It's time for A Spoonful of Grammar to take a short hiatus - "a pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process." The good news? There are 74 earlier spoonfuls for you to review during this time (or any time you wish). 

The easiest way to peruse  spoonfuls is to let your fingers do the walking through All Summaries under the Categories section to the right. Each summary contains brief descriptions and handy links for a range of individual spoonfuls. 

Since beginning A Spoonful of Grammar in March of 2019, my goal has always been to make tricky grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary understandable in the clearest, most entertaining way possible. It's my sincerest hope that you've found my posts helpful and enjoyable to read and share. 

Even during my hiatus, you're welcome to ask me your grammar-related questions and I'll do my very best to help you. Your questions just might turn into a future spoonful! Feel free to contact me any time at [email protected] with questions, suggestions, or just to connect. 

Take care of yourselves body, mind, and soul until A Spoonful of Grammar returns in September. 

Sincerely,
Laura Fineberg Cooper

OXYMORONS consist of two contrasting words that when put together, create meaning beyond the literal definitions of each word.

In fact, the word itself is an oxymoron, with oxy meaning sharp and moron meaning foolish! Let's examine five of these opposing pairs, and I'll happily provide my interpretation.


CLEARLY CONFUSED:​ clear = understandable; confused = perplexed
This implies obviously confused. 

DEAFENING SILENCE: deafening = booming; silence = quiet, calm
---This implies uncomfortable silence and recalls the saying, "Silence speaks louder than words." 

SMALL CROWD: small = little, few; crowd = a whole bunch of people
This implies a smaller than expected crowd or a small gathering of people.

OPEN SECRET: open = not shut, direct; secret = confidential
This implies a secret everyone seems to know, which sadly, is not a secret anymore. 

RANDOM ORDER: random = arbitrary; order = systematic
This implies a random sort, like a lottery. While being picked can lead to riches, THE HUNGER GAMES books and movies illustrate the dystopian dark side of being picked. Think of the myriad of plot possibilities for your creative story!

Try to drum up more oxymorons your own. Or if you like, you can find a larger list of oxymorons on Your Dictionary.com. 

I hope you enjoyed this intriguing Spoonful of Grammar. I wish you all a safe and enjoyable week ahead. 

Sincerely,
​Laura Fineberg Cooper

This rhetorical device deserves an award for using every vowel except one. Even though it's so challenging to spell, its meaning is fairly easy to remember: turning sounds into words. Now it's time for a few examples!

• the hiss of a boiling teakettle or threatened snake
• the crackle, snap, and pop of a campfire or bowl of rice krispies
• the roar of a speeding race car or powerful lion 
• the honk of a protective goose or irritated driver
• the aargh of a pirate or pirate-obsessed child

I'm sure you get the idea by now. Can you think of more onomatopoeia words yourself? This is a particularly fun exercise for young children. And a helpful little exercise for adult writers too!

I wish you all a great, healthy week ahead. I'll be back next Sunday with another Spoonful of Grammar. 

Sincerely,
Laura Fineberg Cooper