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I had to revisit one of my previous notes today: Note 237 – Do you lay or lie on the settee? to check the past tense of the word lay which is laid and NOT layed, for example, ‘I laid the information out concisely’. I felt like it was an important point to note that there is no … Continue reading
I like the sound of the word synonymous, but have never used it in a sentence before (although I have written about synonyms). Dictionary.com define it as ‘equivalent in meaning’ or ‘expressing or implying the same idea’. Synonymous is in the top ten percent of words looked up in the Merriam-Webster dictionaries and their definitions of this 17th century word are: having the … Continue reading
Having always used the expression vicious circle, I was confused when I heard vicious cycle mentioned on an audio programme the other day. After some research I have found that both are used, although vicious circle is preferred. Here are a few notes: Cambridge Dictionaries online define vicious circle as “a continuing unpleasant situation, created when … Continue reading
I would always have said that the main difference between the spellings centre and center is that the former is British English and the latter is American English; however, I have learnt today that there are some variations to this rule. Difference Between.net explains that countries such as Canada and India “have adopted the British system of spelling” and therefore spell it … Continue reading
“Is this a case of regional variation taking over?” said a work colleague when reading the following paragraph in the Metro newspaper: “A child can now be at greater risk sat in their bedroom on their computer than outside the school gates.” (Source: London Metro, 31 Jan 2012. Article: More at risk online than outside) … Continue reading
Image by Intiaz Rahim via Flickr I don’t know why I hesitate before writing the word occasionally (there – I did it again!). The correct spelling has just not stuck in all these years; if I could just remember that it’s got two ‘c’s, I would know that one ‘s’ followed. On research, this isn’t one that’s been blogged about much, … Continue reading
According to Wikipedia, mnemonics are “any learning technique that aids memory” and I think they are wonderful things if you can remember them! A school friend (back in the ’80s) gave me a tip on how to spell the word necessary and I can honestly say that I have recited the following phrase in my head almost every time I have … Continue reading
Dos-à-dos is French for ‘back-to-back’. Although I seem to remember this as a dance step from my younger days, I wasn’t entirely sure of the spelling – I probably would have said that it was spelled do-si-do or something similar. According to Wikipedia, dosado (a corrupted spelling of dos-à-dos) is a basic dance move, that can also be known as do-sa-do, do-si-do or … Continue reading
On my commute to work, I sometimes take my laptop to do some writing. The other day I was sitting next to a man who just kept glancing over at the screen. It wasn’t that I was hiding anything in particular, in fact I was just typing a blog post, but it was a little annoying. I decided … Continue reading
A.k.a. is an abbreviation meaning “also known as” and for a writer or author, it might appear before their pen name. According to Wikipedia, it is also used to introduce pseudonyms, aliases, nicknames, working names, legalized names, maiden names and so on. It appears that it can be capitalised and/or punctuated and the variations I have … Continue reading
My Writing Notebook 