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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Stretching the use of Words #192147 07/30/2010 6:59 AM Joined: Jul 2010 Posts: 1 Michigan GCG stranger GCG stranger Joined: Jul 2010 Posts: 1 Michigan Recently, I used the word "enrolling" to describe my daughters persuasiveness/charming behavior. My friends being the word Nazis that they are, quickly denounced my use of the word in this fashion and said it was an abuse of the english language. I admitted that it was a stretch but I argued that it was a reasonable stretch and certainly not abuse, likening it to the "enlisting" the aid of another (a close synonym). They countered that using its denotative "to enlist" was inappropriate since connotatively it is clear this use of the word is meant for larger causes than my daughters single request... What do people here think? I'm not attached to either way, just want to get an outside perspective since my friends and I may have inherent biases... Thanks, GCG Last edited by GCG; 07/30/2010 7:01 AM. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Stretching the use of Words GCG #192148 07/30/2010 10:22 AM Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Faldage Carpal Tunnel Faldage Carpal Tunnel Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 If I had a problem with it it would be that you have used a transitive verb intransitively. This is not necessarily a big problem if the object is understood, e.g., when a waiter sets a plate of food in front of you and says, "Enjoy." Your friends might be bothered by their notion that the correct word would be engaging although they may not have expressed it that way. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Stretching the use of Words Faldage #192151 07/30/2010 3:15 PM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass tsuwm Carpal Tunnel tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass yes, the interested observer here must be forgiven for thinking to himself, "boy, in the moment he just couldn't come up with the word he really wanted/needed so he streamed something that came reasonably close, so as not to be thought to be suffering from.. um.. anomia." or something. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Stretching the use of Words GCG #192152 07/30/2010 4:28 PM Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 3,290 R'lyeh zmjezhd Carpal Tunnel zmjezhd Carpal Tunnel Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 3,290 R'lyeh Recently, I used the word "enrolling" to describe my daughters persuasiveness/charming behavior. My friends being the word Nazis that they are, quickly denounced my use of the word in this fashion and said it was an abuse of the english language. I sympathize with you on the grammatohooligans, but I don't quite get how you were using the word to mean what you intended it to mean. Could you supply the actual utterance in context? Something similar to enthralling or engaging? Ceci n'est pas un seing. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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