Shutter vs Shudder

What is wrong with this sentence?

• "I shuttered at the feeling of dread that swept over me."

If you think that's a fine sentence, you're not alone. But you are very, very wrong.

A camera shutter

shut·ter  [shuht-er] 

noun

1. a solid or louvered movable cover for a window.

2. a movable cover, slide, etc., for an opening.

3. a person or thing that shuts.

4. Photography . a mechanical device for opening and closing the aperture of a camera lens to expose film or the like.

verb (used with object)

5. to close or provide with shutters: She shuttered the windows.

6. to close (a store or business operations) for the day or permanently.

(From dictionary.com)

You can shutter, but there must be an object. You shutter something; you don't merely shutter. I don't want to imagine what you mean if you try to say that you are shuttering yourself. Although, that might be an interesting metaphor.

Window shutters

I don't think I've ever heard or seen anyone use meaning number 3 from the above definition. Everyone shuts things; does that mean that we are all shutters? I guess so, at times in our lives. It's an odd term, though. I cannot see a use for it.

I think the most common usage would be in photography. The shutter is a very important part of the camera, without which it wouldn't work. Any photographer worth his or her salt knows that.

Window shutters are not so common on newer houses, but you can find them on older houses still. Before windows had glass, shutters were used to keep out the weather and bugs and such.

Therefore, you cannot shutter with dread. You can, however, shudder.


shud·der  [shuhd-er]

verb (used without object)
1. to tremble with a sudden convulsive movement, as from horror,fear, or cold.
noun
2. a convulsive movement of the body, as from horror, fear, or cold.


(From dictionary.com)

Notice that this is a verb with no object. You can shudder. You cannot shudder something.

I don't really understand why so many people confuse these two words. I guess they sound similar, but so what? So do many words in English. If we mixed up words every time they sound alike, we'd be giving our lovers read roses, drinking tee, etc.

Shudder and shutter don't even sound exactly alike, unless you pronounce a 't' like a 'd' and then there really is no hope for you. *shudder*

Diffusing the Situation

Which of the following sentences is correct?

1. The bomb squad diffused the bomb.
2. The bomb squad defused the bomb.

If you chose number 2, you are correct. The following is dictionary.com's definitions of the two words:

defuse:

verb (used with object)

1. to remove the fuze from (a bomb, mine, etc.).
2. to make less dangerous, tense, or embarrassing: to defuse a potentially ugly situation.

diffuse:

verb (used with object)

1. to pour out and spread, as a fluid.
2. to spread or scatter widely or thinly; disseminate.
3. Physics . to spread by diffusion.

You see that you cannot diffuse a situation. At all. Ever. Please don't write/say that you or someone else did that.

PS: I do not approve of spelling 'fuse' with a zed as above: "fuze." It just looks stupid.

Stop. Don't Add That 'E'

There's a trend lately online to add extra 'e's to the ends of words. I've noticed this with the exclamation 'aw' and the short-form of 'influenza' -- 'flu.' A lot of people are writing 'awe' when they mean 'aw' and 'flue' when they mean 'flu.' This changes the meaning of your sentence completely.

'Awe' means "an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like: in awe of God; in awe of great political figures."(from dictionary.com)

'Flue' means "a passage or duct for smoke in a chimney or any duct or passage for air, gas, or the like."(from dictionary.com)

Another, even more annoying trend I've seen is when a word has a silent 'e' at the end, and the typist adds several more of them. For example, instead of saying "I love you," s/he says "I loveeeeeeeeeee you." How is one supposed to pronounce this? The only way I can think to do so would be "LUV- EE" with the 'ee' sound stretched out. This sounds as stupid as it looks. Please don't do this.