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Editor's
Eye - Mispeled Wurds
By Anastacia Lee
The words that we choose to use at any given moment are the words that are used
to define us. These words can and will have an effect on how people see us and
determine our competence as writers.
Spell checks work well when looking for obviously misspelled words, but that
only solves half of the thorough checking that should be done before submitting
a piece to a publisher. A spell checker will not catch words that are spelled
right but mean something other than what you are trying to say. There are so
many words that sound similar but aren't. Another common mistake is using an
adjective with an absolute. An absolute is a word that means exactly what it
means. Some of these words are: perfect, dead, pregnant, and complete. If you
were to say something was "totally perfect" that would not be correct
because totally is all the way and, well, so is perfect. Perfect is perfect. You
also cannot say that someone is a "little" pregnant because once
you're pregnant… you're pregnant.
Below I will list words that are consistently used the wrong way by many people.
I sometimes even find myself making these mistakes, which is another reason that
proofreading your work is so very important.
Amend: to make minor improvements; correct an error
Emend: to edit a text to remove errors and corruption
Beside: at the side of: She sat beside the young man on the bench.
Besides: in addition to: What should I bring besides the pasta salad?
Illicit: unlicensed; unlawful
Elicit: to bring out; evoke
Councilor: member of a council: John Duffy is the new town councilor.
Counselor: someone who gives advice: I have an appointment to see my
guidance counselor today.
Blonde: a blond - haired woman
Blond: light - colored hair or complexion; with fair hair or skin
Cite: to quote; commend; refer to as an example: I would like to cite
JFK in saying...
Site: position, place, and location: I am going down to the
construction site to apply for a job.
Sight: vision; a view: I lost sight of the moon when I turned the
corner.
Effect: a result; an influence (usually a noun): The medicine has had
no effect on me.
Affect: to pretend; influence (usually a verb): How will the new law
affect people on welfare?
Accept: receive; answer affirmatively: I will accept this award on
behalf of John Doe.
Except: exclude; leave out: Most of the class has been invited except
for Marjorie.
Ingenious: brilliant; clever
Ingenuous: naive; simple
Unreadable: not interesting or not worth reading: That boring article
was truly unreadable.
Illegible: impossible or hard to read: She received a C on her paper
because it was illegible.
Rein: the leather strap used for a horse
Reign: The period between a monarch's enthronement and his or her death,
during which the nation's citizenry are under that monarch's rule (submitted by
Heidi Kortman-- thanks, Heidi!).
Their: possessive case of they: Mark and Talia brought their kids to
the party.
They're: conjunction of they are: They're really starting to get on
my nerves.
There: a place: This way! The store is over there!
Versus: against; in contrast with
Verses: poems or pieces of poetry
Then: a time; immediately or soon after; next in order: He picked me
up and then we went to dinner.
Than: used after comparative words: I like that shirt so much better
than that one.
As you can plainly see, things can sometimes get a little confusing with so many
words sounding and looking alike, but eventually, you get used to it. It's all a
matter of practice and thinking about what you're writing when you write it.
There are many more words out there that sound and look alike so know what you
want to say and more importantly, know when to say it. In other words, say
what you mean and mean what you say!
The words we use, whether applied correctly or not, will also show how important
detail is to us as writers. As a writer, detail should be very important.
After all, no publisher wants a writer who can't get his or her words straight,
right? Using the right words at the right time can make all the difference
in the world.
Originally published at RITRO.com. Reprinted with
permission.
Having grown up in NY, Anastacia
Lee now resides in Las Vegas, Nevada where she is a full-time dog trainer.
While that does consume most of her time, she makes it a point to spend some
'QT' with her first love, writing. Anastacia Lee has been published at The Zone and RITRO.com, where is she is the
Editor of Daily Inspirations. She has also just received a contract for
two of her poems with a very reputable greeting card company!
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