carnage

From 16 Century French via Italian and Latin, 'carnage' captures the idea of wide-spread slaughter.

Originally limited to invasions, war and the wholesale destruction of human life, the word now includes devastating acts of nature and major industrial, road and rail accidents.

In current contexts it can be applied literally and figuratively to situations where destruction and mayhem prevail.

The word is an excellent example of how usage develops and expands.

mundane

What a glorious word!

It sounds very grand and sits eloquently on the ear as it captures what is regular, every day, ordinary happenings.

While it serves you best as an adjective, you can turn it into an adverb by adding ly - so you have mundanely. 

When you change it into a noun it becomes mundaneness.

epoch

As a grand word, 'epoch' carries with resonance past times and historical circumstances.

It relates to a period of time, mostly past but potentially present, which is noted for its distinctive quality or innovation.

Recently, I have heard it applied to describe our current time as 'the dawning epoch of  internet connectivity'.  Grandiose for sure, but interesting nevertheless!

circumspect

This handy adjective means discreet, prudent or cautious. It carries a positive implication within it and it is used in largely complimentary circumstances.

It can apply to a person, an action or a thought.

congenial

This adjective can be applied to people and the contexts where you may find yourself.

The word means pleasant, agreeable or friendly. It can thus serve as a useful substitute for the automatic use of simple words such as 'good', or 'nice'.

Company can be 'congenial', as can a workplace, a specific event and an individual.

recall and recall

Here is another example of differences in pronunciation inferring the meaning of the word and its role in a sentence.

In its pronunciation, the verb 'recall' demonstrates full stress on the second syllable of the word. The act of recalling is the act of remembering something.

As a noun, many English speakers will apply full stress to the first syllable of the word to demonstrate its position as a noun in the sentence. From observation, we are gradually moving away from this convention.

When unsure of what convention is in place where you speak and use English, apply the distinction.

explode

In contrast to 'implode' which I wrote about last week, the verb 'explode' carries a different action picture.

Here, the movement is outward. It is one of dispersion, scattering and spreading (e.g, of debris) after a sudden burst.

In many words, the prefix 'ex' will indicate this impression of movement outwards.

Very frequently, this word is as a metaphor, particularly in relation to someone exploding with anger, frustration and irritation. In this context, it is the spreading of emotion that is being experienced not only by the individual, but by those around them.