Grammar Clinic

Done without good reason; uncalled for. Example: ‘His death seemed so gratuitous, so uncalled for, that at first I couldn’t figure out why it was in the film’.  

A fictitious name, especially one used by an author. Example: ‘I wrote under the pseudonym of Jide Johnson’.

A wrong or inaccurate name or designation. Example: ‘I always thought that was a just a cute name… or a misnomer, like Pennsylvania Dutch’.

Kept secret or done secretively, especially because illicit. Example: ‘I agreed to act as though our affair were a secret, a clandestine drama to be hidden from the rest of the world’.  

Eager or quick to argue, quarrel, or fight. Example: ‘As is well known, the robin is pugnacious, fighting with its own kind and attacking other birds’.

A person who avoids work or effort. Example: ‘Jide is a layabout slacker who lives in a lounge at a health club where a friend lets him stay’.

Deliberately cruel or violent. Example: ‘This was a cowardly, savage and vicious attack on a man who was utterly helpless’.

(Of a person or animal) give a loud, harsh, piercing cry. Example: ‘She hit her brother viciously, causing him to screech with pain’.

Having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way. Example: ‘The pernicious influences of the mass media’.

The deliberate use of artificial methods to prevent conception/pregnancy. Example: ‘It is important to consider plans for pregnancy when deciding on a method of contraception’.