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(A proofreader's note regarding “elude” and “allude.")
The hunted dude hid shy of shoe,
Deliberate in the nude;
His exit with the bodies bare
Would all pursuit elude.
Illusiveness no less was sought,
In desperate bid to flee.
The prospect brought a heady rush;
One couldn’t wait to see.
And so this tale would merely hint
The meaning of “elude,”
Which thereby is “alluded” to,
As literary food.
Indeed, restricted to “allude”
We kept the telling true,
Not offering up its friend “elude”
But surely hinting through.
Adroit avoidance with “elude”
Is commonly what's meant,
Though “fail to be attain-ed by”
Is often the intent.
“The championship eludes them still.”
“A nap eludes the coach.”
“A certain rule eludes the kids.”
“Free pass eludes the roach.”
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(A proofreader's note regarding “comprise” and “compose.”)
A Role in the Whole
Each part must play a given role
In every thing that's whole;
The whole of it comprises parts
That constitute the whole.
Together they compose the whole,
Whatever role the whole;
The role may be to touch the soul,
A goal we all extoll.
But even goals within the whole
Of smaller roles consist;
The greater whole they thus compose,
Enabling to subsist.
Let's take as example a plant much revered
For fragrance and medicine both;
The lilac comprises many surprises,
From scent to hue to growth.
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(A proofreader's note regarding “censor” and “censure.”)
(Editing that occurs without a governmental mandate may not strictly qualify as censoring. Furthermore, “censuring” does not involve actual suppression of content but, rather, a near condemnation of one's actions/behavior.)
The incense from a single censer
Perfumed the gloomy room
Wherein he sat, the aging censor,
Reviewing writs to doom.
Religious fervor struck the project,
Though government enjoined,
And gave the opposition members
A way to make a point.
It took the form of devious censure
Against the censor turned;
Withdrawn and fairly quiet by nature,
The aging censor burned.
- Published on
(A proofreader's note regarding “appraise” and “apprise”)
Two verbs that “diff” by single vowel
“Apprise” and sibling are;
The “a” that makes “appraise” more senior
Adds age and wisdom far.
By virtue of this dispensation,
It aims to scrutinize;
And thus “appraise” involves assessment,
Achieved by critical eyes.
“Appraise” may therefore be praising or razing,
Depending on its end.
“Apprise,” instead, is mostly a telling,
Though gain-in-value friend.
Two verbs that “diff” by single vowel
“Apprise” and sibling are;
The “a” that makes “appraise” more senior
Adds age and wisdom far.
By virtue of this dispensation,
It aims to scrutinize;
And thus “appraise” involves assessment,
Achieved by critical eyes.
“Appraise” may therefore be praising or razing,
Depending on its end.
“Apprise,” instead, is mostly a telling,
Though gain-in-value friend.