Tag Archives: word usage

Stop using OCD as an adjective

Posted on May 21, 2012 by

May is mental health awareness month. This is of special importance to me because your dear Grammar Party blogger is crazy, psycho, nuts, mad, loony, insane, and any number of unkind labels people call the mentally disordered. All of these … Continue reading →

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Hanged vs. hung

Posted on May 17, 2012 by

Hang in the present tense is not too difficult to use (except when it comes to idioms). To put simply, hang means “to suspend.” We hang mistletoe and stockings at Christmas. We hang pictures on the wall. We hang (our … Continue reading →

Posted in copy editing, grammar | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Rain, reign, rein

Posted on May 5, 2012 by

Lesson: learning the difference between rain, reign, and rein Here is another set of words that sound the same, but their different meanings often lead to confusion in written language because they are spelled differently. Let’s look at their definitions … Continue reading →

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-ization station

Posted on April 26, 2012 by

lesson: learning the meaning of the suffix –ization Realization. Industrialization. Immobilization. We use words ending in the suffix -ization so frequently that many native English speakers might not know what –ization even means and how adding it changes the meaning … Continue reading →

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Let’s veterinarian this word

Posted on April 13, 2012 by

Earlier this week, I got an out-of-the blue phone call from a friend calling from his work. He was wondering how to spell vet when used in the sense of methodically considering a person or idea. I’m not perfect and … Continue reading →

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elicit vs. illicit

Posted on March 30, 2012 by

Lesson: learning the difference between elicit and illicit elicit: to draw forth or bring out —Merriam-Webster illicit: not permitted —Merriam-Webster Here is yet another pair of words that sounds a lot alike but has different meanings. Let’s take a look … Continue reading →

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A dis- and a mis-

Posted on March 27, 2012 by

Lesson: learning more about the prefixes mis- and dis- mis-: 1. badly, wrongly; unfavorably; in a suspicious manner 2. bad, wrong 3. opposite or lack of 4. not —Merriam-Webster dis-: 1. do the opposite of; deprive of (a specified quality, … Continue reading →

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Allude verses elude

Posted on March 16, 2012 by

allude: to make indirect reference —Merriam-Webster elude: 1) to avoid adroitly; evade 2) to escape the understanding, perception, or grasp of —Merriam-Webster Here are two words that give people troubles. They look similar. They sound similar. But they have very … Continue reading →

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All in the family

Posted on March 14, 2012 by

Lesson: when to capitalize titles for family members Today we’re going to talk about moms and dads and aunts and cousins and step-uncles and so on—all the people in your family—and whether to capitalize the first letter in the words … Continue reading →

Posted in copy editing | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Piles of –philes

Posted on March 9, 2012 by

Lesson: learning the suffix -phile and other awesomeness Bibliophile. Logophile. Discophile. These are three words that describe me. Lover of books. Lover of words. Lover of “gramophone records.” When you add the suffix –phile to the end of a word, … Continue reading →

Posted in etymology, semantics | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment