Last week on rules:
“Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word. There are no exceptions to this rule.”
My own copy of the print version of the thesaurus is coverless, exhausted with use. When I moved a few thousands of miles away from home, I brought two books with me, and one was Roget’s Thesaurus. Wordnik’s thesaurus has become one of my most useful and delightful tools.
When it comes to the thesaurus, I’m a fan.
When a quotation or a piece of an article or a block of audio/video stands out, I mark it down. I just go for it. Sometimes without remarking on its context. Yet without context, its meaning can be changed.
Whether one’s readership is large or small, intentions professional or personal, time boundless or abbreviated, it’s a person’s responsibility to give context where appropriate. If there are rules, that’s one I believe in. One that I should follow. And that’s integrity. (And words with a meaning similar to integrity.)
