Great is one of those words with all the right stuff, in its old fashioned way, without further adornment. Think of the ruler, Alexander the Great. This dude was a big time mover and shaker in his time, highly regarded for his military tactics still.
I mean, he was tutored by Aristotle for god's sake. Born to King Philip II and Queen Olympia, only after an oracle saw signs of his future greatness and possible relationship to the gods and goddesses.
After the death of his father, he whipped the Macedonian Army into shape, crushing enemies who dared step forward, eventually becoming king and ruler of the Corinthian League. He conquered Persia and Egypt, establishing a kingdom that spread from the Mediterranean to the border of India.
He is thought of as one of the most brilliant military leaders and one of the world's most powerful rulers. No exclamation point needed with that great. Then too, there are so many others with great adding a bit of shine to their names.
The list goes on and on, especially when you think of religious figures. People named with the word great is but one elevating use of the word. Things are tagged great too and these things are not too shabby:
Era's such as the Great Depression (1929-39) and events such as The Great Dust Bowl (1934-1937).
Can our measly "Great!" tossed off absentmindedly in a text or FB comment box, come near? Maybe so but most times I'm afraid not.
Notes on my Theme:
This post is written for the 2015 A to Z Challenge. During this challenge, participating bloggers post once a day, in alphabetical order. This is done 6 days per week. Sundays are off. My theme presents words that are exciting. These words serve as thematic motifs in my writing. My theme also revolves around exclamation points. The words I've chosen to explore can replace or stand alone from the dreaded exclamation point, which writers are urged to avoid.
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| Alexander the Great found on Ancient History Encyclopedia online |
I mean, he was tutored by Aristotle for god's sake. Born to King Philip II and Queen Olympia, only after an oracle saw signs of his future greatness and possible relationship to the gods and goddesses.
After the death of his father, he whipped the Macedonian Army into shape, crushing enemies who dared step forward, eventually becoming king and ruler of the Corinthian League. He conquered Persia and Egypt, establishing a kingdom that spread from the Mediterranean to the border of India.
He is thought of as one of the most brilliant military leaders and one of the world's most powerful rulers. No exclamation point needed with that great. Then too, there are so many others with great adding a bit of shine to their names.
- Alfred the Great c. 849-899, King of Wessex, England
- Askia Mohammad c. 1442-1538 Ruler of the Songhai Empire
- Casimir II the Great 1310-1370, King of Poland
- Catherine the Great 1729 - 1796 Empress of Russia
The list goes on and on, especially when you think of religious figures. People named with the word great is but one elevating use of the word. Things are tagged great too and these things are not too shabby:
Era's such as the Great Depression (1929-39) and events such as The Great Dust Bowl (1934-1937).
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| Put on your thinking cap people (Image from: livelearnloveeat.com) |
Can our measly "Great!" tossed off absentmindedly in a text or FB comment box, come near? Maybe so but most times I'm afraid not.
Notes on my Theme:
This post is written for the 2015 A to Z Challenge. During this challenge, participating bloggers post once a day, in alphabetical order. This is done 6 days per week. Sundays are off. My theme presents words that are exciting. These words serve as thematic motifs in my writing. My theme also revolves around exclamation points. The words I've chosen to explore can replace or stand alone from the dreaded exclamation point, which writers are urged to avoid.
Loved this post, but I love history. Awesome. Untethered Realms / MPax
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteWasn't there a Great Plague, Great Fire of London of course. What about Cheops, wasn't he called Great.
ReplyDeleteThanks for adding to the list Jo. There's plenty more to be sure.
DeleteMy husband thinks he's great until I tell him where the throne is:) Great post! Oops I tend to use that word allot
ReplyDeleteLOL! Nice one Birgit.
DeleteHi from a fellow A to Z-er, "Great" does get tossed around a lot. How about gobsmacked? That's not overused yet.
ReplyDeleteBob, now that would be entertaining, at least for a while. I bought a new book over the weekend called "That's not English" and its about Americanisms and British-isms. That word has its own chapter.
ReplyDelete