Horde, Trooper, and Towards

Horde, Trooper, and Towards Horde, Trooper, and Towards Horde, Trooper, and Towards By Maeve Maddox Some usage errors are so widespread that readers begin to wonder if they’re mistaken about the correct form. horde/hoard A reader came across the phrase â€Å"hoards of databases† used to mean â€Å"many databases.† He thought the usage was incorrect, but as the usage was printed in â€Å"a best selling book from quite a famous publisher,† he doubted his own judgment: â€Å"My question is: is the incorrect usage becoming acceptable nowadays?† No, horde and hoard still have different meanings. The context calls for â€Å"hordes of databases† because the meaning is â€Å"a vast number.† The earliest use of horde was to refer to a large number of tribal people, but now it is used to refer to things as well as people. The noun spelled hoard means â€Å"an accumulation of something of value that has been hidden or put aside until wanted.† In early use, hoard meant anything hidden, like treasure. Beowulf’s dragon sleeps on a hoard. See â€Å"Hordes of People Shouldn’t Hoard.† trooper/trouper Another reader questions the following headline in her local newspaper: Three-year-old Martinsburg girl battling leukemia a real trooper Asks the reader, Shouldn’t that be ‘trouper’? Yes, it should. A troupe is a performing group, like a ballet troupe or an acting troupe. The word trooper refers to military or paramilitary personnel. Although one does expect troopers to be tough and hardworking, trouper is the word that is used with the meaning â€Å"a brave, hardworking, persistent, dedicated person.† See †Trooper or Trouper?† toward/towards Finally, a reader is puzzled by an interview with an American speaker who was present when the bombs went off at the 2013 Boston Marathon: He keeps saying towards, for example, â€Å"Several people have asked me why I ran towards the smoke.† The usual take on the difference between toward and towards is that toward is American usage and towards is British usage. Fowler called towards the preferred usage and toward either â€Å"literary or provincial.† I usually write towards, but dutifully remove the s when revising. I suspect that other American speakers do also. The American AP Stylebook states flatly, â€Å"toward: not towards.† The Chicago Manual of Style adds a note about other directional words: The same is true for other directional words, such as upward, downward, forward, and backward, as well as afterward. The use of afterwards and backwards as adverbs is neither rare nor incorrect. But for the sake of consistency, it is better to stay with the simpler form. If you are writing for an American publication, go with toward. See †Running Toward the House or Towards the House?† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Computer Terms You Should Know75 Synonyms for â€Å"Talk†Mankind vs. Humankind

Guilt-Free Expressions to Say, You Hurt My Feelings

Guilt-Free Expressions to Say, You Hurt My Feelings When you are hurt, your first instinct is to retaliate. You want to hurt the other person to avenge the pain and suffering you encountered.Revenge is sweet, but the repercussions can often be a disadvantage. As the author of Sometimes a Great Notion, Ken Kesey said, The man who seeks revenge digs two graves. Blinded by anger and ego, men often act beyond their wildest imagination. Thus they begin a circle of vengeance.History  is replete with stories of hurt and revenge. Mighty empires have crumbled because of misguided anger. Ego clashes have wiped out human life in many parts around the world. ​Hurting words have brought the world to the brink of a world war. How can one assuage the hurt feelings? Can you take back the words that hurt another?Just as words can hurt someone, eloquent words of forgiveness can soothe the pain. When you seek unconditional forgiveness and atone for your sins with a good deed, you can reverse the pain.If you have been hurt, you can use these you hurt me quotes to express your anguish. No revenge, no retaliation! A few sincere words are enough to communicate your pain. These words can have a powerful effect on your aggressors conscience. Oscar WildeA gentleman is one who never hurts anyones feelings unintentionally. Henry Wadsworth LongfellowA torn jacket is soon mended, but hard words bruise the heart of a child. English ProverbAnger is often more hurtful than the injury that caused it. Louisa May Alcott,  Little WomenBecause they are mean is no reason why I should be. I hate such things, and though I think Ive a right to be hurt, I dont intend to show it. Diana RossCriticism, even when you try to ignore it, can hurt. I have cried over many articles written about me, but I move on and I dont hold on to that. Lady GagaDo you know the feeling, when your heart is so hurt, that you could feel the blood dripping? Toby KeithDont compromise even if it hurts to be yourself. Chris RockFor me, anything goes when I pick up a mike. Im not trying to hurt people - I try not to get too personal but I look at myself as a reporter. If you can report on anything that has to do with pop culture, then why cant I make jokes about it? Yes, it hurts. But I figure that laughter sometimes starts from pain. You might wince, but then I know that Im doing my job. The only thing I can do wrong is not be funny. Ernest HemingwayForget your personal tragedy. We are all bitched from the start and you especially have to be hurt like hell before you can write seriously. But when you get the damned hurt, use it-dont cheat with it. Christina AguileraIm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldnt do, and Ive hurt myself by hurting you. Frank Sina​tra Oh, I just wish someone would try to hurt you so I could kill them for you. Klaus KinskiSometimes my heart hurts so much, I beat it with my fists. I try to run. But you cannot run from this. It waits for you. Even when you think you have escaped it, it is there. Les BrownForgive those who have hurt you. Angelina JolieI didnt really want to live, so anything that was an investment in time made me angry... but also I just felt sad. When the hopelessness is hurting you, its the fixtures and fittings that finish you off. Alonzo MourningI was hurting. I had some ailments I was dealing with. Its not like I was holding out.