[writing] Phrasing questions?

[baratron]

Hmm. Just deleted an entire entry about online dictionaries before even posting it as I noticed that www.m-w.com has an optional paid part that has all the features I want for a price I'm happy to pay. (US $29.99 per annum certainly beats the £195+VAT that the OED wanted to charge). Hooray! I love it when a plan comes together!

Despite now having access to a shiny, appropriate usage dictionary, I still have a couple of phrasing questions:
1) exalt : they'd had a ceremony in which they'd:
a) exalted their relationship
b) exalted in their relationship ?

I'm pretty sure it's (a), but all of the examples given are of things considerably more tangible than a relationship: exalting a throne, a victorious admiral, dramatic poetry and a nation. So I want to check.

2) I want some alternative phrasings for opening and closing eyes. He moaned faintly, and closed his eyes to collect his thoughts. ... Opening his eyes again to look at his husband, he began to list the points. The first sentence isn't too bad, though not perfect. The second one is downright clumsy, but I'm struggling to improve it.

3) Kitchens! Argh! In British English, we talk about "buying a new kitchen" to mean buying a new set of kitchen units and appliances. I'm not sure there's another way of saying this? But I want to make it clear that I mean buying a new set of kitchen units and appliances without having to use that whole long phrase. How about "kitchen suite"? If that's completely weird, is there any way I can make it more specific?

4) What does "ashen" mean? Is it "very pale" or "covered in ash", or could it be both? If both meanings exist, I've made a sort of pun.

That's it for now. I actually managed to fix all my other problems myself. Hooray! Going to bed now. Yay, bed.

Comments

[otterylexa.livejournal.com]

1a, but it sounds weird - that adjective isn't normally used for that kind of thing.

2 I can see what your problem is, but I can't think of any alternatives. You could possibly leave the re-opening of his eyes implicit "he closed his eyes... he looked at his husband"

3 You can say "buying a new kitchen suite", but it sounds vaguely sales-talkish. Depends if "buying a new kitchen" will confuse enough people.

4 the colour of ash i.e. very pale. You could use it if you were describing something covered in ash, but you'd have to make it clear that that was your meaning

P.S. all opinions out of my own head... caveat lector

[otterylexa.livejournal.com]

Now that I've said that, I'm not all that sure that 1b isn't also valid. I vaguely remember (and a quick google seems to bear out the recollection) that some of the psalms had "exalt in the lord" in them. I'm not quite sure what it's supposed to mean, given the definition of exalt given above.

Exalt is archaic anyway. Maybe you want a different word? Revel in? Celebrated? Affirmed?