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Category Archives: Commonly Confused Words
Dictionary Dabbling
The Oxford Dictionaries’ Word of the Year for 2016 was post-truth: “denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Meanwhile, Merriam Webster led off its top 10 for 2016 with … Continue reading
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Trust Me
Is this correct? I shouldn’t have believed Pam’s story, but I guess I’m too trustworthy. How about this? When Pete explained why he arrived late, I was suspect. What? You think they’re both wrong? You don’t trust me? Okay. You … Continue reading
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Fine Points II
Pick the preferred word in each case. 1. I have (continually/continuously) been improving my wardrobe. 2. At the meeting we solved one problem but then could get no (farther/further). 3. Bruce was (champing/chomping) at the bit to refute what Kirk … Continue reading
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Making Headlines
A major online news source committed two errors in one headline. Do you see them? John Avlon Discusses George Washington’s Farewell Speech and it’s Relevance Today Both mistakes are in it’s. One is the apostrophe. Although we were taught the … Continue reading
Fine Points
See if you can make a slight refinement in each of these sentences from the Bridge Bulletin, the monthly magazine enjoyed by members of the American Contract Bridge League. 1. Masterpoints, as they are presently constituted are meaningless. 2. Watch … Continue reading
Softballs
To get in the swing of the season, I’m extending five gifts – five errors that should be a cinch to spot. Identify them all to bat 1.000. 1. I could of hitched a ride with Carrie, but I decided … Continue reading
Plus/Minus
To ensure clarity, some of our most valuable writing skills are ability to organize the message effectively, identify with the reader, avoid unnecessarily long sentences and paragraphs, and use jargon with discretion. But have you ever thought about the need … Continue reading
The Full Course
Among the points covered in last week’s post was the difference between outside and outside of. That brief explanation was your appetizer. Now let’s see how you handle the full course by making nine choices involving prepositions followed by of. 1. … Continue reading
Keep Your Eye on the Ball
With the Cleveland Browns now winless in 12 games, let’s reflect, mercifully, on the Indians’ run all the way to the seventh game of the World Series. This was accomplished despite a relatively paltry payroll, as noted in a Nov. … Continue reading
Posted in Brevity, Commonly Confused Words, Flair & Finesse
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Who?
Take a look at this sentence from an article that appeared shortly before the election: You could do a survey, which is merely a collection of answers from whomever cares enough to answer the survey. Did the author and editor get everything … Continue reading