by Naomi L. | April 6, 2015 | Blog, Word of the Week |
Word: negate
Pronunciation: nə-GAYT
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: nullify; make ineffective
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
Monica: (on Richard’s answering machine) “Hi, it’s Monica. I’m just checking in ’cause I got this message from you and I didn’t know if it was old or new or what. So, I’m just checkin’. So let me know. Or don’t, whatever. I’m breezy.”
Joey: Hey, you can’t say you’re breezy! That totally negates the breezy!
– Friends (Season 3, Episode 2 – The One Where No One’s Ready)
Here’s an interesting verb that I’ve heard on my favorite TV series, Friends. After replying to a phone message from Richard, a nervous Monica accesses his answering machine and plays back her message for her friends to see what they think. Unfortunately, they make it clear to her that her message is not nearly as casual as she’d hoped; as Joey points out, by saying she’s breezy, she’s actually cancelled out the breeziness she was hoping to convey to her ex-boyfriend.
To “negate” something is to cancel it out, rendering it null and void. The word comes from the Latin verb negare, meaning “to deny” or “to refuse”. This verb is derived from the adverb nec “not” and the verb aiere “to say”.
Aside from its primary definition, “negate” can also mean “to deny the existence of something”. If you want to get into the technical part of language and grammar, the word also has the sub-definition “to make a clause, sentence or proposition negative in meaning”. I’m most accustomed to its first sense, though, so I would use it in my stories to indicate things that nullify each other. If you often find yourself writing an action that neutralizes the effects of another, “negate” is a good word to remember for your stories! Good luck!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
by Naomi L. | April 3, 2015 | J.C. Wolfe's Writing, Poetry |
Friday He was slain
Sacrificed upon the cross
Our Lord and Savior
Saturday He lay
Resting in the Father’s grace
Soon to live again
Sunday He returned
And all the faithful rejoiced
Risen is the Lord
Now we celebrate
His sacrifice and rebirth
Each Easter weekend
Happy Easter to all my family and friends of faith! A very blessed weekend to you all!
by Naomi L. | April 1, 2015 | Blog, Creative Writing, What If? Writing Prompts |
I’m afraid I have some bad news. The thing is, I’m getting a little tired of these “What If?” Writing Prompts, so this will probably be my last post for this segment. It’s hard to come up with these all the time, and I just can’t handle it anymore. Sorry, it’s been fun, but it’s time to move on.
April Fool’s! I know, that was totally lame, but I couldn’t resist. Of course these never get old; I love coming up with new writing prompts every month! But anyway, I realized about a month ago that April 1st would fall on a Wednesday this year, and while thinking about possible jokes for that week’s creative writing post, it suddenly occurred to me that I had yet to include comedy on my list of “What If?” themes.
So without further ado, here’s a new batch of prompts for you, set to one of the hardest genres to write for: humor. I hope you’ll find these ideas fun, and may they inspire you to come up with your own! Enjoy!
What if… a witch cursed you to speak only in rhymes?
What if… you were lost and the only person around to ask for directions were a mime?
What if… your life became a musical for a day?
What if… an annoying sound played in your head every time you heard someone tell a lie?
What if… you could hear pets say what they really think of their owners?
Have fun writing your own humorous stories!
If you have any “What If?” writing prompt suggestions (for any theme), please feel free to share them in the comments below. Ideas I like may be featured in future “What If?” posts, with full credit and a link to your blog (if you have one)! Also, if you’ve written a piece based on an idea you’ve found here, be sure to link back to the respective “What If?” post. I would love to see what you’ve done with the prompt! Thank you!
Recent Comments