Sure, you know their names, possibly better than you know the name of the street you live on almost every writer does. When the need comes, these names drip lightly and quickly off our tongues like they were our own brothers. I am thinking about the famed eponymous ${?}^1$ duo Webster's Dictionary and Roget's Thesaurus.

$(5)$ But I dare say, almost none of us can identify the actual person or conjure up anything about him. Don't report me$,$ but neither did I until I started to write this column. Webster's Dictionary. Many people can respond immediately: Noah Webster. We are aware that he is the father of the dictionary. But who was he$?$ What did he do for a living? When did he live?

The opening paragraph creates a tone of

authority

sympathy

familiarity

irony