The Suffix -esque

The Suffix -esque The Suffix -esque The Suffix -esque By Maeve Maddox The suffix -esque is frequently used by pop-culture writers who enjoy making adjectives from celebrity names: Paris Hilton dons Madonna-esque fingerless gloves as she takes to the decks in Washington   Never Say Never (sung in Beiber-esque voice, of course) Keith Ford, Looking Very Clooney-esque The suffix -esque means, â€Å"resembling or suggesting the style of.† This is a regular French suffix that corresponds to the English suffix -ish, as in reddish. Four words with this suffix entered English ready-made from French. arabesque: Middle French arabesque was a noun meaning â€Å"the Arabic language.† As an adjective, arabesque meant â€Å"Arabian in character.† Because of the flowing form of Arabic writing, the word came to be used to describe any decorative pattern consisting of flowing, interlacing lines. Example: â€Å"The arabesque pattern occupies the inner and top margin of the page.† burlesque: Another French borrowing, burlesque derives from the Italian word burlesco, â€Å"something that mocks.† As a noun, a burlesque is a genre of writing that mocks a more serious genre. For example, Pope’s â€Å"The Rape of the Lock† is a burlesque of Homer’s Iliad. grotesque: This French spelling was adopted into English about 1640. Its most common use is an adjective meaning, is â€Å"ridiculously ugly or distorted.† Example: De Palma has, like Kubrick, Lynch and Fincher, sought to master the intersection of mesmerizing beauty and grotesque horror.†Ã‚   picaresque: This noun/adjective combination with its French spelling derives from Spanish picaro, â€Å"vagrant, rogue, scoundrel.† The English word refers to a literary genre called the â€Å"picaresque novel.† This type of novel has very little plot as it follows the adventures of a (usually) loveable scoundrel or vagrant. Don Quixote, Tom Jones, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are picaresque novels. In addition to these four words that entered English as foreign borrowings, we have two more words that combine existing English words with the suffix -esque: picturesque: This word started out as a French borrowingpittoresquebut quickly morphed into picturesque because of the similarity of sound between pittor and picture. It means â€Å"having the qualities of a picture.† Example: â€Å"Fish  Lake Country  Club is a scenic 9-hole public golf course on the shores of  picturesque  Fish Lake just five miles east of Plankinton.† statuesque: The English poet Coleridge may have coined this word on the pattern of picturesque: â€Å"Never did I behold aught so impressively picturesque, or rather statue-esque, as these Groups of Women in all their various attitudes (1799).† Statuesque means, â€Å"having the qualities of a statue; reminiscent of a statue in size, posture, or stillness.† Perhaps the existence of picturesque and statuesque has influenced the use of -esque as an English suffix. Literary and art critics, for example, have a history of applying it to the names of authors and artists. Unlike entertainment writers who tend to hyphenate the suffix, critics write their coinages as one word: â€Å"Through her use of Browningesque dramatic monologues, Ai disturbs settled identities and calls cultural boundaries into question.† To understand this use of Browningesque, one must have read works such as â€Å"My Last Duchess† by the poet Robert Browning. Other examples: Audenesque (like Auden) Caravaggiesque (like Caravaggio) Chaplinesque (like Chaplin) Dickensesque (like Dickens) Disneyesque (like Disney) Macalayesque (like Macalay) Turneresque (like Turner) This awkward and unlovely use of -esque has little to recommend it–unless the intent is to create a grotesque word. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Farther vs. FurtherOne Fell SwoopThe Two Sounds of G

The Best French Grammar Books to Buy

The Best French Grammar Books to Buy A time-tested method to learn a new language is the grammar book. Reading and writing in books is an efficient way to become familiar with a new language. But some books are more efficient than others. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of French grammar books alone available on the market. With many claiming to be the best, the most concise, or the most complete, picking one book over another can be an overwhelming task. There is also the matter of learning preferences and levels to consider. Regardless of a grammar books quality, it if isnt tailored to your level it wont be effective. After a review of dozens of French grammar books, we have identified a range of books as our  favorites. These books do not all have the same approach or format, and they target learners ranging from beginner to advanced. This list includes books that we use every day as well as the ones we keep around because they have been so helpful in the past. Top Grammar Books Le Bon Usage:Originally published in 1936, this is the bible of French grammar- the most thorough French grammar book that exists. It has been republished more than a dozen times and is a must for translators. This is the book that native speakers refer to when they want to understand or explain some aspects of French grammar. (French only)Le Petit Grevisse: Previous editions of this very abridged version of  Le Bon Usage  were called  Prà ©cis de Grammaire Franà §aise. It covers advanced French grammar but is less complicated than its unabridged parent. (French)Intermediate French for Dummies: Laura K. Lawless is the author of this workbook which covers high-beginning to intermediate grammar. It includes lessons and practice exercises. (English explanations and bilingual examples)Collage: Rà ©vision de Grammaire: Although it is nowhere near as thorough as the Grà ©visse books, Collages explanations are clearer than those in the books already mentioned in this list. There a re also lots of examples and practice exercises. (French explanations and examples with bilingual vocabulary lists) Manuel de Composition Franà §aise: As the title indicates, this book focuses on helping you improve your French writing skills, but it also includes excellent grammar explanations, with an emphasis on verbs and vocabulary. (French)Langenscheidt Pocket French Grammar: This tiny book offers very concise yet detailed explanations of beginning-to-intermediate French grammar which are not easily found elsewhere. It also has sections on effective communication, synonyms, idioms, false cognates, and more. A very handy little book. (English)Berlitz French Grammar Handbook: A good reference for upper-beginner level students, this handbook explains basic-to-intermediate French grammar, verbs, and vocabulary. (English)Essential French Grammar: This little book de-emphasizes grammar to concentrate on communication, offering just enough grammar to help you work on speaking and understanding French, without getting bogged down in the details. (English)English Grammar for Students of French: If yo u dont know the difference between pronouns and prepositions- in French or English- this is the book for you. It explains French grammar points alongside their English counterparts, using simple language and examples to compare and contrast the grammar in these two languages.  Its like a mini-grammar class for French students. (English)