Tip 75: Only

Choose your placement of the word ‘only’ very carefully; its placement can change the meaning of your sentence. The word ‘only’ should be placed immediately before the word or phrase it modifies. Examples: Only Meg said that she was hungry. Meaning: Meg alone said that she was hungry. Meg only said that she was hungry.…

Tip 72: Preventive or Preventative?

What is the difference between preventive and preventative? Is one preferred over the other? According to Paul Brians’ Common Errors in English Usage, the two words are interchangeable, although some people prefer ‘preventive’ because it is shorter. Bill Bryson, author of Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words: A Writer’s Guide to Getting it Right, agrees. “Preventative…

Tip 71: Toward or Towards?

Which word is correct: toward or towards? Here’s the scoop: toward and towards can be used interchangeably. Technically, they mean the same thing, and it is correct to use either of them. The reason that we may prefer one over the other is simple: it depends on whether you are from the US, Great Britain,…

Tip 68: Compare to versus Compare with

Just in case you were wondering, ‘compare to’ and ‘compare with’ are not always interchangeable. The basic differences between the two are: Use ‘to’ when you are stressing the similarities between two items that are being compared. These statements are normally subjective, in that your reader may or may not agree with the comparison you are making.…

Tip 64: Despite or In Spite of

Unlike many of our Timely Tips, this tip isn’t to tell you how these words are different and how to use them correctly. Instead, I am here to tell you that these words mean the same thing. Surprised? So was I! I’ve always assumed that there were occasions, grammatically speaking or otherwise, when you needed…

Tip 60: Principle, Principal

It’s amazing how many people use these two words incorrectly. Principal is the name that you give the person who is in charge of an elementary or secondary school. He—or she—is the ‘main one.’ That’s what principal means. So whether you are talking about the administrator in a school or you are trying to point…