean “example.” But “e.g.” always means exempli gratia — the Latin avoids any confusion.
Bennett Kleinman is a New York City-based staff writer for Optimism. He is also a freelance comedy writer, devoted New York Yankees and New Jersey Devils fan, and thinks plain seltzer is the best drink ever invented.
Blue jeans are an iconic symbol of American fashion and a workwear staple for blue-collar professionals such as miners and ranch hands. But the term “jeans” has European origins dating to the 15th century.
Italy and France have long been at the forefront of fashion, lending materials and ideas to designers around the world. It makes sense, then, that these countries also have influenced fashion lingo in many languages. One particular example is the word “jeans,” which, despite its thoroughly American reputation, comes from a French term having to do with fabrics produced in an Italian city.
Your favorite pair of blue jeans can be traced back to the French jean fustian — a term that can be broken down into two parts. Jean refers to the Italian city of Genoa, which was known in the 15th century for producing a popular type of twilled cloth that the French referred to as fustian. So in essence, jean fustian is what the French called a sturdy cotton cloth made in Genoa, Italy.
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The singular “jean” first entered English around the mid-15th century, though it referred to the cloth, not a specific type of garment, such as pants. However, given its sturdy nature, jean was widely used to make workwear, which included durable pairs of pants. The plural “jeans” came about thanks to English-speaking sailors. When sailors arrived at the port city of Genoa, they were introduced to this sturdy, attractive workwear that was often dyed blue with indigo, as was popular at the time. Eventually, the term for this Genoese workwear became anglicized as “jeans.”
The modern version of jeans became popular around the mid-19th century, in large part due to Levi Strauss. Originally, these pants were officially known as “waist overalls” — Levi Strauss & Co. notes it wasn’t until the 1960s that the colloquialism “jeans” had a resurgence and became the norm. However, while the term was borrowed from jean fustian, the earliest Levis were primarily made of denim — a sturdy fabric akin to the Genoan fabric, but not exactly the same. In fact, the word “denim” has different European roots. It’s derived from the French serge de Nîmes, which referred to a sturdy woven fabric originally manufactured in Nîmes, France. By the 1860s, de Nîmes (“from Nîmes”) was also anglicized as “denim.”
Eventually, the word “jeans” superseded all other terms as a colloquialism for sturdy workwear — often blue — that has some vague connection to the Genoese sailor outfits from all those centuries ago. While it may not be entirely historically accurate to call pants made of denim “jeans” — given they usually have no direct connection to Genoa — it’s the sartorial norm.
Bennett Kleinman is a New York City-based staff writer for Optimism. He is also a freelance comedy writer, devoted New York Yankees and New Jersey Devils fan, and thinks plain seltzer is the best drink ever invented.
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 Run-On Sentences?)
