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ChanteSez … Get clear about when to use ‘ambiguous’

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Monday’s “Jeopardy!” show gave me the inspiration for today’s ChanteSez.

People often get “ambiguous” and “ambivalent” confused.

  • Ambiguous = unclear, something that could have a couple different meanings
  • Ambivalence = contradictory feelings, something that could go either way

Depending on the situation, you could have a “big” misunderstanding if something is ambiguous.

And sometimes, there are no two ways about a situation. Here’s an example:

Although she had remarried, the way she smiled at her ex-husband was ambiguous. Her current husband didn’t hold any ambivalence. He didn’t like it one bit.

Use “big” as your memory aid to know which word to use.

ChanteSez … Doing well, part 2

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It seems that the last ChanteSez strayed a bit too far in the general advice lane.

Here’s more instruction on the difference between “well” and “good” in a grammatical sense.

“Well” is an adverb in the phrase “I am doing well.” It is modifying the action in this sentence, the “doing.”

That is the job of adverbs: to describe the verb. Adverbs typically answer how, when, or where.

Just about any word that ends in “ly” is an adverb. That’s why I suggested last week that the opposite of someone doing well would be someone doing poorly, or badly.

Other examples of “ly” adverbs:

  • She happily sang the song.
  • He dressed handsomely.
  • People who talk righteously often have deep flaws.

The thing that can be a little confusing is that “good” can be used as an adverb. While it may not sound “proper,” it is commonly acceptable for “good” to be used when saying “I am doing good,” especially in informal situations.

But to be safe, ChanteSez keep “good” as an adjective, and leave “well” enough alone.

  • She did a good job balancing work and leisure.
  • Those are good margaritas!
  • Cloudeater is a really good band.