‘Allusion’ and ‘illusion’ are often confused. ‘Elusion’ doesn’t get mixed up with them that often but sometimes it makes a surprise appearance.
An allusion is usually defined as an indirect reference. However, Fowler’s states that it is acceptable to use ‘allude’ to mean ‘refer’.
An illusion is a false appearance or deceptive impression of reality. It can also be a false or misleading idea or belief.
Elusion means the act of escaping or avoiding.
Thank you to Aeryn Rudel for suggesting a new addition to my blog topics – weird hyphenated words!
‘Arsy-versy’ is an informal, primarily British English word. It means backwards, upside down, in reverse, confused or disordered.
I got things arsy-versy.
I probably wouldn’t use it in front of polite company.
If I had a penny for every time I saw these mixed up, I would have a very heavy penny jar.
And I would get fed up of that face the cashiers at the bank pull when they see you are depositing lots of change.*
*I always sort it into the correct denominations and amounts, and put it into the little plastic bags. I don’t know why I still get the face.
‘Defiantly’ is not the only misspelling of ‘definitely’. However, it is the one that I read most often – spellcheckers don’t point it out with a helpful wiggly red line.
Definitely means without doubt or in a clear (definite) manner.
Defiantly means to do something in a way that shows resistance or rebellion.
As has previously been mentioned in the comment section of one of my posts, pore and pour are often confused. In my experience, this tends to manifest as writers using poured over when they actually mean pored over.
Therefore, I poured cream over the pudding and I pored over my latest manuscript.
A few months ago, I tweeted this:*
Most people are able to use paragraphs very well without any help from me. But occasionally I am confronted with a solid block of words that makes my heart sink a little.
You can think of paragraphs as units of thought. There are no real rules about how long they should be, but one-sentence paragraphs should not be used too often and paragraphs any longer than a page are going to lose you readers. As usual, context will dictate what is appropriate. The best way to approach it is one idea per paragraph. (This doesn’t have to be a huge change of idea – it is usually nuanced.)
It might be helpful to consider the structure for paragraphs in essays. They should typically be structured as follows: introduce idea, elaborate on idea, reach conclusion and/or establish direction for the next paragraph. This can be applied to most other writing situations but its usefulness will depend on style and context (again).
Paragraphs are particularly important for web-based content, and they should be fairly short. Because readers tend to scan text online, gaining and keeping their attention is easier with short paragraphs.
Paragraphs break up the text, making it look less intimidating and more accessible. They make it easier to follow and understand the argument, discussion or narrative. And they will help the writer to focus on and progress through their ideas.
Use paragraphs. They’re great.
*The universe Twitter largely ignored me.
Of course, this should be derring-do. But the misspelling is understandable given the meaning of the word and its origins.
Derring-do is pleasantly archaic and often used humorously in modern writing.* It means actions showing heroic courage or feats of daring.
The word originated from the late Middle English dorryng do (meaning ‘daring to do’) being misprinted as derrynge do in the 16th-century editions of John Lydgate’s Chronicle of Troy.
The modern usage and spelling is usually most associated with Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe.
*I would love to proofread a story where derring-do doesn’t look out of place. I am imagining pirates. Or an old-fashioned superhero.
You could probably give your readers a little bit of an upset if you used ‘interred’ when you meant ‘interned’. Unless they really don’t like the character you are writing about – they might just be disappointed when they realise the mistake.
These are words to keep in mind if you tend to accidentally hit the wrong keys as you type – the spellchecker won’t object to them and the difference (n/r) is easy to skim over when you check your writing.
This is my latest book recommendation. I consult this book regularly and it rarely lets me down. Respected and authoritative, it is a book with a sensible and measured approach to the English language.
The 7,500 entries are displayed in an A–Z fashion (like a dictionary, as per its name) with clear explanations and examples. It covers grammar, syntax, spelling, word choices and meanings, punctuation, and differences in English usage around the world. Fowler’s is my favourite source for identifying myths and ‘rules’ that are unnecessary and that damage good writing.
I referred to it in my previous post on ending a sentence with a preposition, and I have directed clients to it when discussing preferred forms of words. I even flick through it occasionally just to see what interesting entries I stumble across.
My hardback copy of the latest edition has 928 pages – you probably won’t want to carry it around with you! But it is an excellent publication to add to your collection. And (to my chagrin) it seems to be a lot cheaper to buy now than it was when I bought it.
Ending a sentence with a preposition is completely fine. Do it. You can cite the following sources to anyone who says you shouldn’t:*
Sometimes sentences ending in prepositions should be rewritten because they lack impact or read badly, but they are not ‘wrong’. It is only in the most formal of contexts that placing a preposition before its object is a must. In fact, in some situations it is only appropriate for the preposition to come at the end of a clause or sentence (see Fowler’s for more on this).
Don’t ruin your writing trying to obey this ‘rule’. It is not a thing.
* Martin Cutts calls these people ‘fossils’. I couldn’t possibly comment …
Hannah McCall 