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Category Archives: Commonly Confused Words
Your All-Star Opportunity
You and I won’t be on the field this Tuesday night in Cincinnati for the 86th Major League All-Star Game, but here’s your chance to sock some tricky curveballs out of the park. You get four times at bat to … Continue reading
Wicked “Which” II
Last week (http://www.normfriedman.com/blog/wicked-which/), I tried to make the which vs. that dilemma less scary, and I promised you a few postscripts. All three relate to using that. Bonus tip #1 Whenever we edit our work and come across that, we should see if that is … Continue reading
Wicked “Which”
Knowing when to use that and when to use which is not as wicked a situation as you might think. Simply put, we use that to introduce a phrase or clause that is essential for clarity. We use which to … Continue reading
Historical or Historic?
Today I heard a newscaster say, “So we really are going to have a woman on the ten-dollar bill. Which historical figure do you think it will be?” If you’re normal, you’re thinking Harriet Tubman? Betsy Ross? Rosa Parks? Meryl … Continue reading
More cloudy Issues
Let’s keep the quiz momentum going another week. Try your hand at identifying one or more errors in the following sentences. 1. If you’re wondering where my Dad is, Uncle Al saw him hop in the hotel bar. 2. Because … Continue reading
Triplets
On occasion we’ve looked at troublesome twins like “imply” and “infer,” but what about triplets? In a doctor’s office recently, I spotted a small gadget on the wall with a cautionary message: “Please assure proper disposal.” (The gadget lifted like … Continue reading
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The “Eggs” Trick
Last week’s post needed to be a bit longer than most to take you through some editing steps. Because you stuck by me and read every word, I’ll even the scales with a much shorter post this time. Do you … Continue reading
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“Fraternal Twins”
How many errors do you spot in these two sentences? 1. In his remarks at the all-staff meeting, our CEO inferred that a new vacation policy would go into effect in July 2015. 2. Based on my neighbor’s description of … Continue reading