| 'Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me | | | | |
| those have always been the two most beautiful | | | | desolate |
| words in the English language.' Henry James.What | | | | |
| are the most beautiful words in the English | | | | dream |
| language? The answer to this subjective question | | | | |
| will obviously vary from person to person | | | | dulcet |
| depending, as it does, on the meaning, the sound, | | | | |
| the context, and the connotation of the word or | | | | dusk |
| words in question.'Words strain,Crack and | | | | |
| sometimes break, under the burden,Under the | | | | echo |
| tension, slip, slide, perish,Decay with imprecision, | | | | |
| will not stay in place,Will not stay still.'T.S. Eliot, | | | | eglantine |
| 'Four Quartets'And yet if you scan the works of | | | | |
| the most fastidious and discerning writers you will | | | | enchant |
| find certain words that are almost universally | | | | |
| accepted as 'beautiful'.'You can stroke people with | | | | eternal |
| words.' F. Scott Fitzgerald, 'The Crack-Up'Here is | | | | |
| Part 1 of my list of 'beautiful' words. Are there | | | | ethereal |
| any words you would remove from or add to | | | | |
| this list? Let me know what you think.autumn | | | | glistening |
| | | | |
| beloved | | | | goblet |
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| blandishments | | | | golden |
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| blossom | | | | gossamer |
| | | | |
| butterfly | | | | harmony |
| | | | |
| cadence | | | | harvest |
| | | | |
| caress | | | | idyllic |
| | | | |
| carol | | | | languid |
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| champagne | | | | languorous |
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| chime | | | | laughter |
| | | | |
| crimson | | | | love |
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| crystal | | | | lullaby |
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| darling | | | | lustrous |
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| dawn | | | | magicEmail your suggestions for 'The Most |
| | | | Beautiful Words in The English Language' to: |
| delicious | | | | Gerard McLoughlin is the author of '15 hours To A |
| | | | Powerful English Vocabulary'. |
| delight | | | | |