Johnna

My question is, would it be okay to use accent marks over the 'e' in words that end in 'ed'? For example:

"The blessed light" versus "the blesséd light"

Would it be, well, okay to use the second one?

Also, I want to use "wingéd" rather than "winged".

I know the two words are pronounced differently, and using the accent mark makes the writing flow and it just sounds better to me. But... Would it be too confusing to use it like that? Are accent marks accepted when used like that?

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Ben

To be honest, I think it's unnecessary, and only looks like an attempt to make things different for the sake of being different. I'd avoid it, but you're not me. Do whatever you want.

Kyrie

I don't get it. How are they pronounced differently? I though you didn't use accent marks in English....

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Mike C

No. No, no, no, no, no.

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Johnna

Kyrie: "Accents are sometimes also used for poetic purposes, to indicate an unusual pronunciation: for example, spelling the word picked (normally [pɪkt]) as pickéd to indicate the pronunciation ['pɪkɪd]. The grave accent is also sometimes used for this purpose." From Wikipedia.

Mike: Care to elaborate?

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Krim

Well...

I'm pretty sure that when you put an accent mark over 'e', at least in Spanish, makes the same sound as the end of grandé---sounds like the 'a' in lemonade. So you're saying wing-ade and bless-ade.

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Johnna

No, it's like I posted above. Instead of being "blesd" it would be "bles-ed".

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Mike C

I assumed that this was for poetic purposes, but that doesn't make it right. It's a horribly outdated convention for putting an extra beat in where the poet can't make things fit. If your name is Shelley you'll probably get away with it, but otherwise, don't bother. Unless you want poetry editors to laugh at you. Read some modern poetry; things don't work that way any more.

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Johnna

Actually, it's not poetry. It's for my novel.

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Krim

Goddamn Spanish classes. I couldn't see the difference in what you posted above because the unrecognized symbols were replaced by squares.

Anyway, pick-ed sounds horrible to me. Wing-ed also sounds horrible. I tend to alternate between blessed and bless-ed when I say the word, because I have an Italian accent in the southern United States. My pronounciation sounds like I'm talking through a mouthful of peanut butter sometimes and other times I sound like an English gentleman.

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"A terrible energy and strength began to grow in him. It grabbed his emotions and forged them into a solid bar of anger with one word stamped on it: revenge." - Eragon by Christopher Paolini, an international bestseller

Mike C

Then don't do it.

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Johnna

Right. Thanks.

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Krim

So...Los Angeles, huh?

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"A terrible energy and strength began to grow in him. It grabbed his emotions and forged them into a solid bar of anger with one word stamped on it: revenge." - Eragon by Christopher Paolini, an international bestseller

Johnna

Yep. It's lame.

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Krim

I went to see a Goo Goo Doll's concert, and the lead singer said 'it's so pretty here in South Carolina', and the crowd sort of groaned at the lameness of the statement. Then he said 'the only color I usually see in Los Angeles is the fire covering the hills'. Sadly, that may have been the best part of the concert.

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"A terrible energy and strength began to grow in him. It grabbed his emotions and forged them into a solid bar of anger with one word stamped on it: revenge." - Eragon by Christopher Paolini, an international bestseller