Diminish, Decline, and Dwindle

Diminish, Decline, and Dwindle Diminish, Decline, and Dwindle Diminish, Decline, and Dwindle By Maeve Maddox A reader asks, Can you please post an article on the correct usage of the words diminish, decline, and dwindle?  I believe diminish is used with uncountable nouns such as the light diminishes, decline is used with abstract and uncountable nouns such as â€Å"decline in quality† or â€Å"decline in performance,† and dwindle is used only with countable nouns such as â€Å"the population of tigers has dwindled.† This question, so intellectual and logic-seeking, made me aware in striking fashion how differently speakers approach language. Were I debating which of the three verbs to use- diminish, decline, or dwindle- I would weigh their distinctive emotive qualities, never giving a thought to whether they refer to countable or non-countable nouns. As it happens, all three of these verbs may be used with countable or uncountable nouns when the intended meaning is â€Å"to lessen† or â€Å"to become smaller.† Deciding which to choose depends upon context and the connotation wanted. Diminish descends from a Latin verb meaning â€Å"to cut small. Ancient Latin had the verb diminuere, â€Å"to break into small pieces, and diminuere, â€Å"to make smaller, to reduce in size.† Decline derives from Latin declinare, â€Å"to turn or bend away or aside from the straight course.† Dwindle derives from dwine, an archaic English verb meaning, â€Å"to waste or pine away.† That all three are used interchangeably in modern English is illustrated by the following examples from the Web: As populations age and revenues diminish, government and private pension funds around the world are facing insolvency. Nevada and Strip gaming revenues decline in February Chicago food fest struggles as revenues dwindle Diminish conveys a lessening of the strength or quality of something. Its most common use is with uncountable nouns: Are we getting more stupid? Researchers claim our intelligence is diminishing as we no longer need it to survive Researchers have some new insights into how power  diminishes  a persons capacity for  empathy. Our smartphones supply endless possibilities for entertainment, but a new study shows they can diminish the quality of users time away from work or school. Decline connotes a gradual diminishing, like something moving down a slope. We had watched our children decline, fall into drug and alcohol abuse, fail to perform at school, lose jobs, abandon relationships, become unable to function in the family or society, and we hadn’t known why.   Agriculture is  declining day by day. The six monthshad been for me a sorrowful waiting game of watching [my mother] decline and wondering which day would be her last. Dwindle suggests a gradual diminution into nothingness or something close to it. A novel’s plot might dwindle to a disappointing close. A dying battery causes a flashlight’s illumination to dwindle. The liquid in the â€Å"Drink Me† vial causes Alice to dwindle in size. An excellent photographic visualization of dwindling is what the Wicked Witch of the West does when Dorothy throws water on her in The Wizard of Oz. A quotation that I associate with the word dwindle is the line that concludes Millamant’s monologue to her fiancà © Mirabell in Congreve’s Way of the World. After listing the freedoms she enjoyed as an unmarried woman as conditions (articles) that he must agree to if he wants her to go through with the marriage, she concludes with this statement: These articles subscribed, if I continue to endure you a little longer, I may by degrees dwindle into a wife. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Arrive To vs. Arrive At41 Words That Are Better Than GoodTrooper or Trouper?

Really Funny Quotes From Famous People

Really Funny Quotes From Famous People There are funny quotes and then there are funny quotes. Some really make you guffaw, while others rarely make your lips curl in mirth. Truly, there are only a few award-winning really funny quotes that make you laugh over and over again. Here are a few really funny quotes that are different from the others and have stood the test of time. Colonel Sanders Theres no reason to be the richest man in the cemetery. You cant do any business from there. Roseanne Barr Experts say you should never hit your children in anger. When is a good time? When youre feeling festive? W.C. Fields I am free of all prejudices. I hate everyone equally. Milton Berle Theyve finally come up with the perfect office computer. If it makes a mistake, it blames another computer. George Gobel If it werent for electricity wed all be watching television by candlelight. Groucho Marx I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book. Voltaire It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong. Oscar Wilde By persistently remaining single a man converts himself into a permanent public temptation. Ellen DeGeneres My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. Shes ninety-seven now, and we dont know where the hell she is. Tommy Cooper You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen, it said Parking Fine. Oscar Levant Roses are red, violets are blue, Im schizophrenic, and so am I. Flip Wilson If you think nobody cares if youre alive, try missing a couple of car payments. Joey Adams If it werent for the fact that the TV set and the refrigerator are so far apart, some of us wouldnt get any exercise at all. Mike Myers My theory is that all of Scottish cuisine is based on a dare. Emo Philips I was walking down Fifth Avenue today and I found a wallet, and I was gonna keep it, rather than return it, but I thought:  well, if I lost a hundred and fifty dollars, how would I feel? And I realized I would want to be taught a lesson. Steven Wright If at  first, you dont succeed, then skydiving definitely isnt for you. Robin Williams Why do they call it rush hour when nothing moves? Jerry Seinfeld There is no such thing as fun for the whole family. Joan Rivers I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw that my bath toys were a toaster and a radio. Larry David When youre not concerned with succeeding, you can work with complete freedom. Lewis Black Do you know what meteorologist means in English? It means liar. Mae West When Im good, Im very good. But when Im bad Im better. Alice Roosevelt Longworth If you havent got anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me.