Learning new words and being able to find the word that means exactly what the story needs can mean the difference between a mediocre story and a brilliant one.
On Wednesdays we will identify an unusual word, provide its definition, and discuss its application or its impact.
K jokes that there are phrases I use, and there are phrases everybody else knows. Apparently, “I am loath to ____” is one such instance. This is very unfortunate, as I use the phrase a lot in my writing. It’s therefore unlikely that my millennial mermaid, Maryn, would use this phrase as many times as I have her do so.
In all fairness, you don’t have to remember which word is spelled which way: they can both be spelled “loathe.”
“Loath” is typically used to describe reluctance. “I am loath to add an ‘e’ when I spell this word.”
“Loathe” you are probably more familiar with: it means you hate something. And since “hate” ends with an ‘e,’ you can remember “loathe” for the same reason. In fact, you can make the word “hate” out of the word “loathe.”
Have you ever used the phrase “I am loath to…”?