Charles Harrington Elster

April 14, 2015 9:12 AM EDT

Thank you for the education that you provide us with. I agree with the writer that "To you alone can I turn..." and I would include those whom you mention in Verbal Advantage and in your writings.

- Jose Miura

February 25, 2016 8:56 AM EST

I thought that I came across an eponym, Academus, but now can't find it listed as a word anywhere. Is it word or just a name?

- Thomas Dreiling

February 25, 2016 9:46 AM EST

As far as I can tell, "Academus" is a name but not an eponym. Webster 2 says he was, in Greek mythology, "a hero who told Castor and Pollux where Theseus had hidden Helen." Random House 2 says he was "an Arcadian whose estate became a meeting place for Athenian philosophers." The lexicographic evidence suggests that he is the source of our English words academy and academic.

- Charles Elster

June 29, 2016 7:48 AM EDT

Hi Mr. Elster,
Thanks for your expert explanation on this.
I am not a native English speaker. However, I have been inspired by your logophilia. I like your books, in which your advice on the standardized usage of confusing words helps me significantly and your correction of deviant usage and pronunciation benefits me tremendously. I am more than a fan of yours. I am a devout follower and intend to become a staunch disciple.
In your response to Andrew's inquiry, you wrote in the last sentence as "Any editor who lets a gaffe like that get by will soon be looking for a more better job". I have a question regarding your use of "more better". Is it a standardized usage? I just think it is erroneous or a typo of yours. It should be "much better" as "more" cannot be used as a modifier for a comparative adjective (in our case, "better" is a comparative adjective).
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
J.

- J. Chen

June 29, 2016 8:20 AM EDT

Thanks, J. Chen, for your kind and flattering words about my work. I need all the followers and disciples I can get, especially ones who are willing to shell out money to buy my books.

What puzzled you about my final sentence about the editor getting "a more better job" was my use of irony (EYE-ruh-nee). Irony is "the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning" (Random House Dictionary). In this case, I was deliberately making a grammatical mistake (pairing the unnecessary "more" with the comparative adjective "better") to create a humorous conclusion to my point about how, in certain constructions, it's ungrammatical to use "more" or "less" with adjectives (e.g., "think more global"); you need an adverb there.

Irony in any language can be hard to discern if that language isn't your first language. (Heck, even my mother, who spoke English impeccably, always had trouble picking up on my ironic remarks.) So it's understandable that you had some trouble with my use of it. But bear in mind that it can be one of a writer's most useful tools, particularly when a bit of humor is needed to leaven an otherwise dense discussion.

Thanks again for your interest in my work, and good words to you! -- CHE

- Charles Harrington Elster

June 30, 2016 8:06 AM EDT

Kind CHE,
Thanks for the exceptionally interesting explanation. I have absorbed what you meant. Would it be better to add a quotation mark to your irony if it does count as an irony (It might ruin the original flavor of your irony, though, I guess)? However, in accordance with your definition of "irony", it seems that "more better" does not constitute an irony at all as it does not involve the deliberate manipulation of meanings of a word or an expression. Furthermore, I just think that the case we are discussing here is drastically different from the intentional use of adjective after finite verb. In "think global, act local", I totally agree with your argument, though--but in the .
I like your punchline--"good words to you". Is this a pun here? "Good Words to You" is a great book.
Anyway, I am tremendously grateful for you taking the time to interact with me and offer your enlightening advice.
If you are interested in getting your books to be translated in Chinese and more ESL learners in China to buy your books (the past few years has witnessed a gradual increase in the total number of Chinese students pursuing education in the United States, which indicates there is a huge demand for wonderful books such as yours), I am more than happy to offer my unconditional assistance.
Have a nice day.
Sincerely,
J.

- J. Chen

June 30, 2016 4:30 PM EDT

I'm not a big fan of quotation marks around words or phrases that are intended to be ironic or intentionally misused because I think that, in most cases, it's condescending to the reader. But you have a point, and I'll keep it in mind.

Regarding your friendly offer of help to make my work available to Chinese readers, the short answer is YES, I'll take all the help and advice I can get. Currently I have a contract with a publisher in Taiwan to translate and sell my latest book, WORD WORKOUT. If you have any thoughts on how to make my other work available in Chinese -- or in English for Chinese ESL learners -- please don't hesitate to share them.

And if, at this point, we're going to discuss business, rather than posting a comment here, please respond through my website email at words@members.authorsguild.net (or click on the link in the sidebar to the right that says WRITE TO CHARLIE).

Also, regarding my signoff, "Good words to you": I borrowed it from one of my idols of language mavenry, the poet and etymologist John Ciardi, who years ago had a public radio segment about word stories where he would sign off with that tag line.

Felicitous diction to you -- CHE

- Charles Elster