That’s foreign to me

Like many writers, you might be tempted to use foreign words to lend your prose a certain air of worldly sophistication. This can have the desired effect—if the foreign words are spelled and used correctly.

If not, the effect is exactly the opposite: You can end up looking like a poser or a wannabe. To avoid this, use foreign words sparingly and with care. Make sure the word is appropriate to the context and the audience.

Most important: Look it up, in a printed or online dictionary, to make sure you’re spelling it correctly. In my editing work, I’ve seen all the following words, all misspelled: gourmét, coup de gras, chow, je ne say quoi, schadenfreud, sunomi.

The correct versions are gourmet, coup de grace (French for killing shot administered to put a wounded animal out of its misery), ciao (Italian for either hello or good-bye, depending on the context), je ne sais quoi (French for I-don’t-know-what, meaning a certain indescribable something), schadenfreude (German for pleasure at the misfortune of others) and tsunami (the English version of the Japanese word for tidal wave).

Used properly, foreign words can be powerful, giving your writing a real flair, a certain elegance or je ne sais quoi. But foreign words are also like firearms—if you’re not careful, you might shoot yourself in the foot.

Here are the answers to the bloopers in the last post:

5. I must admit my thoughts did go to Ruark’s “Death in the Tall Grass” due to the present bush conditions.

Wrong author, wrong book. Robert Ruark (1915-1965) wrote two classic, famous books about big game hunting in Africa: Horn of the Hunter (1953) and Use Enough Gun (1966). Peter Hathaway Capstick (1940-1996) wrote several hunting books, of which Death in the Long Grass (1977) is the most famous. Rewritten thus: . . . did go to Hathaway Capstick’s Death in the Long Grass due to the . . .

4. After having some cool beverages, our luggage and rifle cases were loaded into the hunt vehicles and we departed for camp.

Dangling modifier. This states that the luggage and rifle cases had some cool beverages. Rewritten thus: After we enjoyed some cool beverages, our luggage . . .

3. Thousands of curiosity seekers diverged on the small town to see what possessions of Eddie’s would be auctioned.

Wrong word. To diverge means to move apart. Should be converged.

2. Using a router with a 3/8” rabbit bit, cut a grove along the outer edge of the plaque.

Wrong words. A rabbit is, well, you know. S/b rabbet, meaning a channel, groove or recess. A grove is a group of trees. S/b groove.

1. Nonpsychotic major depression during pregnancy and the postpartum are a widespread health threat to mother, infants, and families.

Lack of agreement between subject and verb. Depression is singular; therefore the verb must be singular as well. Nonpsychotic major depression is a widespread health threat.

Here are some new editorial funnies with which to test yourself:

5. Most fly line companies have their own propriety combinations of these ingredients to produce the line qualities they are looking for.

4. How scandalous and utterly unprecedented in the anals of American politics.

3. Finally we were able to stalk close enough to take that beautiful buck with my .300 magnum rifle, shooting a 180-grain Nosler petition.

2. And you too may begin picking rocks off the stream bottom and identifying the insects there—maybe even taking some samples home in viles.

1. The Caney Fork tailwater was borne in the late 1950s from the deep waters of Center Hill Lake.