The word of the week is averse. It means reluctant, opposed or having a strong dislike.
i.e. - He was averse to the proposal set down by the president. Averse is an adjective; an adjective is a word that is used to modify or describea a noun in a sentence (Notice that he was the one that was averse in the sentence.)
Averse is often confused with adverse, which means unfavourable. Adverse is also an adjective, but it is often used by adding L and Y, and making it into an adverb, adversely. This is not true of averse. i.e. - The weather was adversely affected when hail began to fall.
In fact, Dr. Samuel Johnson, the esteemed grammarian and man-of-letters, stated that it was better to: "use adverse with from" instead of averse to" as is current in English usage (Oxford Dictionary of English, 2nd ed. rev. 1998). Johnson's reasoning related to the roots of the word averse in Latin grammar. So, in the eighteenth century you would say "He turned from" rather than "He turned to". As for averse, you'd say "He was averse from the nature of the proposal" if you were following Johnson's rules. Fortunately, we don't have to worry about this type of distinction in language now. Next time, we'll start down the knotty path of verbs, by the fountain of adjectives and through the blossoming garden of adverbs. In this pursuit of good grammar, the verb and its many forms, will be crucial. "Hang on", as Joan Crawford said, "it's going to be a bumpy ride."
Remember everyone, Stephen King the American writer once taught grammar to College Students. Unfortunately, it's true grammar is everywhere! King's fight with grammar and his ability to spin a good yarn, have made him famous, rich and respected. Yes, the man knows his stuff and his success should teach you, that there is no life that a a few grammar rules can't improve. Back soon.
KB
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Hi KB,
ReplyDeleteThis is a nice piece. Is it possible for you to enlighten me why a MSc in Management Student should as well concentrate on use of very specific words?
Arike
Thank you Arike, this is an interesting question. Thus far, in this blog we have concentrated on specific problem areas which give students and graders numerous problems. The data on this was drawn from professors, grammar texts and other source materials. In fact, a request can be made at any time to discuss a particular vocabulary issue. As this blog expand, I expect we will look at vocabulary expansion.
ReplyDeleteVocabulary expansion is a natural function of increased reading and the use of better language. Educational testing demonstrates a direct coorelation between students with a highly developed vocabulary and higher academic achievement. In fact, experience also demonstrates that increased reading of novels using longer & more difficult vocabulary assists students to develop their writing skills. If students are interested, I can also recommend a book of the month to help assist in vocabulary expansion.
For our students overseas, especially those who may not have English as a first language, many other activities such as listening to BBC radio broadcasts, reading and even listening to taped books will also assist in vocabulary expansion. Some of the aims of this list is to provide students with the tools to expand their knowledge, their writing and reading skills and get better grades. It will also help students in the first steps to life-long learning and an improved quality of life.
KB
KB....thank you for the comment you left on my blog. I just noticed it today. I would love to know more about Tuppence. I have bookmarked your blog and will be studying it. Thank you.
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