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Via EmailGood Conversation Questions For Memorial Day
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In This Newsletter…
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1. Quotation of the Month
2. Conversation Questions for Memorial Day
3. Pronounce this Word of the Month
4. Humor
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1. Quotation of the Month
“It is well that war is so terrible. Otherwise we would grow too fond of it.”
- General Robert E. Lee
“Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win.”
- Jonathan Kozol
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2. Good Conversation Questions For Memorial Day
My father served in World War II. I have a photo of him dancing the hula somewhere in the South Pacific. Now that I think about it, it’s prophetic because I now live in Honolulu. Anyway, in the fifty years that I knew him, never once did he talk about his years in the service. It’s not that he went through big battles and suffered post-traumatic stress disorder. He loved watching war stuff on the History Channel, and he cried during Saving Private Ryan (which I refused to see because it would rip my heart in two.)
I missed my chance to get to know my father better. Maybe it’s not too late for you. Ask your family and friends about their service experiences, good and bad. Here are some conversation questions from my e-book Do You Squeeze the Toothpaste in the Middle? Playful Questions for Dates & Mates. [I admit these are not the most playful....]
- How did you deal with all those military rules and regulations?
- Was military life what you expected? What was the hardest part? The best?
- Did you get the experience, escape, or education you hoped for?
- Are you still in touch with your buddies?
- Tell me some service stories.
Let me know how it goes. Leave a comment below.
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3. Pronounce This Word of the Month: forte
The musical term is pronounced for-TAY, no exceptions.
The second meaning—”one’s strong point”— is usually pronounced FORT. “Whacking centipedes is not my forte, but I do it anyway.” [As Dave Barry would say, I'm not making this up.]
Now here’s an interesting thing about the English language:
When enough people mispronounce a word, that version eventually works its way into the dictionary and becomes acceptable. That’s what happened to the non-musical version of the word forte. It used to be fort and only fort that was correct; now it’s for-TAY, too.
Now get the smelling salts because your English teacher is about to pass out.
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4. Humor
“Nobody will ever win the Battle of the Sexes. There’s just too much fraternizing with the enemy.”
- Henry Kissinger
