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Sep 10

Number usage: fractions

Posted on Thursday, September 10, 2009 in Number usage

Spell out fractions standing alone or followed by of a, of an, or of the.
   The gap was three fourths of an inch.

Hyphenate fractions when they are used as adjectives and spelled out.
   There was a two-thirds majority in favor.

Use numerals for mixed fractions unless they begin a sentence.
   The recipe calls for  3 1/2 tablespoons of oil.
   Four and one-quarter percent is the current interest rate.

Sep 9

Number usage: large numbers

Posted on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 in Number usage

Use numerals for numbers through the thousands.
   There were 3,450 people in attendance.

Use text for large round numbers.
   The city has more than one hundred thousand inhabitants.

Use numerals and text in numbers in the millions or larger.
   The population of the United States is almost 304.1 million.

Use commas for numbers with more than three digits.
   The book has 1,234 pages.

Sep 8

Number usage: text or digits?

Posted on Tuesday, September 8, 2009 in Number usage

Spell out one through nine. Use numerals for 10 and above.
   There are three rules listed in this blog post.
   We will probably cover over 12 rules concerning number usage.

 

If a sentence or paragraph contains multiple numbers applying to the same category, treat them consistently. If one must use numerals, then all should use numerals.
   In three months, I presented 85 grammar posts and 5 non-grammar posts.

 

Spell out a number at the beginning of the sentence or rephrase the sentence.

   Two-hundred people attended the concert.
   The concert was attended by 250 people.

Sep 7

Fiesty beige soldiers receive brief reign

Posted on Monday, September 7, 2009 in Misspelled words

Yes, that is a strange title, but notice all the ie and ei words.
Here is a familiar spelling rhyme for ie and ei.

i before e
except after c
or when sounding like a
as in neighbor and weigh

Of course there are exceptions to this rule. Here are just a few of them:
  – seize, either, weird, height, foreign, leisure, counterfeit, forfeit, neither
  – friend, conscience, science, sufficient, mischief, financier

Sep 6

The stitch in this seam doesn't seem right

Posted on Sunday, September 6, 2009 in Incorrect word usage

seem means to appear outwardly
seam means joint consisting of a line formed by joining two pieces

silicon means a nonmetallic element (hard)
silicone means a polymer made from silicon (rubbery)

suit means a matching jacket and trousers
suite means one of a group of connected rooms

torturous means painful
tortuous means having many turns

Sep 5

An envelope envelops the letter inside

Posted on Saturday, September 5, 2009 in Incorrect word usage

envelope is a noun meaning something used to enclose
envelop is a verb meaning to enclose

fount is something from which water flows
font is a receptacle for holy water

quit means to stop doing something
quite means very, as in quite large
quiet means with little or no sound

real means not artificial, as in This is real ice cream.
really means actually, as in I am really tired today.

Sep 4

I'll be devastated if you renege on your promise.

Posted on Friday, September 4, 2009 in Misspelled words

devastate not devistate

hierarchy not hiarchy

lambaste not lambast

renege not renigg

risque not riska

taught not tought

Sep 3

Run a spellchecker, then congratulate yourself.

Posted on Thursday, September 3, 2009 in Misspelled words

acquaintance not aquaintence

affidavit not affidavid

cacophony not caucaphony

cataracts not cataracs

congratulations not congradulations

definitely not definately

Sep 2

Don't be needlessly wordy

Posted on Wednesday, September 2, 2009 in Redundant word usage

Don’t use more words than necessary. Here are a few examples of words that are often preceded by completely–which means fully, totally or utterly. These words are extremes and cannot be made more extreme so the use of completely is unnecessary.

annihilate means to reduce to nothing
destroy means to damage beyond use
eliminate means to destroy so that it no longer exists
ignorant means without knowledge
monopolize means to dominate something by excluding everyone else
surround means to enclose on all sides
unnecessary means not necessary

Sep 1

Prepare now for the common-cold season

Posted on Tuesday, September 1, 2009 in Misspelled words

Prepare by practicing your common-cold-related spelling.

The common cold is a viral upper respiratory tract infection that causes the mucous membranes to secrete mucus producing phlegm. Since it is viral, not bacterial, there is usually no need for prescription medication. Often acetaminophen, decongestants or antihistamines are used for relief. It is contagious and hard to develop a resistance against due to its many variations.

[I am not giving medical advice here. I am just rambling to use all the words.]