By Judy Vorfeld IMPLY Imply means that someone wants to make something understood without expressing it directly. It is safe to say that this technique is used often by politicians. Synonyms: hint, suggest, insinuate, point toward. INFER Infer means that the hearer perceives or concludes something (today […]
By Judy Vorfeld Have you ever written, “We will do everything in our power to insure that your shipment arrives before Friday”? Was this correct? It’s not incorrect, but there’s a better way to use it. There are three words that confuse people: insure, ensure, and assure. INSURE means […]
By Judy Vorfeld When do I use “have” and when do I use “ought”? Let’s start with “ought.” * Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary says: “– used to express obligation , advisability , natural expectation , or logical consequence .” Ought expresses obligation, advisability (giving advice), expectation, or consequence. It’s a word […]
By Judy Vorfeld A while ago, I decided to research the differences between “a while” and “awhile.” I like Professor Paul Brians’ comments: When “awhile” is spelled as a single word, it is an adverb meaning “for a time” (“stay awhile”); but when “while” is the object of a prepositional phrase, like […]
By Judy Vorfeld Do you get confused over when to use “among” and when to use “between”? Let’s see if I can help without confusing you further! The Gregg Reference Manual, Ninth Edition, says that in general we use “between” when referring to two persons or things, and […]
