Superlatives- Use and Misuse

 I'm the best, I'm the best.. so goes a song. No, I didn't create the song. Some Hindi film lyricist writing in English did.

Super cool? Awesome? Maybe. But what's this fascination for the superlative? Being good is no longer good enough? You have to be the best? And what about the rest?

Cricket commentators on radio in the good old days (before television happened) had this urge to call any good shot a "brilliant" shot, any good catch a 'superb' catch, and a good fielding attempt "incredible".

Now, social media rule the roost. And therefore, we have people describing an event as incredible, without any basis. Attending a conference? Incredible opportunity. Attending a faculty development program? Incredible. Listening to a speaker from industry, or better still, a startup? You guessed it- 'incredible.'

At this rate, nothing would remain credible anymore. You would be lost in an awesome wave of an 'incredible' ocean swallowing you up, and coming back on land would be impossible. Ever think of that?

Why the Adjective Matters

You could actually make it Why Adjectives Matter, because you are going to need more than one.

Imagine if you were an author. Your most important job is to describe the hero and the heroine. How will you be able to do this if your command over adjectives is weak? Your description will fall flat on its face, and readers will desert you in droves. Mills and Boon, for instance, would be out of business.

Imagine you are out on a date. How do you impress her/him? It is by using adjectives, of course, apart from showing that you are tender, and loving, and that you care. Ae nargis-e-mastana (a popular Hindi film song) is just one of several examples. Your chances of taking the whole thing forward rests on which adjectives you choose to use.

Imagine you are an eye-witness in a court on someone's murder trial (just imagine it!). Most of what you will be asked are descriptions of a scene, or a person-before and after the murder. Adjectives will come in handy, once again.

Hope you are convinced, after such appropriate examples. Go learn some adjectives. They will stand you in good stead.

Cricketers in a Word or Two

Sunil Gavaskar- Stolid
Wadekar- World-beater
GR Vishvanath-Silken touch
Sachin- OMG!
Sehwag-Nonchalant
Saurav-Heart-on-his-sleeve
VVS Laxman-Smooth
Azhar- Glanciator
Solkar- Acrobat
Prasanna- Off-the-cuff magic
Chandrasekhar- Armed to the leg
Kumble-Smiling assassin 
Kapil- Leader by example
Dravid- Gentleman cricketer
Zaheer- Swinger
Srinath- Idli power
Sandhu-A googly for Greenidge (started the downfall of Windiestowards the World Cup)

The Sound of Logic

What is sound logic? Is it when you hear something and like the sound of it? Or do bells jingle in the brain telling us, "This is logical." Some of these descriptors don't make much sense.

What is brand new? Is it branded as new? Why not just simply new? Is that any less?

What is a white lie? Can you have a black lie? Black and white? Grey? Rainbow coloured? Why not?

Why do we write Yours sincerely when we are not being sincere about being sincere? What does being sincere mean anyway when you are writing a letter?

Exciting, Interesting, Challenging, are words that may have lost their charm by being overused, wrongly used and excessively used. A job ad that promises a challenging environment with exciting growth options and interesting projects to work on in an IT company...get what I mean?