| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Love and Friendship by Jane Austen: were exposed.
They had been married but a few months when our visit to them
commenced during which time they had been amply supported by a
considerable sum of money which Augustus had gracefully purloined
from his unworthy father's Escritoire, a few days before his
union with Sophia.
By our arrival their Expenses were considerably encreased tho'
their means for supplying them were then nearly exhausted. But
they, Exalted Creatures! scorned to reflect a moment on their
pecuniary Distresses and would have blushed at the idea of paying
their Debts.--Alas! what was their Reward for such disinterested
Love and Friendship |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Cratylus by Plato: easily remembered. It is a quality which really exists in infinite
degrees, which we turn into differences of kind by applying the term only
to conspicuous and striking examples of words or phrases which have this
quality. It often supersedes the laws of language or the rules of grammar,
or rather is to be regarded as another law of language which is natural and
necessary. The word or phrase which has been repeated many times over is
more intelligible and familiar to us than one which is rare, and our
familiarity with it more than compensates for incorrectness or inaccuracy
in the use of it. Striking expressions also which have moved the hearts of
nations or are the precious stones and jewels of great authors partake of
the nature of idioms: they are taken out of the sphere of grammar and are
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Nana, Miller's Daughter, Captain Burle, Death of Olivier Becaille by Emile Zola: rendered more seductive. When she shut her right eye and passed the
brush along it he understood that he belonged to her.
"They are stamping their feet, madame," the callboy once more cried.
"They'll end by smashing the seats. May I give the knocks?"
"Oh, bother!" said Nana impatiently. "Knock away; I don't care! If
I'm not ready, well, they'll have to wait for me!"
She grew calm again and, turning to the gentlemen, added with a
smile:
"It's true: we've only got a minute left for our talk."
Her face and arms were now finished, and with her fingers she put
two large dabs of carmine on her lips. Count Muffat felt more
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