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.
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To complement a compliment…
Did you know that compliment is not the same as complement? They actually have quite different meanings so using the wrong word can make a reasonable sentence into nonsense!
compliment – expression of praise, greeting, positive comments
She complimented the floral arrangement on the table.
complement – to complete or make a whole
The new couch complements the room nicely.
Can you see how complete complementary things are as a reminder for which spelling to use?
A principled principal?
Another pair of words that I frequently see misused is principle and principal…
Principle – a belief or moral that governs behaviour and decisions; a fundamental truth
On principle, John refused to watch the parade.
Principal – first or leading rank (e.g. a School Principal); initial sum of money before interest and fees
As Principal of the local school, Mary was well respected by the parents.
The most common uses of these words are often confused and used incorrectly. The easiest way to remember which is which is to think of your pal being a principal.
The better part of discretion?
Here is a pair of words that sound exactly the same but have quite different meanings – yet I’m not sure any people realise there are two words instead of one with different uses.
discrete – distinct, separate, individual, referring to numbers
It was a series of discrete performances across the country.
discreet – tactful, subtle, unobtrusive
Her boss was very discreet about her illness.
To help remember which word is which, see how the t separates the es in discrete.
Monday meanings…
There are pairs of words that are frequently misused. However much they sound the same, using the wrong word can totally change the meaning of your sentence.
And you can’t rely on your spell checker to find these errors for you.
A good, old fashioned dictionary is the best way to make sure you are using the correct word in any situation. If you don’t have a dictionary at home, and the old school one probably doesn’t count, I would strongly suggest you get one so you can avoid unnecessary errors in your writing.
As I still see many of these words used incorrectly, I am going to show the different meanings as a blog category – and I’ll post one every Monday.
Please let me know if there are any particular words you aren’t sure of and I’ll include them, too.
Choosing a name
When starting (or restructuring) a business, one of the hardest decisions is often the name.
You need to consider all possible meanings of the name, whether it is too similar to another business (especially a competitor), whether a domain name is available, does it suit the branding style your business needs, is it easy to remember, and so on.
I have a client going through this process now and it is difficult. Many good names we think of are already registered, although for very different businesses to hers.
A couple of years ago I wrote an article about naming your business – I must remember to send a copy to my client!
I enjoy the challenge of choosing names – it lets me be creative and think in a different way, which is fun!
Some business names I like are:
Word Constructions (well, you’d want me to like my own business name wouldn’t you!)
Precious Water (I agree with sentiment before even checking out their tanks!)
Web Graphics By Email (longer than I usually like, but it sums up the business beautifully)
Real Mums (sounds genuine, somewhere mums can truly be themselves)
The Marketing Coach (much more approachable than something like “The Marketing Experts”)
Love Santa (personalised letters signed Love Santa – says it all really!)
BYO Kids (because it’s hard to leave the kids behind all the time!)
I’m sure there are others, but I just can’t think of them right now. What are some of your favourite business names?
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