I hope you find my writing and business tips and observations useful. My business and blog are dedicated to helping businesses communicate clearly and reach their potential.
Read, subscribe to my newsletter, enjoy!Tash
I formally request…
formally: meeting polite procedures, not casually
We were formally recived at the door by the butler.
formerly: previously, used to be/do something
She was formerly the president of the state association.
Be quite quiet
As one of the most common spelling errors keep an eye out for this pair of words… especially as a spell check won’t pick the difference if you make a typing error.
quite: actually, truly; to an extent
The house was quite large
quiet: not making a lot, or any, noise
The children were unusually quiet
So how can you remember which is which, other than just repeating it until you get it? I was once told to keep my ears (the letter e) inside (rather than being the last letter) when I need peace and quiet 🙂 Maybe that tip will help you remember the difference…
And just to be complete, the word quit (as it is sometimes used instead of quite or quiet, too) means to stop or end something – for example, the man quit arguing with his boss. It is easy to remember – just quit writing before you add an e!
Bolt of lightning
Thunder bolts and lightning, very very enlightening…
Sorry to play with some great lyrics, but the word lightning always makes me think of that song! Apparently, a number of people don’t realise that there are two versions of the word lightning/lightening – that is, there is one sound for the word but two spellings and meanings. Given people don’t realise there are two spellings, I guess it isn’t surprising to see the incorrect word used.
So here are the definitions of the two words to make sure you know which is which!
lightning: a sudden burst of light in the sky
The lightning storm was exciting and beautiful to watch
lightening: to make lighter or brighter
The sky was lightening on the horizon as we arrived home.
I am looking forward to lightening my load!
Lightning in the sky is fast and sharp – there is no time for extra letters. Whereas lightening something involves some effort, it is a verb, so it has an extra e in the spelling and pronunciation.
Would you like a piece of peace?
The pronuncition of peace and piece is the only thing that these two words have in common.
piece: a portion or part of something, such as a pie or a cake; something regarded as a standard unit, such as a piece of paper or a piece of fruit.
Would you like a piece of pie?
peace: harmony and tranquility of environment, mind, politics or relationships. It often refers to a state of quiet, too.
He now has peace of mind
A good way to remember the difference is ‘a piece of pie’ because it has pie in it”.
Is your office stationary?
These two can be very tricky to get right…
stationery: office and writing supplies, including paper, envelopes, pens, pencils and folders.
The pencil case was full of new stationery
stationary: to be still and not moving.
All the cars in the car park were stationary
Stationery includes envelopes is the best reminder I can think of for this pair of words – do you have a better way of remembering which is which?
Is HR getting too personal?
Though they sound very similar the meanings of personal and personnel couldn’t be more different…
personal: belonging or relating to an individual
He went looking through my personal belongings
personnel: the people belonging to a group, such as employees of a company or members of an army division
The personnel of the company were happy
Driving torture?
Another pair of words many people could easily confuse is tortuous and torturous.
Tortuous – twisting and winding, such as driving along a tortuous road.
The wagon was too long to drive along the tortuous track.
Torturous – painful, agonising, upsetting, such as a torturous stay in prison
Listening to the new student play the violin was torturous to the music lover.
To tell them apart, think of the word torture and torturous together as painful and unpleasant.
Allude to an illusion
If you’re not careful with the pronunciation, allusion and illusion can sound very similar, and they are occasionally incorrectly swapped for each other.
An illusion is not real; so someone may have a false idea or see something that isn’t really there – they are facing an illusion.
Allusion is a reference to knowledge you assume your reader/listener understands, especially when referring to literary or art knowledge. For instance, I will make an allusion to Shakespeare’s work when I write: the young couple considered themselves to be as tragic as Romeo and Juliet. I can assume that most people know the story of Romeo and Juliet so the allusion explains a lot in few words.
To remember which is which, consider that illusion starts with I and often relates to a trick of the eye. Allusion starts with A and usually relates to Art and literature.
Click to join the clique
Although spelt very differently, click and clique are pronounced the same.
click: a sharp sound.
We could hear her coming by the click of her shoes on the wooden floor
clique: a tight group of people.
A clique is often hard to join as they are fairly exclusive.
Remember you only need a queue to join a clique, not to click your fingers!
How tolerant are you?
The definition of tolerant is to be accepting of things and perhaps able to endure unpleasant things. However, to be not tolerant can be expressed two ways depending on the specific lack of tolerance being discussed.
Intolerant: Not accepting, allowing or enduring something/someone to exist without interfering, complaining or hindering.
A racist person is intolerant of other races living in their country.
Intolerable: A situation that can’t be endured or continued.
After time a worker may find it intolerable to work 100 hour weeks and be criticised by their boss.
Think of the two words like this: He is not able to tolerate a situation but the ant chooses to be intolerant.
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