We have more homophones for this installment. This time it's stationary and stationery, two words that are easily and often confused. Here's the scoop:

Stationery — with an e — is paper used for writing. 

Stationary — with an a — is something that is not moving.

For an easy memory aid, I like to relate the e in stationery with the e (or e's) in letter. You could also tell yourself the a in stationary stands for the a in "at rest." 

Do you have a better memory aid for distinguishing between these two words? If so, please share your thoughts in the comments.

Homophones. Those pesky little words that sound the same but are spelled differently and mean different things.

Homophones include words like rein and reign (and rain). While too, to and two are easily distinguished, other words seem to be more difficult. I read a recent blog post on a reputable and well-known site where the writer suggested that in order to live better, we sometimes need to "let go of the reigns." 

That should be: "Let go of the reins."

Reins are the literal means by which we control a horse ... or the figurative means by which we attempt to control our lives. 

Reign is what a king does. 

As a memory aid, just remember that king and reign both have a g. Doesn't that make it easy?

As for rain. Well, I think we're good on that one. Right?

While you're here, you might want to check out other homophones we've covered on the blog. 

Did you find this tip helpful? Do you have a memory aid for remembering the difference between reign and rein? Your comments are always welcome. If you have a writing or grammar question, please submit it through the link in the sidebar.

The brilliant speaker who enthralled listeners at this college event may be a researcher of world renown (used as a noun), but he is a world-renowned (adjective) researcher.

That's it. This one is pretty simple. By the way ... renown means that a person or thing is widely recognized for a talent, ability or achievement. (As in a renowned painter or world-renowned museum.)

Do you have trouble with renown vs. renowned? Do you see this mistake often? Please share your thoughts and observations in the Comments.

I've seen this usage error many times, but after spotting it recently on the website for a Nashville TV station, I decided it was time to tackle this subject on the grammar blog. 

Here is the egregious sentence:

"Possessions should never be covered with coats or towels as they only serve to peak the curiosity of thieves."

Peak, peek and pique are three words that sound the same but have vastly different meanings (homophones). In the case of these "P" words, if you aren't careful, you'll choose the wrong one. Let's run down the definitions for each to help you keep them straight.

A peak is something with a point, like a mountain peak or the peaks that form on a meringue. 

Peek is sneaking a look at something. 

Pique is to arouse interest, as in piquing someone's curiosity.

A memory aid for this one is a little tough, as the connections are counterintuitive. It would be easy to point out a connection between sneak and peak, but that's the wrong meaning. For peak, I suggest thinking of a capital A in peak to represent a mountain peak. For peek, I recommend thinking of the double e's in peek and see. I think pique is the toughest one for most writers because of its French derivation. It looks like it would be pronounced "pee-kay, "pee-Q" or even "pick." Because it's a little different, I think that's why folks often err toward using the more common-looking choices of peak and peek. When it comes to pique, try to think of a curious Frenchman looking inquisitive. (Inquisitive even has the "qu" letter combination.) 

That's it. Just remember a mountain peAk, sEE and pEEk and a curious Frenchman. 

Do you have a memory aid for distinguishing between peak, peek and pique? Did you know the different meanings for these words? (No shame or embarrassment here if you didn't!) Please share your thoughts in the Comments below.

It's becoming an everyday occurrence to see everyday and every day used incorrectly. Yes, I see it almost every day. 

If you struggle to understand the difference between the two — or if you didn't realize there was a difference — this post is intended to boil it down for you.

Everyday is an adjective meaning routine, typical or ordinary. 
It always modifies a noun or noun phrase that follows it.

Examples: 
an everyday walk
an everyday pair of shoes
an everyday set of dishes

Every day is an adverbial phrase that describes how often an action takes place. 
It also means each day.

Examples:
Cindy goes to work every day. (But she wears her everyday clothes.) 
Don plays golf every day during the summer. (And he wears an everyday shirt.)

If you still have trouble keeping them straight, try substituting the word ordinary and see if the sentence makes sense. If it does, everyday is correct. If not, use every day. If you can substitute the phrase each day, then every day is correct.

Did you find this tip helpful? Do you have other memory tools for remembering the difference between everyday and every day? Your comments are always welcome. If you have a writing or grammar question, please submit it through the link in the sidebar.

Recently I was approached by a co-worker who was struggling with the further/farther conundrum. But this riddle isn't so complex if you use an easy memory tool.

Further is used in a figurative sense.
Farther refers to literal distance (1).

I always think of walking a FAR distance; this helps me to think of the LITERAL distance and relate it to a LITERAL meaning.
 
Examples:
The police spokesman said the matter required further investigation. (figurative)

Michael and I decided to walk even farther into the woods. (literal distance)

Even though this recommended usage of further and farther seems to be the prevailing choice today, according to Merriam-Webster Online, historically the words were used interchangeably and have only in recent years taken on distinct meanings (2). The Online Etymology Dictionary states: "There is no historical basis for the notion that farther is of physical distance and further of degree or quality (3)." The usage I support and promote in this post is the usage I've known throughout my working life in the newspaper business, and, for now, is the preferred choice of the Associated Press Style Manual (1) as well as noted grammar pundits (4) (5).

It is also worth noting that in some instances it's difficult to distinguish whether the intended usage is literal or figurative. In cases where the meaning is ambiguous, it's commonly accepted that either word is appropriate. 

That's it. We've made it one step further (farther?) down the road to better writing habits. (Since it's somewhat ambiguous and really more of a figurative meaning, I'm going with further.)

Did you find this post helpful? Do you have a memory aid for further/father that you'd like to share? Have a question you'd like to submit to the blog? Please leave your thoughts in the Comments below or submit a question through the link in the sidebar.

SOURCES
1. "Farther, further." AP Stylebook Online, 2012. http://www.apstylebook.com (accessed Sept. 24, 2012; subscription required).
2. “Farther.” Merriam-Webster Online, 2012. http://www.merriam-webster.com (accessed Sept. 28, 2012).
3. “Farther.” Online Etymology Dictionary, 2012. http://www.etymonline.com  (accessed Sept. 30, 2012).
4. "Further versus farther." http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/further-versus-farther.aspx (accessed Sept. 29, 2012).
5. "Farther, further: What's the difference?" http://www.dailywritingtips.com/farther-further-whats-the-difference (accessed Sept. 29, 2012).

I'm not making a political statement (and who knows how many grammatical errors might have been made in the recent DNC speeches), but the following grammar faux pas by Mitt Romney rang in my ears during the recent Republican National Convention:

But if you ask Ann and I what we'd give, to break up just one more fight between the boys...

Sorry, Mitt. That should be "Ann and me."

I and me are personal pronouns. We use the personal pronoun I (a subject pronoun) when referring to a subject (the doer of action); use me (an object pronoun) when referring to the object of an action. In the example from Mitt's speech, the "I" in the sentence is being asked a question; it is the object of the action. 

Most speakers and writers understand the basics of personal pronouns. It's when we're faced with a compound subject (like Mitt's) that some of us choke and use the wrong pronoun. For example, most of us know it's correct to say "I went to the concert last night"  instead of "Me went to the concert last night."  And "John gave the concert tickets to me" would be an easy choice over "John gave the concert tickets to I."  Still, some folks would easily (and incorrectly) say: "John gave the concert tickets to Jim and I."

An easy way to determine if you're using the correct pronoun is to break down the compound subject in a sentence and make it into two complete sentences with a single subject:

John gave the concert tickets to Jim. 
John gave the concert tickets to me. 
John gave the concert tickets to Jim and me.

If me is correct by itself, then it's the right choice when you're using it with with another noun.

Another common mistake is the misuse of the reflexive pronoun myself. For example:

Read the report and send your feedback to Tom and myself. (wrong)
Read the report and send your feedback to Tom and me. (correct)

As a reflexive pronoun, myself must be preceded by a noun, pronoun, adjective or adverb that it refers back to (its antecedent). In the example above, myself has no antecedent. Examples of correct usage include:

I saw myself in the mirror.
I treated myself to a cup of hot tea.

In these examples, myself refers back to its antecedent: I. Himself, herself and yourself are also reflexive pronouns. You could easily substitute he/himself or her/herself into the second sentence above. (She treated herself to a cup of hot tea.)

That's it for me, myself and I. I hope this post helped you sort out any issues you might have in using them. 

Have you been tripped up by personal pronouns? Do you notice when writers and speakers misuse the pronouns cited in this post? Please share your thoughts in the Comments. 

The abbreviations i.e. and e.g. are frequently misused and misunderstood. Here's an explanation of what they mean and a memory aid to help you use them correctly.

I.E.
I.e. is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase id est, which translated means that is. My easy memory tool is to equate "that is" with "in other words." I associate the "i" of i.e. with "in," to help me remember its meaning. If you can substitute "that is" or "in other words" for i.e. in your sentence, then you've made the right choice. 

Examples
I will spend the weekend engaged in my favorite activity, i.e., reading a book.

I will spend the weekend engaged in my favorite activity, that is, reading a book.

I will spend the weekend engaged in my favorite activity, in other words, reading a book.

E.G.
The abbreviation e.g. is Latin for exempli gratia, which means "for example" or "example given." My memory aid is to remember the "e" for example. In fact, I even think of it as eggs-ample, further playing on the "eg" letters.

Examples
Mary likes to grow salad fixings in her garden, e.g., spinach, lettuce, radishes and tomatoes.

Mary likes to grow salad fixings in her garden, for example, spinach, lettuce, radishes and tomatoes.

If you can remember "i" for "in" and "e" for "example," you should be able to easily distinguish between this pair of word teasers. In fact, if you can just remember one, you know the other by default.

For American English users, remember that i.e. and e.g. are set off with commas. It is also acceptable to precede these abbreviations with a semicolon instead of a comma.

Have you had issues distinguishing between i.e. and e.g.? Do you have a memory aid to help you remember the difference? Please share your thoughts in the comments. And if you have a grammar question, please share it here.