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Get your ‘-ness’ on
The suffix '-ness' can transform a plain word into something stranger and affectingly abstract. For example, 'dark' is factual, whereas 'darkness' is more graphic and poetic.
Other words that already follow this form: the unvisitedness of our parents and grandparents. The unembracedness of our friends. The egglessness of our pantries.
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MORE IDEAS ON THIS
Creating words
In times past, when circumstances demanded new ways of expression, it was often female writers who invented new words.
The word 'frustrating' makes its first appearance in print in George Eliot's novel Middlemarch, when she describes "the hampering threadlike pressure of small social c...
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Join the Hyphen Nation
Another way to give new life the word is to pull together words in new ways.
Charlotte Bronte was a genius of compelling compounds. We likely owe the origin of 'self-doubt' and 'Wild-West' to her, as well as 'spring-clean.'
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You are what you '-r'
To show the depths of your connection with a place or feeling, simply adding an 'r' or an 'er' to the end of a noun can show a new existential title.
Jane Austen christened a group of random gamblers around a casino table, all coming from the 'outside,' as 'outsiders.' In her...
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The Wisdom of '-isms'
The suffix '-ism' is the quickest way to transport a word into the realms of respectable doctrine, system, or movement.
The novelist George Eliot is credited with formulating the word 'meliorism' - the belief that the world's suffering is healable if we all work together to that e...
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Tips on Writing Good HMWs: Avoid Suggesting a Solution in Your HMW Question
It can be easy to limit your thinking and embed solutions in your HMW questions. But doing so restricts the pool of possibilities, and fewer ideas are generated. In the example below, the first HMW suggests a particular type of solution, whereas the second is agnostic about any particular solutio...
How to study 📚🦋💻📑
Get organized
- Carry a homework planner at all times. Entering homework, projects, tests and assignments as soon as they are assigned will make sure they aren’t forgotten about.
Pay attention in class
- It’s important to concentrate and avoid distractions when t...
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