Word play: envisaged or envisioned?
What can of worms have I opened with use of ‘envisaged’ versus ‘envision’ I wonder? Probably a debate over whether it’s best to UK English or American English! That’s because ‘envisage’ and ‘envision’ technically mean the same thing: to visualise something or make a mental picture of it. A future possibility if you will. Your […]
Why I’ve gone off newspapers, part two: balance
IN THE MAINSTREAM media there seems to be a trend towards scaremongering for an optimum number of clicks or sales. You may recall my earlier blog about the power of emotive language to frighten and depress us in newspapers. This post builds on that notion with a specific case study: coverage of Brazil ahead of […]
Word play: Circumvented or circumnavigated?
TWO WORDS THAT may get inadvertently mixed up are ‘circumvented’ and ‘circumnavigated’. Here is an example of misuse: ‘There was a business deal on the table with some tricky elements, but we managed to circumnavigate those to get what we wanted’. It is easy to see why the writer has chosen ‘circumnavigate’ by mistake instead of […]
Word blankness can last 25 years!
IT’S QUITE COMMON, when you read ‘below the line’ comments on news media websites, to find a slew of criticism and contempt for the journalists (usually the sub editors), who have let slip a few typos and grammatical errors in their work. Of course, journalists ought to be committed to accuracy in their work, but […]
Spelling explained: adviser or advisor?
One word that commonly causes spelling confusion is adviser. Or should that be advisor? Is one variant more common, or more correct, than the other? Let’s investigate… According to the New Penguin English Dictionary: “adviser or advisor, noun: somebody who gives advice, esp professionally in specialised field” Note that the spelling ‘adviser’ is listed first; […]