Tag Archives: vocabulary

In defense of y’all

Posted on May 9, 2013 by

I mentioned on twitter yesterday (find me at @GrammarParty for tweets about grammar and cats and nerd stuff) that I’m going to start saying y’all more often. And I got some good-natured ribbing about it. “It’s my heritage,” I cried … Continue reading →

Posted in grammar, story time | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Feet vs. feat

Posted on April 15, 2013 by

feet: plural of foot feat: a deed notable especially for courage; an act or product of skill, endurance, or ingenuity —Merriam-Webster Feet and feat are homophones, which means they sound the same but have different meanings. Feet can mean the … Continue reading →

Posted in copy editing, grammar | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Compliment vs. complement

Posted on March 19, 2013 by

  compliment (noun): an expression of esteem, respect, affection, or admiration compliment (verb): to express esteem, respect, affection, or admiration to complement (noun): something that fills up, completes, or makes perfect complement (verb): to complete or enhance by providing something … Continue reading →

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Aisle vs. isle

Posted on March 15, 2013 by

aisle: a) a passage (as in a theater or railroad passenger car) separating sections of seats b) a passage (as in a store or warehouse) for inside traffic isle: island —Merriam-Webster These words are prime targets for errors because they … Continue reading →

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Misbelief and disbelief

Posted on March 6, 2013 by

disbelief: mental rejection of something as untrue misbelief: erroneous or false belief —Merriam-Webster To keep these two words straight, consider this: Misbelief is when something is untrue. Disbelief is when you think something is untrue (regardless of whether it is). … Continue reading →

Posted in copy editing, grammar, semantics | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments