Being Amused is to be entertained or diverted in a happy, pleasant way. It is also when someone or something has caused you to laugh or smile.
Being Bemused on the other hand is to be confused, lost in thought or preoccupied.
Writing Tips from the CYA Team
What does CYA mean to you?
The CYA Team offers business writing services and marketing programs to individuals and businesses that have neither the time nor the skills to produce corporate branding in the form of the professionally written word.Whether you need us to write from scratch, create a document (email, ad, newsletter, blog , profile, press release) from bullet points and ideas or simply edit and enhance your work, CYA International is ready to work for you.
October 05, 2011
The A's & B's of "muse"
Labels:
We are are not bemused
September 19, 2011
Be careful when using CONTRONYMS!!!!
What is a contronym you ask? A word that,
depending on the context in which it is used, has opposite or contradictory
meanings.
Let’s have a look at a few just for fun:
CONSULT: to offer advice OR to obtain it
BOLT: to secure, OR to flee
TRANSPARENT: invisible OR obvious
ROCK: an immovable mass OR a shaking or
unsettling movement
FINE: exceptional/excellent OR good
enough/acceptable
FIRST DEGREE: most severe (murder) or least
severe (burns)
Be sure to craft your sentences with
the appropriate context so readers know EXACTLY what you mean. You may need
someone to oversee (monitor) your writing, so you don’t oversee (fail to
monitor) your habitual errors...
Tricky eh?
September 12, 2011
The Grammar Continuum
At CYA, we are continually searching for interesting grammar tidbits to share with our readers to make sure they look good on paper! If we were to continuously do this, we would be exhausted!
Continual refers to something of regular or frequent occurrence, while continuous is something that does not stop; a very important distinction in certain circumstances. Think about it!
Continual refers to something of regular or frequent occurrence, while continuous is something that does not stop; a very important distinction in certain circumstances. Think about it!
September 02, 2011
How unique IS it?
Here is a phrase-misuse that you may have made and most certainly have heard or seen.
The word "unique" means one of a kind, incomparable, like no other thing in the world. That is a pretty amazing thing to be, so why do people feel compelled to try and enhance the word ? Very unique, totally unique and quite unique are statements that may actually put the uniqueness in question. Somewhat unique, another oft-used expression, definitely means that what is being referred to is NOT unique at all.
Uniquely Yours,
The CYA Team
The word "unique" means one of a kind, incomparable, like no other thing in the world. That is a pretty amazing thing to be, so why do people feel compelled to try and enhance the word ? Very unique, totally unique and quite unique are statements that may actually put the uniqueness in question. Somewhat unique, another oft-used expression, definitely means that what is being referred to is NOT unique at all.
Uniquely Yours,
The CYA Team
July 13, 2011
Are you persuasive.....or convincing?
There is a subtle yet interesting distinction between these two words. They are often used interchangeably, even though that may not grammatically correct.
PERSUADE: to motivate a person to do something
CONVINCE: to lead someone, by argument or evidence to understand or believe something
I convinced my husband that a kitchen renovation was a great idea and then I persuaded him to start dismantling the cabinets the following weekend.
PS I may have used bribery or blackmail to achieve this result, but that is fodder for another blog!
PERSUADE: to motivate a person to do something
CONVINCE: to lead someone, by argument or evidence to understand or believe something
I convinced my husband that a kitchen renovation was a great idea and then I persuaded him to start dismantling the cabinets the following weekend.
PS I may have used bribery or blackmail to achieve this result, but that is fodder for another blog!
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