Grammarist

Organise vs. organize

Grammarist — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 04:56:21 +0000

Organize is the American and Canadian spelling of the verb meaning to put together or to arrange systematically. Organise is the preferred spelling outside North America. Other than the spelling, there is no difference between the words. The spelling distinction extends to all derivatives, including organised/organized, organising/organizing, and organisation/organization. Examples These are North American publications: [...]

Bear market, bull market, bearish, bullish

Grammarist — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 04:27:38 +0000

In investing, a bull market is one in which trends are positive and most investors are optimistic. A bear market is the opposite—a time of downward trends and pessimism. The corresponding adjectives, bearish and bullish, describe either market conditions (falling or rising, respectively) or investors’ attitudes toward the market or certain investments. If you have [...]

Seasons (capitalization)

Grammarist — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:45:13 +0000

Most edited publications do not capitalize the seasons of the year, and we know of no major style guide that recommends doing so. Spring, summer, autumn, fall, and winter are common nouns like any other. Think of them as similar to morning, afternoon, and night—terms that denote clearly defined periods of time but are not [...]

People vs. persons

Grammarist — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:45:23 +0000

In modern English, people is the de facto plural of person. The words have separate Latin origins, and they came to English at different times by different paths, but there are examples of people used as a plural of person from as early as the 14th century. Persons was the original plural, and it is [...]

Wander vs. wonder

Grammarist — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:28:18 +0000

To wander is to move about with no destination or purpose. It is a physical activity, though the word is sometimes used figuratively for nonphysical actions that are aimless (e.g., a movie or a conversation might wander). To wonder is to feel curiosity, to be in doubt, or to have a feeling of admiration. It [...]

Interpretative vs. interpretive

Grammarist — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:03:10 +0000

In English-language news publications that publish online, interpretive is about three times as common as interpretative. The longer form has the edge in British publications. The shorter form prevails everywhere else. Some consider interpretive incorrect because the Latin stem is interpretat-. Plus, there is plenty of precedent for using the longer form—for example, English speakers [...]

Humus vs. hummus

Grammarist — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:01:45 +0000

Hummus is the creamy, chickpea-based dip. The word has a few alternative spellings, including houmous, hommus, and houmos, but these are rare. Humus is fully decomposed organic matter. It’s sometimes used in gardening to improve the fertility of soil. Examples I love all things Mediterranean, especially hummus, but I have always been slightly nervous to make my [...]

Red herring

Grammarist — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:16:28 +0000

In its figurative senses, a red herring is either (1) a piece of information meant to mislead investigators, (2) a lead that turns out to be false (not necessarily based on an intentionally misleading piece of information), or (3) something that diverts attention from the main issue. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term [...]

Kick off, kickoff, kick-off

Grammarist — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:47:09 +0000

In American and Canadian publications, kickoff is a noun and an adjective, and kick off is its corresponding phrasal verb. So, for instance, it is one word in “the kickoff time is noon” and “you missed the kickoff” because it is an adjective in the first example and a noun in the second. And it [...]

Licorice vs. liquorice

Grammarist — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:37:30 +0000

For the distinctively flavored Mediterranean plant, its root, and candies and confections made from the root, North American English speakers use licorice. In Ireland and the U.K., liquorice is preferred. We find both spellings used about evenly in Australian and New Zealand publications. Other than the spelling, there is no difference between the words. Examples [...]