WHOLE Divide into two sentences: He is a writer. I have admired him for years. He is a writer WHOM I have admired for years. whole See HOLE OR WHOLE?. wholly (exception to the magic e- rule) See ADDING ENDINGS (ii). who's or whose? Use these exemplar sentences as a guide: WHO'S been eating my porridge? (= who has) WHO'S coming to supper? (= who is) WHOSE calculator is this? (= belonging to whom) There's the girl WHOSE cat was killed. wierd Wrong spelling. See WEIRD. wife (singular) wives (plural) See PLURALS (v). wilful (not willful) will See SHALL OR WILL?. wining or winning? wine + ing = wining win + ing = winning See ADDING ENDINGS (i) and (ii). wisdom (exception to magic -e rule) See ADDING ENDINGS (ii). withhold (not withold) 214 WRITE wolf (singular) wolves (plural) See PLURALS (v). woman (singular) women (plural) See PLURALS (vi). wonder See WANDER OR WONDER?. won't See CONTRACTIONS. woollen (not woolen) worship worshipped, worshipping, worshipper (exception to 2-1-1 rule) See ADDING ENDINGS (iv). would See SHOULD OR WOULD?. wouldn't Take care to place the apostrophe correctly. would of Incorrect construction. See COULD OF. wrapped See RAPT OR WRAPPED?. wreath or wreathe? Use these exemplar sentences as a guide: She lay a WREATH of lilies on his grave. (= noun) Look at him WREATHED in cigarette smoke, (verb, rhymes with 'seethed') write Use these sentences as a guide to tenses: I WRITE to her every day. 215 WRITER I AM WRITING a letter now. I WROTE yesterday. I have WRITTEN every day. writer (not writter) wry wrier or wryer, wriest or wryest wryly (exception to the y- rule) See ADDING ENDINGS (iii). wryness (exception to the -y rule) See ADDING ENDINGS (iii). 216 -y rule See ADDINGS ENDINGS (iii). See PLURALS (iii). yacht yield See EI/IE SPELLING RULE. yoghurt/youghourt/yougurt All these spellings are correct. yoke or yolk? Use these exemplar sentences as a guide: The YOKE of the christening gown was beautifully embroidered. The oxen were YOKED together. She will eat only the YOLK of the egg. your or you're? Use these exemplar sentences as a guide: YOUR essay is excellent. (= belonging to you) YOU'RE joking! (= you are) yours This is YOURS. No apostrophe needed! 217 Y zealot zealous zealously Zimmer frame zloty (singular) zloties or zlotys (plural) See PLURALS (iii). zoological zoology 218 Z APPENDIX A Literary terms Here are a few of the most widely used literary devices. You will probably be familiar with them in practice but perhaps cannot always put a name to them. alliteration the repetition of sounds at the beginning of words and syllables Around the rugged rocks the ragged rascals ran. climax epigram a short pithy saying Truth is never pure, and rarely simple. (Oscar Wilde) euphemism an indirect way of referring to distressing or unpalatable facts I've lost both my parents. (= they've died) She's rather light-fingered. (= she's a thief) hyperbole exaggeration Jack cut his knee rather badly and lost gallons of blood. What's for lunch? I'm starving. I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers Could not, with all their quantity of love, Make up my sum. (Shakespeare: 'Hamlet') irony saying one thing while clearly meaning the opposite For Brutus is an honourable man. (Shakespeare: 'Julius Caesar') litotes understatement He was not exactly polite. (= very rude) I am a citizen of no mean city. (- St Paul boasting about Tarsus and hence about himself) metaphor a compressed comparison 219 I came; I saw; I conquered! . rule) See ADDING ENDINGS (iii). wryness (exception to the -y rule) See ADDING ENDINGS (iii). 2 16 -y rule See ADDINGS ENDINGS (iii). See PLURALS (iii). yacht yield See EI/IE SPELLING