Know your English | Splendid or splendiferous?

What is the difference between ‘madding’ and ‘maddening’? (Shiv Shankar, Vellore)

Unlike ‘madding’, ‘maddening’ is a word which is frequently heard in everyday contexts. It has different meanings; things that make you angry or frustrated can be said to be ‘maddening’. For example, driving in some of our cities where traffic moves at a snail’s pace can be said to be a maddening experience. You feel so frustrated sitting in the car, you get angry and shout at other drivers. Similarly, having to put up with stubborn children and adults who do not listen to what you have to say can be maddening. The word consists of three syllables with the stress on the first — MAD-e-ning. Some people tend to drop the vowel in the second syllable; they pronounce the word MAD-ning.

Skanda had the maddening habit of humming while he typed on his computer.

I find the lack of curiosity among the younger generation to be maddening.

‘Madding’, on the other hand, is mostly used in formal contexts, as the word is considered literary. It usually occurs in the expression ‘madding crowd’. When you refer to a crowd as being ‘madding’, what you are suggesting is that it is rowdy; the behaviour of the people upsets you, making you angry. The word consists of two syllables, with the first syllable having the main stress — MAD-ing.

I think we all need a break. We need to get away from the madding crowd.

Every summer, my father made it a point to get far from the madding crowd.

How is the word ‘penalise’ pronounced? (K. Mythreye, Coimbatore)

The word consists of three syllables; the first rhymes with ‘fee’, ‘bee’ and ‘free’, while the third sounds like the word ‘lies’. The vowel in the second syllable sounds like the ‘a’ in ‘china’. The word is pronounced ‘PEE-ne-lies’, with the stress on the first syllable. Many people in our country pronounce the first syllable like the word ‘pen’; native speakers of English, however, do not do so. ‘Penalise’ comes from the Latin ‘poenalis’ meaning ‘pertaining to punishment’. Nowadays, the word is mostly used to mean to punish someone for some wrongdoing — the individual or the group is made to suffer. Other words related to ‘penalise’ are ‘penal’ and ‘penalty’.

When I was in school, my teachers used to penalise me for my terrible handwriting.

What is the meaning of ‘splendiferous’? (Rakesh Tiwari, Udaipur)

This is a word which is limited to informal contexts — according to standard dictionaries, it is used for the purpose of humour. ‘Splendiferous’ comes from ‘splendour’, and when you describe something as being splendiferous, what you are suggesting is that it is truly wonderful or excellent. It is a shade better than ‘splendour’.

The kids and I were treated to a splendiferous sunset.

My mother had prepared a splendiferous dinner for us.

As for the pronunciation, the word is pronounced ‘splen-DIF-e-res’ with the stress on the second syllable.

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