Chapter 2 Word Choice
79
heroics/heroism/heroicness
An anchor/reporter from West Lafayette, Indiana., begins today's
lesson:
".... address our newsroom discussions on `heroics, heroism,
heroicism, herocity.' (Just kidding on that last one.)"
Bill Froehlich, WLFI
Oh, what a difference in the nouns that have "hero" as a base.
"Heroics" is melodramatic behavior or talk.
It's thought of as "bigger than life" and "inappropriate."
v
He's a reporter you can count on to fill his stories with
HEROICS.
The adjective "heroic," on the other hand, means "courageous" and
"showing great bravery."
v
She took HEROIC measures to save the victim's life.
"Heroism" is "remarkable courage and bravery."
v
The HEROISM of the rescuers left us all stunned.
The word is "heroicness," instead of "heroicism."
It means "the showing of great courage or bravery."
v
We're still hearing about the HEROICNESS of office workers
who helped others out of the buildings.
"HeroCity" is the place anchors and reporters who choose not to
inflate the truth with exag geratio n and sensationalism come from.
And if it isn't, Mrs. B thinks it should be.
