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Join us in Chicago in May!
Do you write for a living? Are you responsible for marketing brochures? Annual reports? Proposals? If so, the IABC is an organization you should consider joining. The International Association of Business Communicators is all about making you a better, more connected, more prolific writer. Check out www.IABC.com today! And join us in Chicago May 7-8! Get $150 off the registration fee by using "ProofreadNOW" when registering!
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Taxing Vocabulary Test
Did you pay your taxes by yesterday? All of them? Great! You just ruined your chances of being a cabinet secretary. Meanwhile, try today's taxing vocabulary list.
1. carryback: (a) a tax on salt levied in France prior to 1790; (b) a tax levied on a vassal or a knight in lieu of military service; (c) a tax deduction of an amount of depreciation, expense, or loss; (d) a loss sustained or a portion of a credit not used in a given period that may be deducted from taxable income of a prior period.
2. farm: (a) a letting out of revenues or taxes for a fixed sum to one authorized to collect and retain them; (b) a strategy, investment, or tax code provision that reduces tax liability; (c) an annual tax believed to have been imposed originally to buy off Danish invaders in England or to maintain forces to oppose them but continued as a land tax; (d) a deduction from the full amount of a tax.
3. publican: (a) a collector of taxes or tribute; (b) the quality or state of being a progressive tax; (c) of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a medieval fee; (d) a declaration made especially before or while paying that a tax is illegal and that payment is not voluntary.
4. severance tax: (a) to deduct (a loss or an unused credit) from taxable income of a later period; (b) any of various taxes on privileges often assessed in the form of a license or fee; (c) a tax levied by a state on the extractor of oil, gas, or minerals intended for consumption in other states; (d) a tax levied on real or personal property.
5. capitation: (a) remaining after payment of taxes and especially of income tax; (b) a fee, reward, or contribution demanded or levied with severity or injustice; (c) the reversion of property to the crown in England or to the state in the United States when there are no legal heirs; (d) a direct uniform tax imposed on each head or person.
6. proportional tax: (a) a tax or fee paid for some liberty or privilege; (b) a fee without limitation to any class of heirs or restrictions on transfer of ownership; (c) a tax in which the tax rate remains constant regardless of the amount of the tax base; (d) a deduction (as from wages, fees, or dividends) levied at a source of income as advance payment on income tax.
7. hidden tax: (a) a tax that is ultimately paid by someone other than the person on whom it is levied; (b) a tax of a fixed amount per person levied on adults and often linked to the right to vote; (c) a tax arising on the transmission of property after the owner's death; (d) subject to or available for disposal; specifically: remaining to an individual after deduction of taxes and necessary living expenses.
8. bracket creep: (a) a graduated income tax in addition to the normal income tax imposed on the amount by which one's net income exceeds a specified sum; (b) movement into a higher tax bracket as a result of income rises intended to offset the effects of inflation; (c) a fee limited to a particular class of heirs; (d) a division of society based on differences of wealth, inherited rank or privilege, profession, occupation, or race.
9. checkoff: (a) a tenure of real property by which an estate in fee simple or fee tail or an estate for life is held; (b) not deductible for income tax purposes; (c) to avoid payment of taxes; (d) designation on an income tax return of a small amount of money to be applied to a special fund (as for financing political campaigns).
10. nuisance tax: (a) unable or unwilling to shift invested funds because of the tax effect of realizing capital gains; (b) a tax to be levied on a single item (as real estate) as the sole source of public revenue; (c) an excise tax collected in small amounts on a wide range of commodities directly from the consumer; (d) a tax exacted directly from the taxpayer.
If errors in printed publications are driving you to the poor house, ProofreadNOW has the perfect solution to raise your internal revenue and keep your customers' collective satisfaction level in the highest bracket possible. We examine the spelling, punctuation, and clarity of your ad, proposal, Web page, brochure, tax code, or anything else in print. We're on your side throughout the entire process, and we'll still love you even if you're a day late and a dollar short.
Answers: 1:d 2:a 3:a 4:c 5:d 6:c 7:a 8:b 9:d 10:c Rate Yourself: Guilty of definition evasion.
3 to 5 correct: What? No stamps? Tough. Pay.
6 to 7 correct: Some errors will come back to bite you.
8 to 9 correct: Taxes, shmaxes. What's your hurry?
All 10 correct: A perfect return!
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| Weekly Grammar Tip |
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Which Word Is Correct?
Here at ProofreadNOW, we are proofreading hundreds of documents weekly that really need help. Punctuation, grammar, spelling, you name it - there are enough mistakes that many of these documents would be summarily trashed if they weren't checked by two extra sets of eyes before they were sent. The following list contains words we have actually found misused in some otherwise very impressive documents: proposals, annual reports, RFPs, contracts, cover letters, and, of course, advertisements. Perhaps not many people would notice the mistakes. But the people who would notice are probably the people our clients were reaching for specifically in their attempt to persuade. Fortunately, we caught them. Can you?
- anchors away/aweigh my boys!
- to wait with baited/bated breath
- to grin and bare/bear it
- a 20-second sound bite/byte
- bloc/block voting
- he works on Capitol/Capital Hill
- champing/chomping at the bit
- a full complement/compliment of soldiers
- to strike a responsive chord/cord
- Martha got her just deserts/desserts
- doesn't faze/phase me
- she has a flair/flare for decorating
- foul/fowl weather spoiled their picnic plans
- he flaunted/flouted the rules
- by a hair's/hare's breadth/breath
- a seamless hole/whole
- a friend in need is a friend in deed/indeed
- your story just doesn't jibe/jive with the facts
- the escapee was on the lam/lamb
- to the manner/manor born/borne
Some are tough, huh? Click the question mark for the quick answer list!
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| Word of the Week |
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pastiche
Pronunciation: pas-TEESH
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Italian pasticcio
Date: 1878
Definitions: 1: a literary, artistic, musical, or architectural work that imitates the style of previous work; also : such stylistic imitation
2a: a musical, literary, or artistic composition made up of selections from different works : POTPOURRI b: HODGEPODGE
Example: "It's Not Theft, It's Pastiche"
- a headline in the Wall Street Journal, 4/16/2009, p. A13, over a column reviewing a book about plagiarism in colleges today.
Definition source: Merriam-Webster's Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary.
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Copyright 2009 by ProofreadNOW.com, Inc., 447 Boston Street, Topsfield, MA 01983 USA. Published weekly (we try) by the editors at ProofreadNOW.com, Inc. and sent to customers of record and to opt-in guests. Many readers find it is best to read a portion, put it aside, then come back and read more.
Please rate this GrammarTip (10=high, 0=low):
10 - Like a fat refund check from Uncle Sam.
7 - Like a small refund check from Uncle Sam.
3 - Like owing a bit more dough to Uncle Sam.
0 - Like having a warrant from Uncle Sam.
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