Back-formation, the development of a new form of a word by subtracting an element from an existing word, often results in additions to our word-hoard that people deem grotesque, but many words we consider members in good standing of the English language—usually verbs—have been created this way. Derided terms of recent vintage frequently originate in … Read more
What’s the rule for attaching an -ing ending to a one-syllable, short-vowel word ending in -ge? Is the act of doing something too much, for example, an instance of bingeing, or has one been binging? As it turns out, according to Merriam-Webster’s website, the -ing form of binge can be spelled either way, one of … Read more
In Old English, the word man had the meaning of “human being” or “person,” male or female. Note: Old English is the earliest form of English, brought to Great Britain in the fifth century by Germanic settlers. The first literary works in Old English date from the seventh century. In OE, the word man occurs … Read more
Misused idioms on amateur blogs are not cause for surprise. When they appear in the writing of people who practice a profession, however, they probably warrant comment. Here are two expressions that people who use them in a professional context ought to know the meaning of. due diligence In law, “due diligence” refers to proper … Read more
Writing about gendered pronouns recently, I mentioned that “cis female” is a gender choice on Facebook. The prefix cis- derives from a Latin preposition meaning “on this side of.” Cisalpine Gaul, for example, was the part of Gaul located on the Italian side of the Alps. The part on the far side of the Alps … Read more
A reader wants to know how to write the word that describes the sport of propelling oneself over water on long narrow pieces of wood: Should it be water-ski, water ski, or waterski?” Naturally, I went directly to the OED, where I found the following spellings: waterski (noun) waterski (verb) waterskiing (noun) water-skier (noun) Second … Read more
Strolling along Internet Boulevard one morning, I encountered more than the usual quota of misspelled-words-per-minute. INCORRECT: My level of stress is nothing compared to your personal battles with illness and other life hurtles. CORRECT : My level of stress is nothing compared to your personal battles with illness and other life hurdles. hurtle verb: to … Read more
When I saw the phrase “world-renouned architect E. Fay Jones” in a local newspaper, I wondered if it could be more than a one-time typo, so I did a Web search to see if anyone else is spelling renown as renoun or renowned as renouned. I wasn’t too bothered to find the misspelling renoun on … Read more
A reader asks, Could you discuss the use of “id.” in conjunction with referencing citations, especially web links? The abbreviation id. in bibliographical citations stands for Latin idem: “the same.” The abbreviation id. and the word idem are often seen in older scholarly works, but modern style guides, like The Chicago Manual of Style, no … Read more
A reader has called my attention to the changing pronunciation of divisive: I am very active in politics and frequently watch television programs which feature political topics. One of THE most frustrating—and very common— mispronunciations I hear is with the word divisive. I was taught that it is pronounced with a ‘long i’ on the second … Read more
If all English speakers left school having mastered English spelling conventions, the deliberate misspellings seen in movie titles and various products might not bother me as much as they do. As it is, I dread the effect of the relentless modeling of incorrect spellings in the marketplace. Here are ten of these deliberate misspellings. 1. … Read more
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