MAD: In its strict sense, mad means deluded, insane, or frenzied.  Its use in the sense of angry or vexed is colloquial.  One may be annoyed, disappointed, chagrined, dismayed, or irritated by a blunder, disconcerted or confused by a tactless remark, angered or piqued by a rude contradiction.  A baby may be fretful, petulant, cross, or irritable; a spoiled child may be ill-natured, pettish, or peevish — not 'peeved'.  An old man may be testy, crusty, touchy, irascible, ill-tempered, or spluttering.  To be violently angry is to be wrathful, irate, furious, or enraged.

DUMB: The prevalent use of this slang word 'dumb' limits the vocabulary of many persons.  There are numerous excellent terms to substitute for this empty term: uninteresting, stupid, uninspired, commonplace, ordinary, unintelligent, tiresome, dull, obtuse, shallow, simple, ridiculous, silly, wearisome, irksome, monotonous, brainless, inane, undiscerning, fatuous, nonsensical, maudlin, infantile, driveling, idiotic, tedious, soporific, boring, insipid, etc

AWFUL and TERRIBLE usurp the places of a great many effective English words.  The strict meaning of awful is awe-inspiring.  Its use in the sense of frightful, monstrous, terrible, monotonous, long, etc is slang. 

A woman who is spoken of as awful may be merely ill-bred, unattractive, plain, homely, or unlovely. 

An awful smell may be nauseating, sickening, repulsive, or overpowering. 

A hat may be ugly; a task, odious; a mistake, serious; an accident, ghastly, horrible or frightful. 

Be careful in using words such as disgusting, terrible, hideous, monstrous, etc, that you do not apply them inappropriately.  Save the strong, powerful words for situations they describe accurately; do not waste their force.

BLUE, in the sense of depressed, is a colloquial word much used in popular songs.  Other words to indicate low spirits are: miserable, gloomy, melancholy, morose, discouraged, unhappy, dispirited, dejected, distressed, despairing, pensive, despondent, sad, pessimistic, disconsolate, downcast, doleful, forlorn, desolate, wretched.  With all the vivid words available, Don't be 'blue' or 'in the dumps'.

SURE, used to mean certainly, is not only overworked—it is a grammatical error.  Sure is an adjective, used correctly in such sentences as, "I'm sure he's right."  The corresponding adverb is surely.  Some of its synonyms are: unquestionably, gladly, undoubtedly, assuredly, unmistakably, decisively, decidedly, definitely, clearly, inevitably, undeniably, unavoidably, indisputably, apparently, conclusively, incontestably.  Never answer a question with 'sure', and never use the word in such sentences as, 'It sure will."  If you cannot think of a suitable synonym, at least remember to say, 'It surely will.'

SURPRISED: Are you always 'surprised'?  Or are you sometimes startled by an unexpected remark, amazed by or unprepared for a certain conclusion, unprovided for guests: You may be stunned, electrified, bewildered, stupefied, or overcome by sudden news; you may be astounded or astonished by meeting a friend unexpectedly,.  An exceptionally fine performance may hold you spellbound; an unconventional deed may find you aghast or awed or thunderstruck. 

— For surprising, too, there are a great many exact words: unforeseen, unexpected, prodigious, unanticipated, inconceivable, miraculous, incredible, indescribable, inexpressible, ineffable, unutterable, unspeakable.

MIGHTY, used as an intensive, is colloquially rather popular, especially among men.  Substituting very for mighty is rather flat.  A man might be unspeakably relieved, however, or extremely sorry, or overwhelmingly embarrassed.  He could be highly useful, inordinately or immoderately fond, exasperatingly slow, preposterously conceited, excessively generous, enormously rich, exceptionally strong.  Other useful synonyms for 'mighty' are: particularly, remarkably, singularly, curiously, uncommonly, unusually, peculiarly, notably, signally, strikingly, pointedly, mainly, chiefly, famously, prominently, glaringly, emphatically, strangely, wonderfully, amazingly, surprisingly, astonishingly, incredibly, marvelously, stupendously.

LOT: Do you have a 'lot' of trouble with your car?  Did you do a 'lot' of work today?  Have you purchased a 'lot' of clothes?  Lot is an omnibus word of the most ancient and rickety kind. 

Wouldn't it be a relief to transact a volume of business, to see a multitude of people, to collect a mass of data, to have an abundance of clothes and food?  Perhaps a galaxy of famous persons attended a fête; possibly a horde of impostors were turned away.  Scores of boys flock to the ball park; numbers of men accompany them.  There may be a jungle of weeds in your garden, or a profusion of flowers.  You have a host of friends, and wealth of delight in them. 

EI  or  IE: Remember this school day jingle? 

Place I before e

Except after c

Or when sounded like a

As in neighbor and weigh

Simpler and less elegant is the old key word LICE, which helps us remember that I almost always follows L and E almost always follows C. Notice how this rule applies in the words below:

E after C:  receive    receipt   deceive    conceit   perceive   deceit

I after L:    belief   relieve  believe   lief  relief  lien

There are a few exceptions to this rule, such as financier and leisure, but we can easily remember them.

The examples below illustrate ei and ie following letters other than c and i.  We need to be able to recognize them.

LONG E SOUND                                                  SOUNDS OTHER THAN LONG E

brief                 wield                                                 deign                 counterfeit

chief                 fiendish                                               vein                  heifer

niece                 pierce                                                rein                  reign

siege                 tier                                                   height                feign

field                 mien                                                   sleight               sleigh

yield                 piece                                                 Foreign               forfeit

VERBS ENDING IN EED AND EDE

((HINT:Only three of the verbs belonging to this group end in eed; succeed, proceed, and exceed.  All others end in ede.)) 

Try memorizing this sentence: To succeed, see that proceeds exceed expenses. All other verbs in this group end in ede, such as: precede, supersede, intercede, concede, secede, recede. This rule does not apply to a past tense like freed.

INTERESTING FACT: Neither the saxophone, the tuba, the cornet, nor the valve trumpet existed before 1800.

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