forty [cardinal number]: number (40)
{Commom misspelling: fourty}
Category: Daily Fix
Grammar Bomb: Alright VS All Right
All right, it’s time to know — despite Black Sabbath’s claim — “alright” is NOT all right in edited text or publications.
Alright [THINK: just as accepted as a’ight]
All right [THINK: right; all right]
“The form alright is a one-word spelling of the phrase all right. Alright is commonly used in written dialogue and informal writing, but all right is the only acceptable form in edited writing. Basically, it is not all right to use alright in place of all right in standard English.“
[read more about it on blog.dictionary.com]
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WordHit: Sergeant [noun]
Grammar Bomb: Judgement VS Judgment
The judge will tell you to get rid of the “e” in your judgment.
Judgement [THINK: error (E)]
Judgment [THINK: ruling (no E)]
“Many think that the difference between judgement and judgment is that the longer version is the British spelling, whereas the shorter one is the convention in the US. While some claim that Noah Webster first recorded the spelling of judgment in his 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language, judgment has been the prevailing spelling on both sides of the pond since the late 1600s.”
[read more about it on blog.dictionary.com]
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WordHit: Reference [noun]
Grammar Bomb: Compliment VS Complement
May I compliment you on your blouse; it complements your eye color.
Complement [THINK: complete (E)]
Compliment [THINK: praise (I)]
“Complement with an e…meaning “something that completes.” If something complements something else, it completes it, enhances it, or makes it perfect.
The noun compliment means “an expression of praise, commendation, or admiration,” and the verb means, “to praise or express admiration for someone.”
[read more about it on blog.dictionary.com]
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Contractions Have Their Place
Grammar Girl has an amazing article describing the history, use, and suggestions regarding contractions: “Use contractions in formal writing if it will sound stranger to avoid them than to use them.”
The Chicago Manual of Style says, “Most types of writing benefit from the use of contractions. If used thoughtfully, contractions in prose sound natural and relaxed and make reading more enjoyable.”
Do you remember the character Data from Star Trek? He could not use any form of contraction. Ever. And it set him apart as a non-human. Don’t do that to your writing. Make sure your reader knows there is a human behind the words. Don’t overdo it. There ain’t no reason to sound uneducated in your struggle of pen and paper.
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WordHit: Privilege [noun]
Grammar Bomb: Stationary VS Stationery
Mom writes on stationery while Dad rides the stationary bike.
Stationary [THINK: Adjective (A)]
Stationery [THINK: Envelope (E)]
“Stationary with an a…means “fixed in one place and not moving,” like a stationary bicycle at the gym.
Stationery with an e stems from the term stationer, which refers to “a person who sells the materials used in writing, such as paper, pens, pencils, and ink.””
[read more about it on blog.dictionary.com]
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