{"version": "1.0", "type": "rich", "title": "I\u2019ve been experimenting with writing very, very short stories made up entirely of the example sentences given for words in the...", "author_name": "kontextmaschine", "author_url": "https://kontextmaschine.com", "provider_name": "kontextmaschine", "provider_url": "https://kontextmaschine.com", "url": "https://kontextmaschine.com/post/126978816993/", "html": "

screenshotsofdespair:

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jez-burrows:

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I\u2019ve been experimenting with writing very, very short stories made up entirely of the example sentences given for words in the dictionary, with nothing added except a little punctuation to piece them together.\u00a0

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The idea came about when I noticed that the sentences used in Dictionary.app (which uses the New Oxford American Dictionary) were either weirdly specific or unexpectedly poignant. Talking to a lexicographer friend, I found out that these sentences are referred to as\u00a0\u2018in-line example sentences\u2019 and are editorially researched and written by lexicographers in order to demonstrate the most probable construction of a sentence including that word.\u00a0

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I\u2019m writing a handful of these and illustrating them for a little zine for next month\u2019s Zinefest, but I\u2019ll share more here when it\u2019s wrapped up.\u00a0

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This is great.

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