Grammar, Spelling, Word
… Ellipsis
… Ellipsis, not to be confused with ellipse…which is what I’ve always called it. What is the use of these three little dots. I admit to using them willy-nilly, and without my thought, letting them walk through my writing like a trios of ants separated from the colony. One day I asked myself, what is … Continue reading
Par, Under Par, Sub-Par?
Sub-Par? Is that even a word? According to the urban dictionary, it means not acceptable, below an acceptable level. But isn’t “under par” in golf a good thing and “over par” the bad thing? So wouldn’t sub-par be good? Ok, admittedly I’m not into sports and the most experience I’ve had with golf is getting … Continue reading
Redacted vs Retracted
Redacted vs Retracted Redacted: To edit, to obscure sensitive information from a document before making it public or publishing. Picture a legal document with the names, dates or other sensitive blacked out. That information was redacted before the document was made public. Retracted: To take back. Facts published in error retracted by the newspaper, or … Continue reading
Affect, Infect, Effect
Infect, Affect, Effect Affect: To act or impress upon. This is a verb. Example: How does the rainy weather affect your mood? Infect: Affects the condition or situation. Example: Affected with a disease or an infectious giggle. Effect: The cause or result of an action. This is a noun. Example: Side effects of a medication, … Continue reading
Repute vs Refute
Repute vs Refute What’s the difference? Repute — To ascribe a particular fact or characteristic to. To consider; suppose. Example. He was reputed to be a fantastic chef. Refute–To prove wrong by argument or evidence. Show to be false. Her claim of innocence was refuted when the fingerprints on the weapon matched her own.
E-I-E-I-O
Word with the most consecutive vowels and composed only of vowels in the English language is Euouae. “Euouae is a mnemonic which was used in medieval music to denote the sequence of tones in the “seculorum Amen” passage of the lesser doxology, Gloria Patri, which ends with the phrase In saecula saeculorum, Amen”—Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euouae Who … Continue reading
Affluence, Influence or Effluence
Affluence, Influence or Effluence Do you know the difference? Affluence: Denotes Money, wealth, prestige, abundance. Influence: Bring pressure to bear, to affect change. Effluence: Deals with the movement of fluid dynamics. The process of the flow.
Everyday vs Every Day
What’s the difference? Everyday: denotes the ordinary, the average. My everyday clothes vs special occasion outfit. Every Day: Means every single day. As in ” this happens every single day”- a regular daily occurrence-” I read the newspaper every day. It’s easier to remember the difference if you say it Everyday (one word) vs Every … Continue reading