December 2016 – Princeton Writes

Clarifying Articles

Stephanie Whetstone2020-01-14T13:55:37-05:00

Clarifying Articles For non-native (and some native) speakers of English, mastering the use of articles -- "the" and "a/an" -- can be a difficult task, so here is a short primer. Articles Defined Articles are adjectives inasmuch as they modify nouns, but their role is less descriptive than determinative, which is why they are also called determiners. And what they determine is whether the noun that follows them is specific or non-specific; definite or indefinite. A definite article, which invariably takes the form of "the," precedes a noun that the writer or speaker wishes to distinguish from its class, as in, [...]

Clarifying ArticlesStephanie Whetstone2020-01-14T13:55:37-05:00

Valentine’s Story Slam, February 15, 2017

Stephanie Whetstone2016-12-12T22:59:37-05:00

Please join Princeton Writes in bringing our University community together for a night of true love stories! On February 15, 2017, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., in the Mathey College common room, we will host a story slam, featuring volunteer storytellers from all corners of the campus. Undergraduates, graduate students, post-docs, faculty, and staff are warmly invited to leave their inhibitions at the door and share a heartwarming story with their classmates and colleagues. Professor of English William Gleason will serve as our emcee. In the spirit of The Moth and its motto, "true stories told live," we will ask each participant to tell [...]

Valentine’s Story Slam, February 15, 2017Stephanie Whetstone2016-12-12T22:59:37-05:00

intaglio (ĭn-TĂL-yō)

Stephanie Whetstone2016-12-12T12:00:40-05:00

Definition (Noun) A figure or design incised or engraved; a cutting or engraving in stone or other hard material. In Context "No memory of them both is more vivid than this mind's eye picture of them at their evening meal in old age, engraved like an intaglio on a wall along one of the corridors of memory, two old people seen always in the roseate glow of sundown, caught forever by memory's brush on a canvas only death can fade." August Derleth, Walden West, 1961.

intaglio (ĭn-TĂL-yō)Stephanie Whetstone2016-12-12T12:00:40-05:00

nosegay (NŌZ-gā)

Stephanie Whetstone2016-12-05T12:00:53-05:00

Definition (Noun) A bunch of flowers or herbs, especially ones having a sweet smell; a small bouquet, a posy. Also: an imitation or representation of this. In Context "An arrangement should be appropriate to the occasion – a plump nosegay of roses to say 'thank you,' an exuberant garland of evergreens to decorate a holiday mantel." Carol Endler Sterbenz, Homemade: The Heart and Science of Handcrafts, 2011.

nosegay (NŌZ-gā)Stephanie Whetstone2016-12-05T12:00:53-05:00

The History of Love (2005) by Nicole Krauss

Stephanie Whetstone2016-12-01T09:00:40-05:00

Critical Assessment "Krauss' novel abounds with myriad literary documents -- journal entries, letters, lists, translations, excerpts from an autobiography -- penned by her characters, and done so in cleverly distinctive styles that spark each personality to life. Their role in Krauss' tricky, intriguing plot suggests that all writing, no matter how private or obscure, is potentially filled with transformative power and sometimes in ways neither author nor reader could hope to imagine. . . . "Krauss keeps the reader guessing -- not about whether the two alternating stories are linked, but how. We are in Borges country here, sometimes literally: The [...]

The History of Love (2005) by Nicole KraussStephanie Whetstone2016-12-01T09:00:40-05:00