Hello all!

I’m back with another word pair, and today’s culprits are responsible for tripping up nearly every writer at some point. It tends to be the case that we’re taught both words somewhere along the way–so we know that they mean the same thing but are supposed to be used in different situations–but we somehow never really learn when who is the appropriate choice and when whom is the appropriate choice. We scratch our heads trying to figure it out, and then ultimately give up and either just guess or choose to use who exclusively because it’s the safer choice.

So, how do you know when to use who and when to use whom?

The truth is that there’s actually a trick that makes the choice super simple. We don’t tend to have any problems knowing when to use he/she versus him/her, and who and whom follow the exact same rules. The trick is to simply substitute he/she or him/her into the sentence, which will tell you when to use who (in cases where he/she fits) and when to use whom (in cases where him/her fits). For example, Who/whom was playing music too loud? In this case, it works to say She was playing music too loud, so we know that the proper sentence is Who was playing music too loud? By contrast, in the sentence To who/whom does this CD belong?, we can substitute in him to answer The CD belongs to him. Thus, the proper choice in this case is To whom does this CD belong?

The reason this trick works is because, while they indicate the same idea and are both pronouns, who is the subject of the verb while whom is the object, same as he/she functions as the subject while him/her functions as the object. But if all you remember is the trick (and not why it works), you’ll be in good shape and able to use who and whom with the best of them!

Until next time!

Hello all!

I’m fortunate enough to have just returned from a trip across the pond, to that wonderful place where fries are “chips,” chips are “crisps,” the bathroom is the “loo,” and cars drive down the opposite side of the road. Reading museum brochures, restaurant menus, and street signs reminded me of just how different British and American English can be. Vocabulary differences aside, there are some distinct differences in spelling (color vs. colour, recognize vs. recognise, and center vs. centre) that can throw quite a few people in both nations when we read something written in the other nation’s style.

So how did two countries that share the same language wind up spelling so many words differently, especially when the US was originally populated with Brits? The credit goes largely to one man: Noah Webster, originator of Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, America’s first dictionary. Not only did he want to distinguish American English as a different dialect than British English, but he was also bothered by how many words in British English were spelled differently than they sounded. His dictionary formalized the spellings he preferred, and we in the US have been using them ever since.

So which words are correct? Both, of course–but I suggest using the conventions of whichever country you’re writing for. That will keep your readers from any potential confusion…and you might wind up learning another language in the process, for as George Bernard Shaw said, “The United States and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language.”

Until next time!

Hello everyone!

I’m back with another word pair. Today’s confusing duo is wreck and wreak, which are undeniably easy to mix up due to the fact that they are spelled so similarly and mean almost exactly the same thing. Although wreck can also be a noun, both wreck and wreak are verbs indicating destruction. There is a subtle difference between the two in that wreck means to damage while wreak means to cause damage, but they effectively suggest the same outcome.

So, you must be wondering, what is the difference? The difference is that wreck stands on its own, while wreak is immediately followed by a noun (most often havoc). We can say The storm wrecked the ship but not The storm wreaked the ship. If we want to use wreak, we have to say The storm wreaked havoc on the ship. Likewise, it doesn’t work to say The storm wrecked havoc on the ship. The other difference, of course, is in pronunciation: Wreak is pronounced like reek, while wreck is pronounced like rec (as in the first part of recreation).

It’s just one letter, and a very subtle distinction in meaning, but choosing the proper word can make a world of difference in your writing!

Until next time!

Hello all!

It’s that time again! Today’s tricky word pair is then and than. These two have a tendency to trip people up because their spellings are so similar, which winds up leading many writers out there to use one or the other exclusively, regardless of the sentence situation. In fact, my theory is that a whole lot of people don’t realize there actually are two words. But after reading this, you will no longer fall into that category of authors!

Then can be an adverb, a noun, or an adjective depending on how it is used. As an adverb, it presents a sequence of events: She cleaned the counter, then the sink. As a noun, it refers to a period of time: Things were better back then. And as an adjective, it describes the former state of something: The then-leader of the writing group forgot the difference between “then” and “than,” much to everybody’s chagrin. By contrast, than is only ever a conjunction, used to set up a comparison: I like the French restaurant much better than the Italian one.

The real trick to remembering when to use then and when to use than is to simply remember that both words exist. Then, use than when you’re setting up a comparison and use then the rest of the time. And then you’ll find your writing much clearer than before!

Until next time!

Hello all!

I’m back with another tricky word pair. This week’s pair is accept and except, which are often confused because they sound the same, even though they have very different spellings and meanings. In fact, they almost have opposing meanings: Accept is a verb that means to receive, while except is a preposition that means not including or other than (per Merriam-Webster). So, She accepted the flowers he gave her and He remembered everything except his wallet.

So how can you remember which is which when they sound the same? The answer lies in the spelling. Except has an X in it, which we tend to use to indicate that something is not or should not be included. So, the word with the X in it is the one that indicates that something is not included.

I hope this was another helpful hint you can use to improve your writing! Until next time!

Hello all!

I’m back with another tricky word pair. Today’s culprits are disinterested and uninterested. These words can get confusing not because they look or sound the same but because they appear to mean the same thing. We’re used to interpreting the prefixes dis- and un- to both indicate the opposite of the word to which they’re attached. For example, the dis- in disappear causes that word to mean the opposite of appear, and the un- in undo causes that word to mean the opposite of do. So, we would tend to think that both disinterested and uninterested mean “not interested.”

In this case, however, only the un- functions in its usual capacity. Uninterested is the word that actually means “not interested”; disinterested, by contrast, means “impartial” or “objective.” Rather than a complete removal of interest, the dis- in this case indicates simply a removal of preference. Someone can be interested in a sporting event while still being disinterested in its outcome, but that person cannot be both interested and uninterested in that event.

It’s a subtle distinction, but an important one for your writing. You can entirely change the meaning of a sentence by using one word instead of the other. I hope this explanation has helped clarify this word pair for you!

Until next time!

Hello everyone, and Happy New Year!

Earlier this week, I ran across a fascinating article on mental_floss that lists 25 words that are their own opposites. If you’re anything like me, you tend to just use words in the context you need them without thinking much about their other meanings. But one of the best ways to make sure that you clearly convey your meaning to your reader is to use unambiguous words in your writing. So, today, I want to suggest that you check out this article, and use it as a springboard to keep alternate meanings of words in mind as you write this year: http://mentalfloss.com/article/57032/25-words-are-their-own-opposites.

Until next time!