DailyWritingTips

Disruptive and Disruptor

Until recently, the words disrupt, disruptive, disruption, and disruptor were negative words used to describe actions detrimental to perceived social order. For example: Man in Elbow Room Disruption Fights Police, Damages Cruiser Twelve protesters disrupted a speech by Condoleeza Rice at Norwich University in Vermont. Iranian Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi has announced the arrest of … Read more

Till vs. Until

A reader asks, Isn’t the shortened version of until spelled ’til, not til or till? I know that till is a word (I worked as a grocery store cashier as a teenager), so I understand why it doesn’t get flagged by spellcheck when some writers incorrectly shorten the word until as till. Many speakers believe … Read more

25 French Food-related Terms in English

Note: The pronunciation of these terms varies according to how familiar the speaker is with French. Usually, getting close is good enough. I’ve included pronunciation for six terms that may be especially tricky for some English speakers. 1. à la carte Food items that can be ordered individually and not as part of a set … Read more

Internet Initialisms

Although I’ve adopted a few initialisms such as BTW, LOL, and IMHO in my own informal writing, I’m mostly ignorant of the alphabet soup current on Twitter and other social media sites. When a reader recently introduced me to the combination DRTL, I realized that this new language represents not just a kind of shorthand, … Read more

Top 10 Confused Words in English [E-F]

The words in the following list represent misunderstanding of the words’ meanings and not simply an inability to spell them correctly. This post covers words starting with the letters e and f (the a-b list is here, and the c-d one here). 1. economic / economical Both adjectives are related, but have distinct meanings. Economic … Read more

Verb Review #9: There Is / There Are

A reader asks about the use of “there is” and “there are”: I am writing to express my puzzlement over whether to use “there is” or “there are”. When I was reading a script, I came across [this] sentence: “In his arms there are a whole bunch of corn husks.” Should it not be “there is”? Plenty of native … Read more

Causing a Furor, Not a Fury

Although furor and fury derive from the same Latin verb, furere, “to rage, be mad,” when the intended meaning is “public uproar,” furor is the better choice. Although anger is often one of the emotions expressed in a public upheaval of interest and comment, it isn’t always. Sometimes a furor may be caused by excessive … Read more

Cryptid

The lovely word cryptid came to my attention in reference to the ivory-billed woodpecker. One of these birds, long believed to be extinct, was sighted in eastern Arkansas in 2004. As no subsequent sightings have been reported, the survival of the species is still disputed. Cryptid is of recent coinage, suggested in 1983 by J. … Read more

Discomfort and Discomfiture

A reader asks, Can you explain the origin of the word discomfiture? This seems to be a recent invention; I was not coming across this word about 10 years ago. However, recently its use has increased. Is it the same as discomfort? Discomfiture is not as common a word as discomfort, but it has been … Read more

Mediation, Arbitration, and Litigation

In general usage, mediate and arbitrate are synonyms. However, as a reader pointed out when I used the words mediator and arbitrated in a sentence illustrating the difference between uninterested and disinterested, the roles of mediator and arbitrator in a legal context are distinct. Note: Like arbitrator, the noun arbiter also means “one who judges.” … Read more

Mistakes With Regard

The English word regard has multiple meanings as both noun and verb. A common error is to attach an s to the noun in certain expressions. Incorrect: In congressional questioning, assessment of Clinton’s performance at State in regards to the Benghazi attack was split by party line.—US News & World Report. Correct : In congressional … Read more

10 Ways To Form a Compound Noun

Compound nouns are of three kinds: open, hyphenated, and closed. As the names imply, “open compounds” are written as separate words, “hyphenated compounds” are written with one or more hyphens, and “closed compounds” are written as a single word. Many compounds begin as open, progress to hyphenated, and finish as closed. Because of the modern … Read more