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ketchup, catchup, catsup

In British English, ketchup is the only form in use. American English still uses all three forms, though ketchup is the recommended form for American writers....

learnèd word

A word taken from a classical language. For example, instead of breakable, English often uses the Latin word fragile; instead of dog we sometimes use the Latin word canine; instead of saying that a disease is catching, we often prefer the L...

diachronic

Pertaining to the time element in language; involving change in a language over time. A diachronic approach to the study of a language is the study of its development over a period of time....

tag question

A brief question which is tacked on to the end of a statement. English uses two different kinds of tag question, both of somewhat complex formation. Consider the statement Astrid is Norwegian. One kind of tag question extends this statement so as to ...

minor sentence

Any piece of speech or writing which does not have the form of a complete sentence but which is normal in context. Examples: "Any news?"; "No smoking!"; "Hello."; "As if I would know."; "Wow!...

double negative

Any construction in which two or more negative words occur in a single clause. Examples 1: "I didn't see nothing" (= I didn't see anything); Examples 2: "No football team can't win no championship without no defenders" (= No football team can win a c...

COVID-19 Capitalization

The word "coronavirus" is not a proper noun, and is not the name of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. Therefore, "CoronaVirus", "Coronavirus", and "Corona Virus" are invalid. Adding a space, like in "corona virus", is also invalid.You can't say someon...

plurale tantum

 A NOUN which is invariably plural in form, even though it may be singular in sense. Examples include oats, cattle, remains, pants, scissors, binoculars, pyjamas, shorts and tweezers. Such nouns are awkward to count: we cannot say *a pants or * ...

phoney vs. phony

Which spelling is correct? Both are acceptable. British English prefers phoney, while American English prefers phony....

snicker vs. snigger

snicker is the American form, snigger is the British form. As simple as that....

forbid vs. prohibit

These words have the same meaning but behave differently. We forbid someone to do something, but we prohibit someone from doing something. It is wrong to confuse the two. With a simple object, however, either verb may be used: "The police forbade dem...

derisive vs. derisory

These words are, in some instances, interchangeable, but not in all cases. We commonly use derisive to mean mocking or contemptuous. Most authorities recognise derisory as an alternative here, although it is not recommended. More commonly, we use der...

imposter vs. impostor

The spellings imposter and impostor are both widely used, and both are acceptable, but some authorities prefer impostor. Etymology To grasp the disparities between "imposter" and "impostor," it is essential to understand their etymological roots. Bo...

Bosphorus vs. Bosporus

Both Bosporus and Bosphorus are acceptable spellings for the narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway located in northwestern Turkey. ...

euphemism vs. euphuism

A euphemism is an inoffensive expression used in place of one which may be considered offensive or vulgar. But euphuism is an absurdly overblown and affected style of writing....

"A" and "AN" - How to use?

Hi friends,The general rule is that, “an” is to be used before a vowel and “a” is to beUsed before a consonant.This rule is applicable in most of the situations.But in some cases the word “an” is used before consonant and at the same time...

Why is Learning Foreign Languages Exciting?

At school, we learn a foreign language for several years, in most cases, because of the academic program. For our age and brief life experience, we underestimate the importance of knowing a different language and speaking fluently in it. Following gr...

saccharin vs. saccharine

The artificial sweetener is saccharin; the adjective meaning 'sugary' or 'excessively sweet' is saccharine....

racket vs. racquet

 The bat used in playing tennis and related games is either a racket or a racquet. Both forms are standard, so use either. However, the game resembling squash is always rackets in British English but racquets in American English....

show vs. shew

Professor R. L. Trask (Ph.D. in linguistics) has the following to say on show and shew: Except in quotations and in certain legal contexts, the spelling shew for show is now obsolete and should not be used. The past tense of show is always showe...

sulphur vs. sulfur

For many years there has existed a difference in the spelling for the name of element number 16 with the symbol S. British English spelt it "sulphur" while North American English used the phonetic spelling "sulfur". In the late 20thC, the Internation...

government vs. administration

In Britain, a government is the tenure of a particular prime minister, or the people who hold office during that tenure, as in the Blair government. The American equivalent is administration, as in the Obama administration. In the US, the g...

despite vs. in spite of

These are equivalent in meaning. "The event went ahead despite the weather." "The event went ahead in spite of the weather."...

neologism

A neologism is a newly coined word, or a new use for an old word. An example of a neologism is the word webinar, for a seminar on the web or the Internet....

optimal vs. optimum

Both of these are technical terms in certain mathematical disciplines. Optimal and optimum both mean “best possible” or “most favorable.” Optimal is used solely as an adjective, as in “optimal method of completion, while optimum functions a...