Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week we have an awful lot to write about…
Q: Hi AWC, so I was thinking about the past year and just happened to get thinking about the word “awful”…
A: What a strange coincidence.
Q: Wasn’t it though? And it is a rather curious word – usually used to describe something very bad or unpleasant. And yet, it has a few other meanings at odds with this. What gives?
A: We’re in a giving mood, so let’s take a closer look.
Q: Huzzah!
A: Did you really just say “Huzzah”?
Q: Um, yes I did.
A: Did you know that “huzzah” first appeared in writing in 1573 and probably evolved with sailors – from an older word meaning “to hoist”? In the past two decades it has enjoyed an odd resurgence, perhaps due to the rise of many “ye olde” colloquialisms.
Q: I did not know that.
A: But back to “awful”
Q: Yes please.
A: As you have rightly pointed out, “awful” can be a straightforward adjective most commonly meaning unpleasant. For example, “you have awful taste in wine” or “your manners are awful”.
Q: Harsh. Hope it wasn’t a first date.
A: Haha. And then you have a “fear inducing” role such as “the bear let out an awful roar”. The roar was quite good actually, but it invoked terror or fear.
Q: Okay.
A: Next, “awful” can emphasise something. For example, “I felt like an awful fool”. Usually it’s emphasising something unpleasant.
Q: So, has it ever meant “full of awe”? Because, well, duh.
A: Yes, English can be cruel. It did once mean precisely that – inspiring wonder or fear, e.g. “it was an awful view from the top”. But that usage has slipped into extinction – probably the closest it gets is with our bear’s roar. A shame, considering that’s clearly how the word was constructed.
Q: Yes it is a little unfortunate. Like deciding “underwear” would no longer describe things you wear under your clothes.
A: Superman is one step ahead of you there. But great example.
Q: That’s awful nice of you to say.
A: Aaaaaaand there it is – our adverb use. When you say “that’s awful nice” – you get an adverb (awful) describing an adjective (nice). It’s not formal, and resides mainly in American English usage, but it has become more and more common.
Q: An adverb? Shouldn’t we be using “awfully”?
A: Most do. So to say “that’s awfully nice of you” is preferred. But it’s important to know that using “awful” is also a thing. And it’s been around for an awful long time.
Q: My English teacher told me to avoid adverbs like the plague.
A: “The plague” is a noun.
Q: Hilarious. But you know what I mean, right?
A: Yes, and it’s nonsense. Sure, like any aspect of writing, you shouldn’t overdo them – “show don’t tell” in your writing and all that – but they are also there to be used.
Q: Fair enough. Finally, in “This year just feels awful” – is “awful” an adjective or an adverb?
A: Your verb of “feels” is a sense verb – so you’re really describing the year, hence it’s considered an adjective.
Q: Okay, so to recap. Everything is awful. But it’s allowed to be.
A: Yes, for now.
If you have a grammar gripe or punctuation puzzle that you’d like our Q&A to explore, email it to us today!
Dean Koorey manages a team of 26 letters at Australian Writers' Centre, both upper and lowercase, plus some punctuation marks. He can leap cryptic crosswords in a single bound and has never met a pun he didn't like.
