Not X But Y - a warning from the past

I was revisiting Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking (2013) by philosopher Daniel C. Dennett - and was interested see that years before constructions like “Not X, but Y” became an indicator of AI writing, he was warning that they could also be a sign of a writer attempting a logical sleight of hand… ...

24 May 2026 · 4 min · 685 words · Terry

Book Closing Lines Quiz (October 2021)

In May 2020 I compiled a quiz based on the openings of a variety of books on our bookcases - a mixture of the well-known and the slightly obscure, the literary and the popular, with a dusting of SF/fantasy sprinkled in. I’ve now put together a second quiz, this time on book endings. This page has the book endings but not the answers - there is a version with answers also available. ...

30 Oct 2021 · 2 min · 296 words · Terry

Book Closing Lines Quiz (October 2021) - with answers

In May 2020 I compiled a quiz based on the openings of a variety of books on our bookcases - a mixture of the well-known and the slightly obscure, the literary and the popular, with a dusting of SF/fantasy sprinkled in. I’ve now put together a second quiz, this time on book endings. This page includes the book closing lines and the answers: there is a spoiler-free version with only the questions also available. ...

30 Oct 2021 · 3 min · 446 words · Terry

Book Opening Lines Quiz (May 2020)

I recently compiled a quiz based on the openings of a variety of books on our bookcases. It is a mixture of the well-known and the slightly obscure, the literary and the popular, with a dusting of SF/fantasy sprinkled in. This page has the questions only: when you’re ready, there is a version of the quiz with answers also available. ...

24 May 2020 · 2 min · 416 words · Terry

Book Opening Lines Quiz (May 2020) - with answers

I recently compiled a quiz based on the openings of a variety of books on our bookcases. It is a mixture of the well-known and the slightly obscure, the literary and the popular, with a dusting of SF/fantasy sprinkled in. This page includes the book openings and the answers: there is a spoiler-free version with only the questions also available. ...

24 May 2020 · 4 min · 672 words · Terry