If something catches alight easily is it flammable or inflammable? Both. Flammable and inflammable mean the same thing. Flammable means able to be set aflame, easily set on fire. Inflammable means able to be set aflame, easily excited or disturbed. Confused? We usually think of words that start with the prefix in being the opposite of the […]
Do you enquire or inquire about something? Do you make an enquiry or an inquiry? Reader’s question: What’s the difference between inquire and enquire and inquiry and enquiry? Answer: Enquire/enquiry and inquire/inquiry, can be used interchangeably. In the United States, inquire and inquiry are dominant. In Australia, many people use: Enquire to ask Enquiry for a request Inquiry for an official investigation That’s my preference even though my […]
Different aspects of the past tense Different aspects of the past tense are used to convey when and how an action occurred in the past. In report writing, the simple past is often used to describe completed actions. Simple past The simple past is used for actions completed in the past. The company researched its […]
I drank fewer glasses of water than you, so I drank less water. Use fewer for things you can count and less for things you can’t count Fewer and less are so commonly confused, it’s tempting to think that fewer may vanish from the language. In the meantime, the distinction does still exist. Less means ‘not as much’ and fewer means ‘not […]
Your opening sentence must engage your readers As Stephen King says: ‘An ‘opening line should invite the reader to begin the story. It should say: Listen. Come in here. You want to know about this.’ That’s why it’s often the most difficult sentence to write. Even Stephen King admitted in an interview with The Atlantic […]
‘If I lose weight this dress will be loose.’ loose Loose means the opposite of tight. My trousers are loose as I’ve been on a diet. A headline in Sydney’s ninetofive magazine read: LOOSE POUNDS MAKE DOLLARS! lose Lose means to be defeated or no longer have. We may lose the game. I’m also losing my keys. Learn more Learn […]
‘I recommend that he go’ or ‘I recommend that he goes’? Reader’s question: If you start a sentence with ‘Someone recommends that’, what form does the following verb take? For example, ‘John recommends that Mary talk/talks to the supervisor.’ Answer: The correct usage is ‘John recommends that Mary talk to the supervisor’, but I am not sure that it matters much. […]
He feels nauseous or nauseated? Which would you say? I feel nauseous. I feel nauseated. I would say ‘I feel nauseous’, and some experts would say that is OK, but others would say it is incorrect. Language purists would say that nauseous means ‘causing nausea or sickness’ and nauseated means ‘you feel sick or experience feelings of nausea’. The Macquarie […]
Verbs are often more powerful than noun phrases Nominalisation is the term used to describe a noun derived from a verb or adjective. Nominalisations from verbs Many, but not all, nominalisations created from verbs end in -ion, -ment or -ance. communication (communicate) consideration (consider) negotiation (negotiate) movement (move) deliverance (deliver) discovery (discover) failure (fail) refusal […]
Use one space between sentences In the days of typewriters we used double spaces between sentences. Modern style guides recommend one space According to modern style guides, including the Australian Style manual and the American AP Stylebook and The Chicago Manual of Style, you should use a single space after a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark. Style […]