GrammarTip July 7, 2010 -- Do NOT Confuse These Words!

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This Week's Aside
In Common?

7 7 10 Aside

What do the following people have in common? Shirley Temple, Edgar Allan Poe, W.C. Fields, Tony Curtis, Marlon Brando, Karl Marx, Dylan Thomas, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Huntz Hall, Bob Dylan, Marilyn Monroe, Johnny Weissmuller, Stephen Crane, Lewis Carroll, Aldous Huxley, and T.E. Lawrence (among others)

Be among the first ten people to e-mail us (contests at ProofreadNOW.com) with the correct answer and win a free two-page proof-reading job.

 

Word of the Week
dirigisme
7 7 10 Word of WeekPronunciation: di-ri-ZHI-zum
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from diriger to direct (from Latin dirigere) + -isme -ism
Date: 1947
Definition: economic planning and control by the state

Example:  "In other words, health reform was a classic bait and switch: Sell a virtually unrepealable entitlement on utterly unrealistic premises and then the political class will eventually be forced to control spending. The likes of Mr. Kingsdale would say cost control is only a matter of technocratic judgment, but the raw dirigisme of [Mass. Governor] Patrick's price controls is a better indicator of what happens when health care is in the custody of elected officials rather than a market."
- Joseph Rago, WSJ, 7/7/2010, p. A17.

Definition source: Merriam-Webster's Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary.

Weekly GrammarTip
Contrasting Words
describe the imagePeople often confuse words. They say this when they mean that. Here are some often-confused pairs that we do not want you to confuse ever again.

CONTINUAL & CONTINUOUS. Use continuous when describing something that keeps going on, without stopping. Use continual when describing something that goes on frequently, but in fits and starts.

  • The ski boat has been in use continually [on and off] over the past week.
  • The skiers have been practicing continuously all morning and I haven't been in the boat even once!

CONVINCE & PERSUADE. Use convince when your meaning is to "win people over to your point of view." Use persuade when your argument gets them to change their minds or their actions.

  • Jokibell has convinced all of us [made us believe] that Texas is the only place to live, but we have not yet been persuaded [motivated] to move there.
  • I could probably be persuaded [swayed] to enter the Yellow Rose of Texshus Barbecue Contest if you could convince [make me believe] that my applewood-smoked squirrel ribs could win.

FARTHER & FURTHER. Confine your use of farther to references involving physical distances. Use further in all other situations.

  • How much farther do we have to go to reach Sandy's Flight Deck?
  • I need to discuss this further [more] before I condemn Sassafras to a lifetime diet of no fried chicken.
  • Aim for the red buoy that is farther [in distance] from the boat than the blue one.

FEWER & LESS. Use fewer when referring to a number of items or persons. Use less when referring to a single amount.

  • There was less space [a single amount] in the boat than I thought, but there were also fewer divers [a number of items] than advertised.

HISTORIC & HISTORICAL. Use historic to describe any event that marks a milestone. Use historical when that event--or any event you may be referring to--warrants mention in a history book.

  • I understand that Harrison's historical society [people interested in history] met yesterday in their new headquarters. What a historic [monumental] occasion that was! [Ed. note: In American form, NEVER use an before historic.]

LEND & LOAN. Use lend as a verb that means to "give on a temporary basis," and loan to describe whatever it is being given.

  • Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me [not loan me] your ears.
  • I got a low-interest loan from the bank today.

Source: Grammar for Smart People by Barry Tarshis.

 

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Word Challenge
Specifically Pacific

7 7 10WordChallenge

 

 

Today, July 7, is Independence Day ... in Solomon Islands (don't use the when referring to this state of Oceania). So grab your coconuts, head on over to Honiara, the capital, and, as people did earlier this week in the U.S.A., let's celebrate independence from Britain!

1. Nellie Forbush: (a) Mary Martin; (b) Mitzi Gaynor; (c) Glenn Close; (d) all the above.

2. sarong: (a) ukulele; (b) five-part melody characteristic of native folk singing of Sulawesi; (c) a loose garment made of a long strip of cloth wrapped around the body that is worn as a skirt or dress by men and women chiefly of the Malay Archipelago and the Pacific islands; (d) a short musical composition of words and music.

3. olive ridley: (a) (cap.) the prime minister of New Zealand; (b) a small sea turtle found in the tropical parts of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans; (c) a prolific species of tea grown exclusively in Tahiti; (d) a libation made with olive and coconut oils.

4. 10:00 a.m. in New York: (a) 7:00 a.m. Pacific time; (b) 8:00 a.m. Pacific time; (c) 6:00 a.m. Pacific time; (d) 5:00 a.m. Pacific time.

5. blackbird: (a) the national bird of Borneo; (b) a ceremonial dish served especially on Independence Day in Solomon Islands; (c) to engage in the slave trade especially in the South Pacific; (d) a long, narrow outrigger canoe.

6. copra: (a) dried coconut husks used in making rope; (b) a hallucinogenic drug derived from the bark of the coconut tree; (c) unit of currency favored in the South Pacific; (d) dried coconut meat yielding coconut oil.

7. Solomon Islands' sovereign: (a) Queen Elizabeth II; (b) Queen Marianna IV; (c) King Marashwasa; (d) Philip Maximus.

8. archipelago: (a) a volcanic island; (b) an expanse of water with many scattered islands; (c) an isthmus; (d) an artificial waterway for navigation or for draining or irrigating land.

9. Fijis: (a) Phi Beta Kappa; (b) Phi Jamma Slamma; (c) Phi Alpha Omicron; (d) Phi Gamma Delta.

10. atoll: (a) an island with an active central volcano; (b) a coral island consisting of a reef surrounding a lagoon; (c) the submerged gradually sloping border of a continent or island; (d) a narrow water passage between peninsulas or through a barrier island leading to a bay or lagoon.

ProofreadNOW.com offers free trials for people in need of proofreading. If you try us, and then want 'Samoa,' all you need do complete our online request and take advantage of our prompt service, great rates, and perfect editing. We examine the spelling, punctuation, and clarity of your ad, proposal, Web page, brochure, or anything else in print. We'll pacify your critics and eliminate those mistakes that are taking atoll on your bottom line.

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