ep . i . logue /noun/ afterword, postscript, , addendum, conclusion This week we’re looking at a word that is most often related to a literary work, where it serves as a concluding section that rounds out the piece. An epilogue, as you can see from the definitions, is an addition. Sometimes a story has reached its resolution; the denouement has occurred; the loose ends have been tied up neatly. From all appearances, the book is complete, but there is something yet to be said that doesn’t fit neatly into the end of the story. That is where the epilogue comes in. In my book Breaking Away,  the main character, Lola McIntyre, severs ties with New Lebanon College, marries…

trep . i . da . tion /noun/ fear, apprehension, dread, worry, anxiety, nervousness uneasiness As you can see from the definitions above, trepidation has multiple denotative meanings, and it also has  as many connotative ones as there are people. Two of the meanings, fear and anxiety,  can have really severe consequences. Fear has the power to be crippling; anxiety can be incapacitating as psychologists and psychiatrists will attest, but these  intense effects are not the focus of this week’s comments. Trepidation applies to our daily experiences in other ways. Yesterday I saw the first yellow school bus that heralded the new school year, and my thoughts ran to the children who had got on the bus that morning–…

dap . pled /adjective/ marked with spots or rounded patches, variegated, covered with spots of color that are lighter or darker than the main color If you have forgotten ever having heard the word dapple, then these lines from a well-known nursery rhyme might jog your memory: “I had a little pony/his name was Dapple Gray/ I lent him to a lady/to ride a mile away.”  Little Dapple Gray was so named because he was gray and covered with colored  spots. The word dappled appears in a  poem titled “Pied Beauty,” by Gerard Manley Hopkins. There’s something about poets that makes them see things in a different light from the rest of…

so . bri . quet /noun/ nickname, pen name, epithet, pseudonym, handle, moniker   NAMES – PART TWO Today I was at the checkout counter in a store when the manager came by rolling a shopping cart. He asked the cashier, “Where’s Billy?” The young woman looked puzzled. “Who’s Billy?” she asked.  The manager repeated, “Billy. Billy.” She said she didn’t know a Billy who worked at the store. The gentleman sounded annoyed when he asked her again about Billy before wheeling the cart toward an aisle. In a little while, a young man came in and went to the register next to the clerk’s. “Do you know a Billy?” she asked him.…

ap . pel .  la . tion/noun/  name, designation, title If you love words–their sounds, their meanings, their origins– you do know that exploring one word can lead you to another, which is not a bad thing, as long as you don’t go down the rabbit’s hole, which sometimes happens. I started looking at  the fleeting nature of words–their evanescence–and ended up thinking about something else. As children we were told to choose our words carefully because words once spoken can’t be hauled back in like a kite. This idea is true for us in adulthood as well. We, too, need to be careful how we use words, although from observation, I have concluded that some grownups, especially in high places today,…

pa . ren . the . sis/ noun / an intervening occurrence, an interlude; a word or phrase that is not directly related to what is being said or written but is added to give more information. ()   ()   () It’s not unusual for individuals to complain to me that they have a difficult time with grammar and punctuation. They can’t seem to keep track of which marks go where, they tell me. It’s understandable if you have a little hesitation about where to put a comma or a colon. The rules seem overwhelming sometimes, but once you understand how the rules governing the marks work in a sentence,…

per . am. bu . late/verb/ to walk or travel around a place or area, especially for pleasure, in a leisurely way We’re moving along quite nicely with our weekly vocabulary exercise. It may be that  you already knew most of the words  I have introduced, but my emphasis is not so much on vocabulary building as on the fact that certain words provide a good launching pad for a few thoughts that I hope prove provocative, instructive,  and useful to all who read the posts. Since perambulate means “to walk,” I was curious about the etymology, that is, the origin, of the surname “Walker.” It had an interesting beginning. It is derived from German.…

ca . ma . ra . de . rie/noun/ friendship, fellowship, companionship When the roses lose their fragrance, And the world seems at an end, When the day has lost its gladness, What a blessing  is a friend.                                 Anonymous The  word camaraderie  shouts togetherness. With its five fluid vowels, the syllables  huddle in closeness. It seems that today more than ever, we need the togetherness that this word suggests. There is another word that is often confused with camaraderie, and that is comradery, which means just about the same thing. But if you’re someone who  pays attention to the  sound of words, you’ll  notice that comradery is not as smooth-sounding, not as enticing in its…

in . scru . ta. ble/ adjective/ mysterious, unreasonable, unexplainable, incomprehensible I’m sure more than a few of us have questions about the way things are in this world, things that  seem to be beyond our control. They may not relate in any way to major existential matters; nonetheless, they make us ponder.  Sometimes they focus on workplace occurrences or on  the breakup of a  relationship. They may even be  far out of our personal sphere, such  as the recent two volcanoes, spewing lava and suffocating ash and snuffing out lives. Such  things  sometimes puzzle us and nudge us to seek for answers,  and  they can create stress when the  answers evade us. *** Our word for this week  gives off  negative vibes.…

   in . trac – ta . ble /adjective/ unmanageable, uncontrollable, troublesome, demanding   Of the many synonyms for the word intractable, the one that seems  applicable to perhaps the most popular technological device today, the cellphone,  is uncontrollable. Ask anyone with a smartphone whether he or she  can simply ignore it for even an hour, and you’re likely to get a No for an answer. It is the most ubiquitous of our modern gadgets and is as demanding as a newborn baby. In its brief existence among us, it has become an appendage as vital as a hand. Cellphones are creating a stir everywhere. Educators at all levels consider them a major problem. Teachers in  elementary schools  are faced with…