Recently Added Articles Page #62

formerly, formally

Formerly means “at an earlier time.”Formally means “proper“ or “with official authorization.”Example: Having formerly run the operation as the interim chair, he was formally appointed to the chairmanship after the vote was counted....

fourth, forth

Fourth is the one between third and fifth.Forth means “forward” or “onward.”Example: After their fourth year of college, most students will graduate with the hope that they will go forth and prosper....

further to your letter

All writers should junk this expression.See enclosed please find, please find enclosed, enclosed herewith....

get, got, “got milk?”

The word “get” means “to receive or come to have possession, use, or enjoyment of.” It also means “to cause to be in one’s possession or succeed in having available for one’s use or enjoyment; obtain; acquire.”Some people insist that ...

gibe, jibe, jive

Gibe means “to taunt” (verb) or “a caustic remark” (noun).Jibe is generally used only as a verb, and it means “to accord with” or “to be consistent with.” Jibe is also a nautical term for the process of shifting the sails from one sid...

good, well

As a noun, well is a hole in the ground or a ship’s compartment. Well is also an adverb used to modify a verb or an adjective. Finally, well is also an adjective meaning "not sick."Good is an adjective used to modify a noun.Verb Good?Sportscasters ...

grizzly, grisly

The word grizzly means “grayish” or “relating to a large brown bear.”The word grisly mean “ghastly or horrible.”Don’t confuse the two.Example: The grizzly bear attacked the campers, leaving a grisly scene behind....

grow, grow the economy

The verb grow is typically intransitive because it describes a process undergone by the subject. Thus: The business grew rapidly. When used as a transitive verb, grow traditionally meant “to grow crops or to grow a beard.”These days, however, som...

handful, handfuls

The proper plural is handfuls, not handsful.Consider this usage note from Dictionary.com. The plurals of nouns ending in -ful are usually formed by adding -s to the suffix: two cupfuls; two scant teaspoonfuls. Perhaps influenced by the phrase in whic...

hanged, hung

Both hanged and hung are past-participial and past-tense forms of the verb hang meaning “to suspend” or “to attach.”The difference is that hanged (past tense and past participle) should be used exclusively in cases where the thing suspended i...

harass, harrass

The correct spelling is harass.You may pronounce it either way, with an accent on the first syllable or the last. In American English, the better pronunciation accents the second syllable....

healthful, healthy

There is a very technical distinction between these two that is slowly wearing away. In their strictest senses, healthy means “possessing good health” and healthful nmeans “conducive to good health,” but these words have become quite intercha...

height, heighth

The proper spelling, of course, is height. Yet because many people improperly pronounce the word with an ending ‑th, you’ll sometimes see the word heighth. In the Richmond Times Dispatch, we see this error: Second-seeded Syracuse had intermittent...

historical, historic

There are significant differences between these two words, and savvy writers should know them.The word historic refers to something that is historically significant. A building might be historic (Monticello). An event might be historic (signing of th...

homage

Pronounce this word with a strong h. To pronounce it ah-mage reveals a speaker’s lack of knowledge....

however

Mr. Strunk and Mr. White in The Elements of Style urge writers to avoid starting a sentence with “However.” It’s not a grammatical mistake to start a sentence with However. It’s just that good writers don’t do it. Instead, they start a cont...

immigrate, emigrate

To immigrate means “to enter a country with the intention of becoming a citizen.” To emigrate means “to leave a country with the intention of settling elsewhere.”A trick you can use: Immigrate means “to come in.” Emigrate means “to exit...

impact, affect

Here’s another one of those fancy words many people misuse. Traditionally, the word impact served as a noun, but recently it has transformed into a trendy verb. Technically, impact as a verb has been around for several hundred years. Originally, it...

imply, infer

Both of these words have to do with the communication of ideas through an indirect but logical process. The difference lies in who is making (or attempting to make) the logical connection.A writer or speaker implies.  Or the facts themselves imply a...

incentivize, incent

These words, probably concocted in some business school, date from the 1970s. Both mean “to motivate or encourage.” Technically, they mean “to provide incentives.” The word incentivize is one of those noun-to-verb words formed by adding the s...

incipient, insipid

Incipient means to be at the very early stages of appearing or becoming detectable. It derives from the Latin word for “inception.” Incipient is often used to describe diseases or health conditions.Insipid means “bland” or “dull” or “wi...

incomparable, uncomparable

The prefix ‑in in incomparable serves as an intensive. Thus, incomparable means “so good as to be beyond comparison.” The -un in uncomparable serves as a negative. Thus, uncomparable means “not subject to comparison.”When you pronounce eith...

incredulous, incredible

The word incredulous means “skeptical” or “disbelieving.”The word incredible means “implausible” or “unbelievable.” It is often used, indeed overused, to describe something that astounds.Example: The incredible rise of the Cubs all th...

indexes, indices

The preferred plural is indexes. Use indices when you mean “indicators.” Scientists and mathematicians, however, prefer indices in technical writing.Example: The author compiled the indexes for his various books, most discussing various indices o...

inflammable, noninflammable, flammable

The words flammable and inflammable mean the same thing. But the prefix in- misleads many people. They assume that inflammable means “not flammable” or “noncombustible.” This prefix (-in) is not the Latin negative prefix that appears in such ...