When you go to class on a daily basis, do you say that it is something you do everyday or every day? The words everyday and every day are easily and commonly confused in English. They look pretty much the same when you write them out on paper—separated by just one tiny space. Plus, when... Continue Reading →
There are currently at least 171,476 words listed in the English dictionary. This may sound comforting as we have a variety of words we can use to express ourselves more articulately. At the same time, it also poses confusion, especially with words that somehow share the same root. For example: when you move to a... Continue Reading →
When you want to express the difference between two objects, do you say different from or different than? This one is also rather tricky like the pair we discussed yesterday. One cause of confusion is the word itself: different. It is an adjective that compares two or more objects, but it is not a comparative... Continue Reading →
When you point out the similarities of two or more objects, do you say compare to or compare with? Prepositions have always been the bane of second language speakers of English; a simple change of preposition in a sentence can change the entire meaning of the message. In this installment of Word War, we are... Continue Reading →
When English is not your first language, idiomatic expressions can be challenging: for example, when someone has the wrong idea about you, are they barking up or at the wrong tree? Such expressions can be confusing at times, especially ones that are not normally used in daily conversations. Not only that they can confuse the... Continue Reading →
When you speak with a specific speech pattern, is it because of your intonation or your accent? Throughout my career as a communications trainer, I have met a lot of people who use intonation and accent interchangeably. Most of the time, my trainees tell me that they need to focus on their accent because their intonation... Continue Reading →
The abundance of homophones (or words that sound alike or almost alike) in the English language has been both a blessing and a curse. For one, it has given many poets the opportunity to play with words to make their works resonating; and for another thing, it has confused so many writers which word is... Continue Reading →
Today’s installment is a three-way word war among pique, peak, and peek—all enemies and pet peeves of editors. These homophones send writers into a spiral of uncertainty when it comes to word choice, particularly in the context of one expression: when something excites you and captures your attention, does it pique, peak, or peek your... Continue Reading →
Today's installment of Word War is rather different as we are going to compare two phrases instead of standalone words. So let’s begin with the now clichéd engager: When you are representing your department, do you act on behalf of or in behalf of everyone else? Which of the two expressions is correct? Well, both... Continue Reading →
When you make the same mistake again and again, would you describe your behavior as something that happens continuously or continually? These terms, along with their adjective forms continual and continuous, are often used interchangeably in speech and writing, obviously because they both come from the verb continue. But style guides urge writers to practice... Continue Reading →
Wonderlost 