Versus

“Condemn” vs. “Contemn”

Misspellings, Verbs, Versus

I saw one of these verbs while investigating the word “disdain”.

Problem:
These two verbs have distinct meanings but differ by only one letter.

Explanation:
Feeling playful, I wondered this morning whether the word “disdain” had a counterpart word “dain”.

So I searched a dictionary for “dain” but found no match. Instead, I learned that “disdain” — spelled D-I-S-D-A-I-N — comes from “dis” plus “deign” — spelled D-E-I-G-N.

I also learned that one of the synonyms for “disdain” as a verb is the verb “contemn” — spelled C-O-N-T-E-M-N.

The meaning of this verb “contemn” is to treat with contempt.

In contrast, the verb “condemn” — spelled C-O-N-D-E-M-N with a “d” in the middle — means to express strong disapproval of and is related to the roots “con” and “damn”.

Here are examples of proper use of these two verbs:

  • “Please do not condemn him for wanting to take care of his family.”
  • “The consultant contemns any client who asks questions after what the consultant gives what he believes is a thorough presentation.”

Solution:
Remember that “condemn” — spelled with a “d” — is related to the word “damn”. Remember that “contemn” — spelled with a “t” — is related to “contempt” — also spelled with a “t”.

How to keep working in a worsening economy

Apostrophes, Commas, Common English Blunders, Hyphens, Misspellings, Prepositions, Versus

As I write this, the Dow-Jones Industrial Average has dropped from a record high one year ago to a five-year low.

Insanity is often defined as expecting your personal situation to improve while you continue to do what you always have done.

Protecting your working life from a worsening economy requires standing out — in a good way — from the crowd.

I believe that communicating better makes this possible.

Here are ten tips to keep working in a worsening economy, all with a focus on communicating better — doing something different, so that you’ll get different results.

Tip 1. Watch your spelling.

Here are some of the misspellings that I have documented in this blog:

  • misspelling “extraordinary” as E-X-T-R-A-HYPHEN-O-R-D-I-N-A-R-Y
  • misspelling “pronunciation” as P-R-O-N-O-U-N-C-I-A-T-I-O-N
  • misspelling “likelihood” as L-I-K-E-L-Y-SPACE-H-O-O-D
  • misspelling “accessible” as A-C-C-E-S-S-A-B-L-E
  • misspelling “supersede” as S-U-P-E-R-C-E-D-E

You can throw off half your audience and embarrass yourself by misspelling a word in the title of one of your PowerPoint slides, in an important email message to your boss or customer, or on the front page of a white paper that you have written.

If you know that you are not a good speller, then take action, starting today, to change this.

Tip 2. Watch your punctuation.

Here are some of the punctuation problems that I have discussed in my blog:

You can improve your punctuation skills. Start today by buying a good book or two about punctuation.

Tip 3. Watch your words.

Picking the wrong word is another way to look bad in front of your fellow employees, your boss, or your customer or prospect.

Here are some pairs of words that give people trouble:

Some might argue that many Americans do not know the difference in each of the above word pairs, so you should not worry about knowing the differences.

I disagree. Knowing the differences in these and other commonly confused word pairs can set you apart from the crowd with someone who cares — someone who can give you a raise, someone who can recommend you for a promotion, or someone who can give you new or more business.

Tip 4. Watch your grammar.

While text messaging and instant messaging have encouraged people to write in sentence fragments, not knowing how to write complete, grammatically correct sentences in other written forms — email messages, white papers, etc. — can hurt your reputation with the people who have the most influence over your finances.

Here are some common mistakes with grammar:

I could list many other types of mistakes with grammar, but you get the point.

If you have a basic discomfort with your grammar skills, then read some books about English grammar.

If you are generally confident about these skills but wonder on occasion whether something is correct, then research your question — here or elsewhere online. That nagging feeling is usually there for a good reason; pay attention to it!

Tip 5. Watch your slang.

Although slang can be fun to use, and although the origins of various slang expressions can be fascinating, using slang in your work life can hobble your career.

Here are some types of slang:

  • regional slang, as in “y’all” or “you guys” in place of “you”;
  • ethnic slang, as in “Where you at?” or “Git ‘er done.”;
  • corporate slang, as in “open architecture” or “on the bubble”.

Now, you might know what all of the above examples mean, but this does not guarantee that your boss, your fellow employees, or your customers do, too.

A problem with regional slang is that people will use it against you by taking a “You are not from around here.” attitude.

A problem with ethnic slang is that people will use it against you by taking a “You are not one of us.” attitude.

And a problem with corporate slang is that it can seem intelligent when first read or heard but will later cause the reader or listener to wonder what you meant.

Tips 6-10.

I must postpone these for my next post.

Please think about these first five tips, take a break, and then return tomorrow for the remaining tips!

“Affect” vs. “Effect”

Common English Blunders, Mispronunciations, Nouns, Verbs, Versus

I often see and hear mistakes with these two words.

Problem:
These words are spelled similarly but have different meanings.

Explanation:
The word “affect” is spelled A-F-F-E-C-T.

  • As a verb, the word “affect” means to act on or to produce a change in, as in “You can affect her attitude toward education.”
  • As a noun, the word “affect” means emotion or feeling, as in “The psychiatrist said that the patient’s affect could be a symptom of schizophrenia.”

The word “effect” is spelled E-F-F-E-C-T.

  • As a verb, the word “effect” means to bring about or make happen, as in “Many people believe that he cannot effect the change that he is promoting.”
  • As a noun, the word “effect” means consequence or result, as in “The effects of Hurricane Ike could be seen throughout Houston and Galveston.”

It is a common English blunder — at least in American English — to use one of these verbs as a substitute for the other one. It is also a common English blunder to use one of these nouns as a substitute for the other one.

I believe that mistaken interchanging of these two words is due to mispronunciations, which drive misspellings.

Solution:
Memorize the verb and noun definitions of these two words.