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What word can I use to describe people who frequently keep telling a long story in a boring way (i.e. they keep telling their life incidences in exaggerated way)?

In a similar vein, what word can I use to describe people who keep telling their life incidences in interesting and enjoyable ways?

WendiKidd

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asked Jun 2, 2013 at 16:00

A good word for the first type of person might be blowhard: An exceptionally talkative and boastful person. Or, perhaps they are a windbag: someone with nothing to say, who takes all day to say it.

Going only slightly further afield, you might call them a blatherer, babbler, prattler, or chatterer.

answered Jun 12, 2013 at 18:26

HellionHellion

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If a person is always exaggerating about his abilities or achievements, he is a braggart.

answered Jun 12, 2013 at 17:34

WallyWally

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Источник

word-request

What word can I use to describe people who frequently keep telling a long story in a boring way (i.e. they keep telling their life incidences in exaggerated way)?

In a similar vein, what word can I use to describe people who keep telling their life incidences in interesting and enjoyable ways?

Best Answer

A good word for the first type of person might be blowhard: An exceptionally talkative and boastful person. Or, perhaps they are a windbag: someone with nothing to say, who takes all day to say it.

Going only slightly further afield, you might call them a blatherer, babbler, prattler, or chatterer.

Answer

A good word for the first type of person might be blowhard: An exceptionally talkative and boastful person. Or, perhaps they are a windbag: someone with nothing to say, who takes all day to say it.

Going only slightly further afield, you might call them a blatherer, babbler, prattler, or chatterer.

Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : shampa , Answer Author : Hellion

Источник

Writing is a personal and introspective craft that requires a lot of meticulous word choices and ruthless editing to deliver a powerful punch.

And no matter the purpose for your writing, a good way to improve your grammar, language expression, and overall writing effectiveness is to choose words carefully and substitute those boring or weak words that do not bolster your work.

For example, you should generally always substitute jargon, overused words, and uninteresting phrases with stronger, more expressive words that enhance your craft and make it effective. Keep in mind that the sentence fluency of good writing should always feel natural, smooth, and expressive.

But how do you determine which words to substitute in your writing?

Glad you asked…

How to Determine Boring Words to Substitute

To determine if your word choices are the best for your purpose, ask yourself some basic questions:

Does this word choice fit the tone and style of my writing?
Are there other terms or word substitutions that compliment this term?
How does this substitute word change the feel and flow of my writing?
Do the word substitutions fit with my writing style and purpose?
Do these substitutions fit with my message? How about with my audience?

Asking these questions can help you instantly identify words to substitute to elevate your writing from boring to exciting and more expressive.

Common Boring/Weak Words and Their Stronger Substitutes

Here are some of the most common and boring words you should substitute in texts to instantly strengthen your writing and make it more expressive:

1. Pretty:

Instead of pretty you can use beautiful, lovely, attractive, etc.

2. Smart:

Instead of smart you can use witty, bright, sharp, intelligent, etc.

3. Big:

Instead of big you can use enormous, gigantic, colossal, massive, etc.

4. Little:

Instead of little you can use tiny, minuscule, teeny, minute, etc.

5. Said:

Instead of said you can use stated, asked, responded, remarked, demanded, questioned, etc.

6. Bad:

Instead of bad you can use atrocious, evil, abhorrent, nasty, wicked, etc.

7. Good:

Instead of good you can use splendid, superb, excellent, pleasant, etc.

8. Nice:

Instead of nice you can use thoughtful, considerate, courteous, cordial, etc

More Boring Words and What to Use Instead — Infographic

Check out this neat infographic below from the folks at GrammarCheck for a list of more boring words, along with a handful of interesting substitutions for each one.

The infographic can make for a handy go-to resource for substituting or replacing common and overused words whenever you want to spruce up you writing. Enjoy!

Read Also: Harvard’s Steven Pinker on How to Be a Great Writer.

Источник

r/writers

All are welcome at r/writers: fiction writers, nonfiction writers, bloggers and more! Get critique on your work, share resources, ask questions and help fellow writers.

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It’s the fear of every writer: writing a story your reader CAN put down. No writer wants to think their story is boring, but sometimes it is. Fortunately, there are only a few reasons stories are boring. Once you know what they are, you can make sure that your reader will keep reading.

1) No Stake Raisers

This is the number one reason a story is boring. A story has to have conflict. But the conflict has to escalate in each scene, or the story gets old fast. For example, if a killer with an axe is chasing a girl around in the woods, that’s a good conflict. But if all the girl ever does is run, that’s boring. We can only take her running for a few seconds before we need her to do something else. She could try to hide, get help, or set a trap.

Of course, each of her attempts will end in failure until the final one. While watching her try and fail adds to the tension, her next move should be something different from her last move. Once her first trap fails, watching her try to set the same trap again isn’t interesting, because we just saw that. She needs to think of something better that has the potential to actually work so that the ending isn’t a foregone conclusion. Meanwhile the killer gets closer and closer…

2) No Sequence

For a story to make sense, things need to happen in a certain order. This order is the only way the events can logically happen. This is known as sequence. Sometimes, in our eagerness to torture our characters, bad things keep happening to them that have nothing to do with the actual story. These characters are simply unlucky, and readers tire of unlucky characters very quickly.
For example, a man moves into a haunted house PLUS he owes a lot of money to creditors. That last part is an interesting detail that does nothing to advance the story.

However, it makes sense if a man moves into a haunted house BECAUSE he’s so deep in debt he can’t afford anything else. His debt is now an important part of the story since it eliminated his safer options.

3) Realistic Dialogue

Realistic dialogue kills stories. Realistic dialogue is filled with vague ideas and hesitations. No one wants to read that. Instead, you want ‘authentic dialogue’ that matches your story.

For example, a well off woman from the Victorian era searching for a husband is going to speak very differently than a knight of the Other Realm searching for a sacred object. In both cases, it’s going to be different from how modern people really speak. Authentic dialogue matches the time and place. This draws your reader into your story instead of yanking them out.

4) Purple Prose

There’s nothing wrong with using descriptive phrases and metaphors like ‘the jaundiced light soaked the room’ or ‘her legs turned into noodles’. In fact, these types of descriptions take up about 30% of the average book.
Just make sure that your prose isn’t turning purple. Purple Prose is writing that includes far too many insignificant details and uses too many words to show them. For example:

Emma embraced the effervescent bloom patterned bag with the fastener made from the metal alloy made of copper and zinc to her bosom and discerned where her engaged love could be.

Is very different than the much clearer version:

Emma clutched her delicate floral bag to her chest and looked for her fiancé.

Writers use Purple Prose like a crutch to impress their readers. However, readers are impressed more by a well-written story than flowery language.

5) Telling, Not Showing

There’s an old saying in writing; show, don’t tell. But what does that actually mean? Telling is the natural way to explain a story, that’s why you ‘tell’ stories around a campfire. However, readers are more interested in having a story appeal to their senses than to their brain. It’s almost like feeling a story.

Telling a story reads like this:

The woman lowered the sledgehammer down on the skull and smashed it.

You can see the woman, the skull, and the sledgehammer, but it only connects with people at an intellectual level. They aren’t caught up in the story because they didn’t feel anything.

The sledgehammer slammed into the skull with a satisfying crunch, creating an explosion of bone dust and shrapnel.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of telling instead of showing. After all, not only is it our default, it’s just easier. Too much tell and not enough show will kill what could otherwise be a great story.

6) Textbook Writing

Almost as bad as too Purple Prose is what I call Textbook Writing. This kind of writing is all tell with very little show. It’s a favorite of writers who have done a lot of research in preparation for their novel.

If a nineteenth century man is visiting a carnival and says ‘beautiful carousel’ the next paragraph should not be an in depth description of what makes a nineteenth century carousel run. Yes, it’s beneficial for the author to know how a carousel runs if that’s a key part of the story so that he avoids anachronisms, but he certainly does not need to include every little detail that he has learned. Textbook writing is just an info dump. Cut everything except the details that are essential to your narrative.

7) Getting Caught Up in Descriptions

If you were raised on ‘the classics,’ then you probably noticed how many pages they devoted to scenery and locations. When you are just starting out writing, it’s tempting to follow their lead. After all, they are the masters. The problem is, they were masters of another time, a time when people knew very little about the world and needed all that description to see it.

In the modern age, even people who never leave their hometowns know a great deal about the world through television and the internet. If they want details on how ice-covered trees look, they can simply google it instead of needing every single icicle described. Describing one icicle in less than a paragraph is sufficient.

Spending Too Much Time On Things That Don’t Matter

Of course, scenery isn’t the only thing writers spend too much time describing. Many writers spend too much time developing characters that get killed off early in the story. They also show good luck charms, objects, or places we never see again. These factors, along with an interesting but ultimately irrelevant history, all make appearances in boring stories.

Every item, every scene, should be designed to move your story forward. Interesting things that don’t quite fit are boring things. Good writers know what to cut, not just what to put in.

If you enjoyed this post about writing a novel, you might also enjoy these articles from our archive:

How to Construct a 3D Main Character
Are You Ready to Draft Your Story Arc?
How to Create Your Story’s World
How to Create a Compelling Character Arc
Are You Ready to Draft Your Plot?
4 Plot Pitfalls You Need to Avoid
Map Out Your Character’s Transformation Using the 9 Enneagram “Levels of Development”
The Four Drafts Your Novel Needs (and Why You Probably Won’t Use a Single Word of Your First Draft!)

Have you tried ProWritingAid yet? What are you waiting for? It’s the best tool for making sure your copy is strong, clear, and error-free!

Источник

Do you just sometimes find yourself losing focus or getting detached because something is just too boring? Getting bored is one of the worst feelings you can experience because you don’t get anything, you waste time, and you wish you were just doing something else. Boredom frequently enters our lives and we just have to deal with it. Maybe try reading this list of slang words for boring may help you fight boredom. Enjoy reading!

Slang Words for Boring (in Alphabetical Order)

BOF

Meaning:

(Noun) An acronym for “Boring Old Fart.” Used mainly in the UK and the US. It is used for dull old people.
Example: My grandpa isn’t a BOF. We would go hunting and camping in the woods.

Boondocks

Meaning:

(Noun) A slang of Filipino or Tagalog origins. It was first used for mountains or rural areas but it became widely associated with places that are boring or without any excitement.
Example: The annual carnival has become just another boondocks. Maybe it’s because we’ve grown up.

Boonies

Meaning:

(Noun) An altered version of “boondocks.” Any place that is “in the middle of nowhere” or no fun at all.
Example: I hate going to children’s birthday parties. It’s all boonies with loud crying kids.

Bummer

Meaning:

(Noun) Something disappointing or unpleasant. Comes from the German word “brummein” which is used for mindless wandering or strolling.
Example: The spaghetti was a big bummer. They lost the original recipe so it’s no longer the same.

Bunk

Meaning:

(Adjective) Boring, without pleasure, dull, or just disappointing.
Example: The event was bunk because they pulled out the best bands.

Dry

Meaning:

(Adjective) Normally, this is used for something that is lacking moisture but it can also be used to describe something that is lacking or does not produce any satisfaction.
Example: The party started to get dry so we left as fast as we could.

Dullsville

Meaning:

(Noun) A combination of dull and village. This slang is simply used to refer to places that are monotonous or boring.
Example: My hometown was such a dullsville until the new mayor started improving it.

Fun Sponge

Meaning:

(Noun) Someone who takes away the fun of something or just sucks the fun out of everything, thus making them boring.
Example: Marcus is a fun sponge. All he cares about is the rules.

Humdrum

Meaning:

(Adjective) This slang refers to something very dull or without any “spice.”
Example: I was expecting something exciting for our anniversary but it was all humdrum.

Like Watching Paint Dry

Meaning:

(Expression) A slang or expression that is somewhat sarcastic. It may be used to describe something as lacking any fun, thrill, or excitement.
Example: Filling out paperwork is very exciting. It is like watching paint dry.

MOTS

Meaning:

(Expression) Short for more of the same, referencing that something is boringly just the same or without any changes.
Example: The new principal is mots. He doesn’t listen to students and lacks any exciting ideas.

Snoozefest

Meaning:

(Noun) An event that makes you fall asleep because it is too boring.
Example: Your birthday party was a snoozefest. We need to make up for that.

Twittlefuck

Meaning:

(Noun) A vulgar placeholding slang for any location or place far away from anything interesting
Example: Las Vegas was a twittlefuck desert. It was only because of the erection of casinos that the city gained some life.

Upper Robot Boot

Meaning:

(Noun) Another placeholder for somewhere that is unhip.
Example: He lives in Upper Robot Boot, Arizona. Nothing ever happens there.

Wet Blanket

Meaning:

(Noun) A person that spoils or ruins the fun.
Example: Quit being such a wet blanket! You have the chance to be cool for once.

Источник

1
story

̈ɪˈstɔ:rɪ I сущ.
1) повесть, рассказ, история;
предание;
сказка to carry, circulate, print, run a story ≈ распространять, печатать, публиковать рассказ, сообщение, статью to change, revise a story ≈ переделать, пересмотреть рассказ to concoct, fabricate, invent, make up a story ≈ состряпать, придумать рассказ to edit a story ≈ редактирировать рассказ to embellish, embroider a story ≈ приукрасить (напр., выдумкой), расцветить рассказ to narrate, tell a story ≈ рассказывать историю to rewrite a story ≈ переписывать рассказ to write a story ≈ писать рассказ boring story ≈ скучная история ugly story ≈ неприглядная история a story breaks ≈ рассказ прерывается, прекращается a story circulates ≈ история становится известной (большему количеству людей) She told charming stories about her travels. ≈ Она рассказывала о том, как она чудесно путешествовала. Have you heard the story that she intends to resign? ≈ Вы слышали, что она собирается уходить( в отставку) ? bedtime story Canterbury story children’s story cock-and-bull story coherent story cover story detective story dirty story farfetched story fairy story feature story front-page story funny story ghost story good story gripping story human-interest story implausible story improbable story juicy story likely story long story love story off-color story plausible story risque story short story sob story true story whole story Syn: tale, narrative, novel
2) чьи-л. слова, чей-л. рассказ according to her (own) story ≈ по ее (собственным) словам
3) сюжет, фабула Syn: plot, subject
4) разг. а) выдумка;
ложь Don’t tell stories. ≈ Не сочиняйте. б) россказни, сплетни
5) амер. газетный материал, сообщение в печати All the newspapers carried the story about the fire. ≈ Во всех газетах была статья о пожаре. II = storey
повесть;
рассказ — short * рассказ, новелла — good /funny/ * анекдот — blue /off-colour/ * непристойный анекдот — ghost * история с привидениями — detective * детективный роман — love * любовный роман;
рассказ или повесть о любви фабула, сюжет — the main thing in a novel is the * самое главное в романе — это сюжет — I read only for the * я читаю, только чтобы следить за фабулой /за развитием событий/ история;
предание;
сказка — the * of printing история книгопечатания — stories of ancient Greece древнегреческие мифы — to tell smb. one’s * /the * of one’s life/ рассказать кому-л. историю своей жизни /свою биографию/ — his * is an eventful one его биография богата событиями — a character famous in * and song легендарная личность — the * has been several times handled in both prose and verse это предание не раз излагалось и стихами, и прозой заявление;
что-л. сказанное, чьи-л. слова — according to her (own) * по ее (собственным) словам;
по ее собственному заявлению — that is the whole * вот и все, вот и весь сказ — they all tell the same * они все говорят одно и то же — these bruises tell their own * эти ушибы /синяки, ссадины/ говорят сами за себя — there is a * that… говорят, что… — do you believe his story? вы верите тому, что он говорит? — it was an old * to him он это уже много раз слышал /видел, встречал/ — the witness changed his * свидетель изменил свои показания( разговорное) разговор, рассказ;
россказни, сплетни — scandalous stories are circulated about N. об N. ходят скандальные слухи /сплетни/ — the * is discredited by some не все верят тому, что об этом говорится — many curious stories are told about elephants о слонах рассказывают много любопытного (разговорное) преим. (детское) выдумка, ложь — to tell stories выдумывать, лгать, сочинять, рассказывать сказки, небылицы (американизм) газетный материал, сообщение в печати — to make a * out of a trivial event сделать статью на материале незначительного события — there is a * in him о нем стоит написать /рассказать читателям/ лицо или событие, заслуживающее освещения в печати — the biggest stories of the year важнейшие события года > that is (quite) another * это (совсем) другое дело > it is quite another * now положение теперь изменилось > to make a long * short короче говоря этаж;
ярус — on the third * на четвертом этаже — to add a * to a house надстроить этаж > the top /upper/ * мозги, «котелок» > he is weak in the upper * у него котелок плохо варит — * culture( сельскохозяйственное) культура, возделываемая на уступах или террасах
according to his ~ по его словам;
they all tell the same story они все говорят одно и то же
~ рассказ, повесть;
short story короткий рассказ, новелла;
a good (или funny) story анекдот;
Canterbury story = Canterbury tale
~ рассказ, повесть;
short story короткий рассказ, новелла;
a good (или funny) story анекдот;
Canterbury story = Canterbury tale tale: ~ уст. счет, число;
количество;
the tale is complete все в сборе;
Canterbury tale вымысел, сказки, басни
case ~ наглядный пример
~ разг., преим. детск. выдумка;
ложь;
don’t tell stories не сочиняйте
~ рассказ, повесть;
short story короткий рассказ, новелла;
a good (или funny) story анекдот;
Canterbury story = Canterbury tale
~ история;
предание;
сказка;
the story goes that предание гласит;
his story is an eventful one его биография богата событиями
~ амер. газетный материал;
that is another story это другое дело;
it is quite another story now положение теперь изменилось
life ~ жизнеописание
news ~ газетный материал
shaggy-dog ~ sl анекдот, действующими лицами которого являются животные shaggy-dog ~ sl длинный и скучный анекдот (весь юмор которого заключается в его нелепости)
~ рассказ, повесть;
short story короткий рассказ, новелла;
a good (или funny) story анекдот;
Canterbury story = Canterbury tale
story = storey ~ разг., преим. детск. выдумка;
ложь;
don’t tell stories не сочиняйте ~ амер. газетный материал;
that is another story это другое дело;
it is quite another story now положение теперь изменилось ~ история;
предание;
сказка;
the story goes that предание гласит;
his story is an eventful one его биография богата событиями ~ рассказ, повесть;
short story короткий рассказ, новелла;
a good (или funny) story анекдот;
Canterbury story = Canterbury tale ~ фабула, сюжет
~ история;
предание;
сказка;
the story goes that предание гласит;
his story is an eventful one его биография богата событиями
~ амер. газетный материал;
that is another story это другое дело;
it is quite another story now положение теперь изменилось
according to his ~ по его словам;
they all tell the same story они все говорят одно и то же

Большой англо-русский и русско-английский словарь > story

2
story

I [‘stɔːrɪ]

сущ.

1) повесть, рассказ

bedtime / Canterbury / children / fairystory — детская сказка

likely / plausible / true story — правдоподобный рассказ

dirty / off-color / risquéstory — грязная, неприличная, непристойная история

to carry / circulate / print / run a story — распространять, печатать, публиковать рассказ

to change / revise a story — переделать, пересмотреть рассказ

to concoct / fabricate / invent / make up a story — состряпать, придумать рассказ

to embellish / embroider a story — приукрасить, расцветить рассказ

to narrate / tell a story — рассказывать историю

She told charming stories about her travels. — Она рассказывала чудесные истории о своих путешествиях.

— cover story
— detective story
— feature story
— front-page story
— funny story
— ghost story
— gripping story
— human-interest story
— juicy story
— long story

Syn:

2) история; предание; сказка

а) повествование, изложение

б)

в) утверждение, заявление

the story goes that… — сообщается, что…, согласно утверждению…

Syn:

а) выдумка; ложь

Don’t tell stories. — Не сочиняйте.

б) россказни, сплетни

амер.

газетный материал, сообщение в печати

All the newspapers carried the story about the fire. — Все газеты поместили материал о пожаре.

••

I tell the story as I heard it. — За что купил, за то и продаю.

II [‘stɔːrɪ]

; = storey

Англо-русский современный словарь > story

3
long

1. n долгий срок; длительный период; большой промежуток времени

for long — надолго, на большой срок

2. n стих. долгий слог

long term — долгий срок; долгосрочный

3. n фон. долгий гласный

4. n муз. лонга

5. n бирж. покупатель ценных бумаг

6. n бирж. спекулянт, играющий на повышение

7. n бирж. брюки

8. n бирж. большие роста

9. a длинный

at long range — на большом расстоянии; с большого расстояния

10. a редк. высокий, долговязый

11. a долгий, продолжительный, длительный

12. a имеющий такую-то длину; длиной в …

13. a имеющий такую-то продолжительность; продолжительностью в …

14. a отдалённый

15. a фин. долгосрочный

16. a медленный, медлительный

17. a томительный, скучный

long, unlively debate — длинные, скучные дебаты

18. a разг. большой

19. a разг. удлинённый, продолговатый

20. a разг. грам. полный

21. a разг. целый

long mile — добрая миля, не меньше мили

22. a разг. богатый; сильный

long head — проницательность; предусмотрительность

23. adv долго; длительно

24. adv давно; долгое время

25. adv усил. полностью; с начала до конца

long house — длинный вигвам; общий дом нескольких семейств

26. adv бирж. на повышение

so long as — если только, при условии, что

27. v страстно желать; стремиться

Синонимический ряд:

1. boring (adj.) boring; long-winded; prolix; tedious; verbose; wordy

2. lengthy (adj.) attenuated; dragging; drawn out; drawn-out; elongate; elongated; extended; extensive; interminable; lengthy; long-drawn-out; longsome; overlong; prolonged; protracted; unending

3. age (noun) aeon; aeons; age; ages; blue moon; coon’s age; dog’s age; donkey’s years; eternity

4. ache (verb) ache; covet; crave; desire; dream; hanker; hanker for; hunger; itch; long for; lust; pant; pine; pine for; sigh; suspire; thirst; wish; yearn; yearn for; yen

Антонимический ряд:

brief; compact; compressed; concise; condensed; curt; disdain; ephemeral; evanescent; fleeting; forgo; interesting; laconic; pithy; short

English-Russian base dictionary > long

4
tame

teɪm
1. прил.
1) а) прирученный;
укрощенный tame tiger ≈ ручной тигр Syn: docile б) с.-х. культурный, культивируемый( о растении)
2) а) пассивный, покорный, послушный, безвольный( о поведении, мнении и т. п.) б) послушный, пишущий на заказ( о писателе) ;
написанный на заказ( о художественном произведении) ∙ Syn: obedient, humble
3) скучный, пресный;
неяркий, неброский( о пейзаже, виде и т. п.) Syn: boring, tedious ∙ tame cat ≈ ид. тряпка;
мягкотелый, несамостоятельный человек
2. гл.
1) а) дрессировать, приручать;
укрощать;
одомашнивать( диких животных) Syn: domesticate, train б) делаться ручным (о животном) Syn: subdue, restrain в) возделывать, культивировать, обрабатывать Syn: cultivate
2) смирять, покорять;
укрощать, обуздывать( чей-л. крутой нрав и т. п.)
3) а) ослаблять, смягчать (эффект чего-л.) б) лишать интереса, живости (какое-л. занятие, литературное произведение и т. п.)
прирученный, ручной;
укрощенный — * bear ручной медведь — * lion прирученный /укрощенный/ лев одомашненный, домашний( о кошке и т. п.) неопасный;
спокойный( о корове и т. п.) ручной (о мужчине) культурный, культивируемый, садовый — * hay сено сеяных трав — * grass mixture смесь посевных трав безопасный, безвредный;
«укрощенный» (о стихии, энергии и т. п.) — * atomic energy use использование укрощенной энергии атома мягкий, нестрогий — * reprisal легкое наказание послушный, покорный;
пассивный;
«бесхребетный», «беззубый» — * retort кроткий /боязливый/ ответ — * behaviour послушное /покорное/ поведение послушный, следующий предписаниям — * author автор, не позволяющий себе лишнего — the art was pretty * искусство почти не выходило за границы дозволенного посредственный, банальный;
неинтересный, пресный, неяркий, неброский — * talk скучный разговор — * story бесцветный рассказ — * painting безжизненное полотно — * match вялый /неинтересный/ матч монотонный, унылый, однообразный;
скучный;
не задерживающий глаза (о пейзаже, виде) > * cat человек, легко поддающийся чужому влиянию;
«тряпка» приручать;
укрощать, дрессировать;
одомашнивать — to * wild animals приручать диких животных — to * a horse объезжать лошадь приручаться, делаться ручным — white rats * easily белые крысы легко приручаются покорять, смирять;
делать покорным, послушным — to * smb.’s temper обуздать чей-л. нрав;
охладить чей-л. пыл — to * smb.’s ardour охладить /умерить/ чей-л. пыл — to * smb.’s tongue укоротить язык кому-л. — to * smb.’s spirit сломить чей-л. дух покоряться, смиряться смягчать;
лишать красок, силы;
делать скучным, неинтересным — to * a statement смягчить формулировку лишаться красок, силы;
делаться скучным, неинтересным — here the story begins to * с этого места читатель теряет интерес к рассказу
tame делать неинтересным ~ культивировать ~ с.-х. культурный, культивируемый (о растении) ~ покорный, пассивный ~ приручать, дрессировать ~ ручной;
прирученный ~ скучный;
неинтересный;
банальный ~ смирять ~ смягчать

Большой англо-русский и русско-английский словарь > tame

5
tame

1. a приручённый, ручной; укрощённый

2. a одомашненный, домашний

3. a неопасный; спокойный

4. a шутл. ручной

5. a культурный, культивируемый, садовый

6. a безопасный, безвредный; «укрощённый»

7. a мягкий, нестрогий

8. a послушный, покорный; пассивный; «бесхребетный», «беззубый»

tame down — покоряться; делаться послушным, утрачивать независимость

9. a послушный, следующий предписаниям

tame author — автор, не позволяющий себе лишнего

10. a посредственный, банальный; неинтересный, пресный; неяркий, неброский

11. a монотонный, унылый, однообразный; скучный; не задерживающий глаза

12. v приручать; укрощать, дрессировать; одомашнивать

13. v приручаться, делаться ручным

14. v покорять, смирять; делать покорным, послушным

15. v покоряться, смиряться

16. v смягчать; лишать красок, силы; делать скучным, неинтересным

17. v лишаться красок, силы; делаться скучным, неинтересным

Синонимический ряд:

1. broken (adj.) broken; civilized; mastered

2. domesticated (adj.) domestic; domesticated; domitae naturae; harmless; housebroken; subdued; submissive; trained

3. gentle (adj.) docile; fearless; gentle; kindly; meek; mild; obedient; tractable

4. spiritless (adj.) cowardly; dastardly; denatured; feeble; flat; pusillanimous; spiritless; weak

5. uninteresting (adj.) boring; conventional; dull; empty; monotonous; prosaic; routine; tedious; uninteresting

6. calm (verb) calm; enslave; repress; soften; subjugate; tone down

7. domesticate (verb) break; control; discipline; domesticate; domesticize; domiciliate; gentle; make tractable; master; train

Антонимический ряд:

bright; exciting; fierce; interesting; savage; stubborn; unbroken; untamed; wild

English-Russian base dictionary > tame

6
сухой

прил.
1) dry;
arid (засушливый)
2) (о продовольствии) dry, dried сухое молоко ≈ dried milk
3) (о части тела) dried-up, withered перен. тж.
4) перен. (скучный, неинтересный) boring, dull
5) перен. (неприветливый, равнодушный) chilly, cool, cold ∙ ввести сухой закон ≈ to go dehumidified, to go dehydrated, to go desiccated, to go dry сухое вино ≈ dry wine сухой закон ≈ prohibition сухой паек ≈ dry rations, packed lunch, packed meal сухой счет ≈ love game, whitewash сухим путем ≈ by/over land

Большой англо-русский и русско-английский словарь > сухой

7
find

1. I

2. III

1) find smth., smb. find a misplaced letter находить /отыскивать/ затерявшееся письме и т. д.’, I ran to find a doctor я побежал за врачом; I don’t know where to find time не знаю, где взять время; find a new method открывать новый метод и т.д; find the means изыскивать /находить/ средства и т. д.; where shall I find the money? где мне put the book back where you found it положите книгу обратно на место; leave the windows (the papers, her things, etc.) as one finds them оставить окна и т. д. как есть; we must leave everything as we find it мы ничего не должны трогать; take us as you find us принимайте нас такими, какие мы есть; the book found very few readers книга не была популярна у читателей, на книгу почти не было спроса; the anchor found bottom якорь коснулся дна; the bullet found its mark пуля попала в цель

2) find smth. find the sum находить /определять, вычислять/ сумму и т. д.; find the sum of several numbers определить /вычислить/ сумму нескольких чисел и т. д.’, what did you find the total? какой у вас получился итог?

3. IV

find smth., smb., in some manner find smth., smb. easily легко и т. д. находить что-л., кого-л.; find smth., smb. somewhere find one’s way home находить дорогу домой и т. д.’, find smb. in I can’t find my keys anywhere [я] нигде не могу отыскать свой ключи; find smth., smb. at some time at last he found his way наконец он выбрался на [правильную] дорогу; at last he finds a wife for himself наконец он нашел себе жену

4. V

1) find smb. smth. find her a taxi найти ей такой и т. д.; I found him a job я подыскал ему работу

2) find smb., smth. smb., smth. find him a trustworthy man считать /находить/ его надежным человеком и т. д.’, I found him an agreeable person он показался мне приятным человеком, у меня сложилось о нем мнение как о приятном человеке; I find it my duty я считаю это своим долгом

5. VI

1) find smb. in some state find smb. gloomy застать кого-л. в мрачном и т. д. настроении; I came and found her ill я пришел и увидел, что она больна; find smb. dead обнаружить, что кто-л. умер /мертв/, найти кого-л. мертвым, не застать кого-л. в живых

2) find smb., smth. possessing some quality find smb. funny находить /считать/ кого-л. смешным и т. д.; I find him strange today он мне кажется странным сегодня; find smb. guilty признавать кого-л. виновным и т.д., find smth. easy находить /считать/ что-л. легким и т. д.; I find the weather pleasant today сегодня мне погода нравится; find it difficult to understand him трудно и т. д. понять его и т. д.; we may find it necessary to leave early нам может быть придется рано уйти

6. VII

1) find smth. to do smth. find time to read находить время [.чтобы] читать и т. д., he found nothing new to say он ничего нового не мог сказать; find the case to contain a pearl necklace обнаружить, что в футляре лежит жемчужное ожерелье

2) find smth. to possess some quality find smth. to be true находить /убеждаться в том/, что это правильно /правда/ и т. д.

7. VIII

find smb. doing smth. find the girl waiting обнаружить /увидеть/. что девушка ждет и т. д.; I found myself disagreeing я вдруг [неожиданно для себя] начал спорить; понял, что я не согласен

8. IX

find smth., smb. in some state find the room locked (the event forgotten, the glass broken, the book borrowed, them gone, him arrested, her beaten up, the child taken from him, etc. обнаружить, что комната заперта и т. д.; find one self surrounded by children оказаться окруженным детьми; I found myself obliged to leave мне пришлось уйти

9. XI

be found smth. he was found a situation out of tow; ему нашли работу за городом; be found in some state he was found wounded когда его нашли, увидели /обнаружили/. что он ранен и т. д.; be found somewhere a dagger was found on him when he was searched при обыске у него обнаружили кинжал; be found with smth. that is the only fault to be found with him это его единственный недостаток; it is not the only fault to be found with the play это отнюдь не единственный недостаток пьесы

be found possessing some quality be found useful /of use быть признанным /считаться/ полезным и т. д.; he was found guilty его признали виновным; be found that it has been found that… было установлено, что…

10. XVIII

11. XXI1

1) find smth. in smth. find mistakes in a composition находить ошибки в сочинении и т. д.; find ten stamps in that drawer найти десять марок в том ящике; find smth. in some state find the room in perfect order находить комнату в полном порядке и т. д. find smth. for smb., smth. find a post for him найти ему место / должность / и т. д.; find smth. after smth. find smth. after a careful search найти / обнаружить / что-л. после тщательных поисков

2) find smth. to smth. find an answer to the problem выяснить / найти / ответ на вопрос и т. д.

3) find smb., smth. in / at, on / some place find smb. at home застать / найти / кого-л. дома и т. д.; I found him still in bed я застал его еще в постели; find oneself in hospital оказаться в больнице и т. д.

4) find its / one’s / way to smth. the river finds its way to the sea река впадает в море; how did it find its way into print? как это попало в печать?; I’ll find my way out of these difficulties я сумею найти выход из этих трудностей

5) find smth., smb. in smth., smb. find expression in smth. найти свое выражение в чём-л.; find a true friend in her обрести истинного друга в ней и т. д.; I can find по faults in him я не замечаю у него никаких недостатков; find smth. with smb. find happiness with smb. обрести счастье с кем-л.; find smth. for smth. find no reason for smth. не видеть / не находить / [никаких] причин для чего-л.; I can find по excuse for his behaviour я не представляю, как можно оправдать его поведение

12. XXII

find smth. in doing smth. find pleasure in gardening с удовольствием заниматься садоводством и т. д.

13. XXV

find [that]… find that I was mistaken понять, что я ошибался; find that he could not swim обнаружить, что он не умеет плавать; this letter, I find, arrived yesterday письмо, я вижу / я обнаружил /, пришло вчера

English-Russian dictionary of verb phrases > find

8
jejune

1. a книжн. скудный, тощий

2. a книжн. бесплодный

3. a книжн. сухой, неинтересный, бессодержательный

4. a книжн. особ. амер. незрелый, легкомысленный

Синонимический ряд:

1. dull (adj.) arid; barren; boring; dreary; dry; dull; empty; flat; prosaic; tedious; tiresome; uninteresting; vapid

2. insipid (adj.) banal; bland; driveling; inane; innocuous; insipid; milk-and-water; namby-pamby; sapless; swashy; waterish; watery; wishy-washy

English-Russian base dictionary > jejune

Источник

I had a writing friend ask me last week, “How do you write through the boring parts of a story?”

I was flattered he thought I might know. I don’t know how to write through the boring parts except to say this:

Cut the boring parts, or
Rethink and revise what might be a “boring” part into something more fun and essential, and
The same way you write through any problem — stay in the chair and write (or go for a quick walk and then come back and write).

Of course, that’s all predicated on recognizing boring writing in the first place. Not sure where to start? Here’s some help with finding those parts to cut!

The Most Boring Part of Basketball

My youngest son was writing a narrative for school this week. It was a story about attending a basketball game with my husband a couple years ago. He was frustrated because he said felt it was too long and “nothing was happening.”

“Summarize each paragraph in a sentence,” I said.

He began to stammer through the story:

“First, I got invited to the game by a friend whose dad is a coach. Then I got ready. I told Dad I wanted to get a basketball and have it signed by my favorite player.

“Then we drove to the game. Then at the game, the security guard wouldn’t let us into the signing area because I lost my pass. We watched the game and we drove home.

“When I told my friend about it, he said to bring my ball by his house and his dad would take it to practice to see if anyone would sign it. I waited for days. But I got the signature of every member of the team.”

Can you guess which paragraphs didn’t move his story forward? Where I suggested he make cuts?

Identify the Boring Parts

“Boring” parts for me include any scenes that don’t move the story forward or reveal character. As a reader, you know what I’m talking about. It’s the lines and scenes you skim.

Boring does not mean devoid of explosions and shocking twists. There are plenty of subtle, quiet scenes that are absolutely necessary for a story to work, depending on the genre.

What you want to do is find the places where nothing is happening on or below the surface.

When my son described his story, I noticed three places where nothing seemed to happen. “Then I got ready,” “we drove to the game,” and “we drove home.”

In my high school writing classes, I call these scenes “slow start-ups” or “inactive transition scenes.” You can cut them and instantly improve your pacing and plot development.

“I got ready,” AKA the Alarm Clock Scene

If your story begins with an alarm clock buzzing, you’re probably starting it too early. I usually don’t want to watch a character brushing his teeth or pulling on his jeans in the morning unless there is something essential I need to know from his routine.

You don’t have long to capture the reader’s attention at the beginning of a story. Start as late as possible and make sure the central story problem comes to light quickly.

Think about the parts where your characters are going through the motions, getting ready. If those scenes aren’t pushing the story forward with conflict, you might be able to cut them to speed up the pace.

Inactive Transition Scenes

A few years ago, I realized I spent an inordinate amount of time getting characters from one place to another. I opened and closed doors, drove them up streets, and walked . . . so much walking.

In my son’s story, there were two paragraphs that he summarized as “we drove to the game,” and “we drove home.” I asked him to evaluate the scenes. “Is there any conflict in those paragraphs?” There wasn’t.

“Do those paragraphs show us something new about the characters?” I asked.

They didn’t.

He’d found two inactive transitions that were slowing down the story without a good reason. He cut them.

If you find that you absolutely need a scene to transition, make sure you take the time to develop it. Add a revelation about a character or a complication that shows the character’s true motivations or personality.

Fear Not the Scissors

Of course, writing is often a challenge. So often, I want to click away from my document, stand up from my chair, and do something — anything — else besides trying again to solve the problem of a scene that’s not working. Much as I would like it to be, this isn’t a magic bullet that will make writing the interesting bits of your story easier.

But when a scene isn’t working because nothing happens in it, don’t be afraid to trim it away. It will make your story shorter and tighter, and it will ensure your readers stay engaged and excited from start to finish, with no boring bumps in the way.

How do you write through or cut boring writing? Let us know in the comments.

PRACTICE

My son wanted a signed basketball, and a few days after the game, he got one. For today’s practice, think of something you’ve wanted recently. Maybe it’s a trophy, or a piece of pie, or an extra hour of sleep.

In just a few sentences, summarize the story of how you got it. First, what happened? Then, what happened next?

Now, reread your summary. What are the boring parts of the story? Cut them out so the story stays focused on the interesting bits.

Take fifteen minutes to write. If you still have time after trimming your summary, start fleshing out your summary into a full story.

When you’re done, share your original summary and your boring-parts-cut version in the comments below. Be sure to leave feedback for your fellow writers, too!

Sue Weems

Sue Weems is a writer, teacher, and traveler with an advanced degree in (mostly fictional) revenge. When she’s not rationalizing her love for parentheses (and dramatic asides), she follows a sailor around the globe with their four children, two dogs, and an impossibly tall stack of books to read. You can read more of her writing tips on her website.

Источник

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Related Solutions

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Answer

How to Determine Boring Words to Substitute

Common Boring/Weak Words and Their Stronger Substitutes

1. Pretty:

2. Smart:

3. Big:

4. Little:

5. Said:

6. Bad:

7. Good:

8. Nice:

More Boring Words and What to Use Instead — Infographic

1) No Stake Raisers

2) No Sequence

3) Realistic Dialogue

4) Purple Prose

5) Telling, Not Showing

6) Textbook Writing

7) Getting Caught Up in Descriptions

Spending Too Much Time On Things That Don’t Matter

If you enjoyed this post about writing a novel, you might also enjoy these articles from our archive:

Slang Words for Boring (in Alphabetical Order)

BOF

Boondocks

Boonies

Bummer

Bunk

Dry

Dullsville

Fun Sponge

Humdrum

Like Watching Paint Dry

MOTS

Snoozefest

Twittlefuck

Upper Robot Boot

Wet Blanket

The Most Boring Part of Basketball

Identify the Boring Parts

“I got ready,” AKA the Alarm Clock Scene

Inactive Transition Scenes

Fear Not the Scissors

PRACTICE

Sue Weems

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