Recently Added Articles Page #64

media, medium

The word media is the plural of medium. These days, however, using media as a collective noun to refer to the communications media has become standard. As a mass noun, it takes a singular verb. Watch out for your audience, however. If your readers wi...

memorandum, memoranda

The word memorandum is singular. Its plural is either memoranda or memorandums. In fact, memorandums now predominates. But you should remember your audience: If your readers get their noses out of joint over memorandums, then capitulate and use memor...

mitigate, militate

The word mitigate means “to make less severe or less intense.” The word militate means “to influence strongly.” The word militate is intransitive and is usually accompanied by the preposition against. The word mitigate, on the other hand, is ...

moral, morale

Moral is an adjective used to describe things that have a quality of goodness or character. The word moral also acts as a noun, as in the moral of the story.Morale is an emotional state of cheerful confidence.Example: The troops kept their morale hig...

much, many

Much means “in large degree or quantity.”Many means “numerous” or “of an indefinite number.”Generally, much is applied to mass nouns and things that are not easily quantified, and many is used for groups of singular nouns that have not be...

myriad

Though myriad may act as a noun (a myriad of problems) or an adjective (myriad problems), the careful writer uses it as an adjective because fewer words are required.Example: The United States has combined myriad nationalities into a single country....

myself, himself, yourself, herself, ourself, ourselves

The Grammar.com section on the Parts of Speech has a thorough discussion of “reflexive and intensive pronouns,” that is, the -self words. Click here for the beginning of that discussion.Many people incorrectly use myself and substitute it for I...

nauseous, nauseated, nauseating

Using nauseous for nauseated is incorrect but so common that we can no longer call it an error.But careful writers observe traditional meaning. The word nauseous describes something that causes nausea. The word nauseated relates to experiencing nause...

naval, navel

Your navel is your belly button. Naval is a synonym for nautical, which is used to describe anything having to do with the Navy or ships.Example: The naval officer still has stomach problems after he was hit by shrapnel near his navel....

neither

When neither serves as a pronoun, it is typically singular, that is, it requires a singular verb and a singular pronoun referring to it. Thus, the following is correct: Neither of the investments is a good one. When neither joins with nor, the pair a...

noisome, noisy

The human ear can detect only one of these words, that is, noisy. The other, noisome, is better associated with the nose. Noisy means “loud.” Noisome means “offensive,” “disgusting,” or “dangerous” as in noisome fumes.Example: We had ...

none, singular or plural

This indefinite pronoun may take either a singular or a plural verb. Don’t pay any attention to the myth that none always requires a singular verb. It doesn’t.In the words of New Fowler at p. 526: It is a mistake to suppose that the pronoun [none...

nor

Many writers use nor as a conjunction even when the negative state has already been established in the sentence. Savvy writers use or because the negative state carries over to the series. Consider this correct sentence, where the word no establishes...

now, know, no

Now means “at the present time,” “immediately,” or “at this point.” Know means “to perceive” or “to understand.” No means “no.”Example: Right now, it’s hard for us to know if they will say yes or no....

only

Garner Oxford at p. 239 describes only as “the most frequently misplaced of all English words.” You should put only immediately before the word you intend to limit. The greater the distance between only and the word it limits, the greater the cha...

or

Don’t hesitate to start a sentence with Or. It’s a coordinating conjunction, and great writers have been starting sentences with conjunctions for hundreds of years. You can remember the coordinating conjunctions by referring to the acronym BOYFAN...

passed, past

The word pass has more than two dozen distinct meanings as a verb, another dozen as a noun, and perhaps that many again as part of a phrasal verb or idiom. For our purpose here, we will try to help determine when passed should be used instead of past...

patience, patients

Patients often go to the doctor’s office.Patience is the ability to tolerate the inevitable delay when waiting at the doctor’s office.Example: In most hospital waiting rooms, the patients must exercise considerable patience....

peace, piece

Peace is “tranquility” or “the absence of war.”Piece means a “portion” or “part,” usually of a larger item or group of similar items.Example: There would never be peace until each child got a piece of candy....

peak, peek, pique

A peak is a “summit” or a prominent “point” that protrudes from another object or series of values.To peek means to “glance quickly.”To pique means to “provoke” or “arouse.”Example: As I drove through the winding switchbacks, his ...

peddle, petal, pedal

Peddle means “to sell.” Peddled is the past tense and past participle of that verb.Petals are the colorful part of a flower.A pedal is a part of a bicycle, and pedaled is the past tense and past participle of the verb for operating a bicycle.Exam...

perquisite, prerequisite

These words have entirely different meanings. A perquisite is a privilege or a benefit often given in addition to wages or salary. We often refer to the shortened version: perk.A prerequisite is a previous condition or requirement. Study the example ...

personnel, personal

Personnel is an administrative group or a group of people involved in a particular business, group, or activity.Personal has a host of meanings: “relating to a specific person” (a personal opinion), “intended for a particular person” (a perso...

phenomenon, phenomena

The word phenomenon is singular. Its plural is phenomena....

pleaded, pled

The preferred past tense and past participle of the verb to plead is pleaded, not pled. Thus, here’s the correct past tense: He pleaded guilty. Here’s the correct past participle: He has pleaded guilty. And, finally, here’s the correct use of p...