Stephanie Whetstone – Page 50

English Pronunciation: Better to Laugh Than Cry

Stephanie Whetstone2020-01-14T14:42:25-05:00

English Pronunciation: Better to Laugh Than Cry Flip through any dictionary, and you will find a wide assortment of words that have more than one sanctioned pronunciation – words such as “schism,” which can be pronounced either SKĬZ-ǝm or SĬZ-ǝm. Interestingly, the former was once regarded as incorrect but now predominates in standard American usage. But at least the meaning is the same. Not so with heteronyms, which have identical spellings but different pronunciations and meanings. In other words, it matters greatly which pronunciation you employ. Here are a few examples: Princeton’s heavyweight crew had a row over how they should row at [...]

English Pronunciation: Better to Laugh Than CryStephanie Whetstone2020-01-14T14:42:25-05:00

The Wind in the Willows (1908) by Kenneth Grahame

Stephanie Whetstone2013-08-01T12:00:33-04:00

Critical Assessment “I shall not describe the book, for no description would help it. But I shall just say this: that it is what I call a Household Book. By a Household Book I mean a book which everybody in the household loves and quotes continually ever afterwards; a book which is read aloud to every new guest, and is regarded as the touchstone of his worth. But it is a book which makes you feel that, though everybody in the house loves it, it is only you who really appreciate it at its true value, and that the others are scarcely worthy of it. It [...]

The Wind in the Willows (1908) by Kenneth GrahameStephanie Whetstone2013-08-01T12:00:33-04:00

Public Speaking Group Established

Stephanie Whetstone2013-07-29T11:39:15-04:00

Princeton Writes is pleased to announce the formation of the Princeton Employee Public Speaking Group – an informal, nonjudgmental, and mutually supportive forum in which participants can develop the skills and confidence they need to make effective oral presentations. “Public speaking engenders a deep-seated fear in many of us,” notes Princeton Writes’ director John S. Weeren, “so a central goal of this group is to demonstrate that addressing an audience can be a positive – even an exhilarating – experience, once some basic principles and techniques are mastered. Together, we will explore these principles and techniques and put them into practice [...]

Public Speaking Group EstablishedStephanie Whetstone2013-07-29T11:39:15-04:00

sesquipedalian (sĕs-kwĭ-pĭ-DĀL-yǝn)

Stephanie Whetstone2013-07-22T12:00:58-04:00

Definition (Adjective) Given to using long words. In Context “Poor Miss Matty got sadly puzzled with this, for the words gathered size like snowballs, and towards the end of her letter Miss Jenkyns used to become quite sesquipedalian.” Elizabeth Gaskell, Cranford, 1851.

sesquipedalian (sĕs-kwĭ-pĭ-DĀL-yǝn)Stephanie Whetstone2013-07-22T12:00:58-04:00

viscous (VĬS-kǝs)

Stephanie Whetstone2013-07-15T12:00:39-04:00

Definition (Adjective) Of substances: Having a glutinous or gluey character. In Context “Fresh slicks of black, viscous oil continued to wash up on to the beaches of north-west Spain yesterday as the fuel left behind by the sunken tanker Prestige began to spread south down the coast.” Giles Tremlett, “Wildlife Suffers As Oil Spreads Along Spanish Coast,” The Guardian, November 21, 2002.

viscous (VĬS-kǝs)Stephanie Whetstone2013-07-15T12:00:39-04:00

“Affect” Versus “Effect”

Stephanie Whetstone2013-07-02T12:00:05-04:00

Few words separated by a single letter cause as much confusion as “affect” and “effect.” Beyond their superficial similarity, the water is further muddied by the fact that each functions as a verb and noun. None of these forms is interchangeable, so keeping them straight is important. Let’s begin with some broad definitions: Affect (ǝ-FĚKT), as a verb, has two discrete meanings: to influence or to simulate, as in “The storm affected turnout at Richardson Auditorium” or “Professor James affected the dress and manners of an Ewardian don, much to the amusement of his students.” Affect (ĂF-ĕkt), as a noun, is a psychological [...]

“Affect” Versus “Effect”Stephanie Whetstone2013-07-02T12:00:05-04:00

The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007) by Mohsin Hamid, Class of 1993

Stephanie Whetstone2013-07-01T12:00:59-04:00

Critical Assessment “Hamid is unobtrusively, but constantly, addressing the reader, hinting at how to read his novel; how not to be manipulated and led . . . but to become attuned to its hidden, recurrent inversions. There’s an almost delightful allegorical symmetry to the flow of events, as well as a sensuousness and finish that might belong to some other form of art: music, perhaps. “Despite its minute probing into the narrator’s thoughts, this is not a conventional psychological novel; much of its magic – the enchantment and innocence of the relationship, the absolute familiarity and foreigness of America, the fragrant boisterousness [...]

The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007) by Mohsin Hamid, Class of 1993Stephanie Whetstone2013-07-01T12:00:59-04:00

Princeton Writes Makes Online Debut

Stephanie Whetstone2013-06-26T12:00:21-04:00

On June 26, 2013, Princeton Writes launched an interactive website as part of its mission to enhance the quality of non-academic communication on our campus. Fully accessible to employees and students with a Princeton netID, the website is both a learning and teaching tool and a gateway to face-to-face instruction and assistance. It is intended to be an online meeting place for writers of every level of experience, regardless of their role at Princeton, and includes the following features: • A synopsis of seven key principles of effective communication. • A service portal, allowing employees and students to sign up for classes and tutorials, to obtain [...]

Princeton Writes Makes Online DebutStephanie Whetstone2013-06-26T12:00:21-04:00

The Nature of Writing

Stephanie Whetstone2013-06-25T12:00:49-04:00

Writing is an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary process that stretches from grade school to the grave. We do not wake up one day accomplished writers, our apprenticeship complete. On the contrary, every day demands a new commitment to this craft, moving us forward – and sometimes backward – in incremental steps that are only apparent when we cast a long look back. To write well, we must make the written word our constant companion – inspiration, nemesis, conscience, and, above all, clay. Never stop kneading and shaping it; never claim to have mastered it, but never despair of making it your servant. The novelist [...]

The Nature of WritingStephanie Whetstone2013-06-25T12:00:49-04:00

The Great Gatsby (1925) by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Class of 1917

Stephanie Whetstone2013-06-01T12:00:36-04:00

Critical Assessment “What gives the story distinction is something quite different from the management of the action or the handling of the characters; it is the charm and beauty of the writing. . . . “The story, for all its basic triviality, has a fine texture; a careful and brilliant finish. The obvious phrase is simply not in it. The sentences roll along smoothly, sparklingly, variously. There is evidence in every line of hard and intelligent effort. . . . “The Great Gatsby, I seem to recall, was announced a long while ago. It was probably several years on the stocks. [...]

The Great Gatsby (1925) by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Class of 1917Stephanie Whetstone2013-06-01T12:00:36-04:00

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