Am I good or well?

You could be either. What is the correct response to “how are you?” If you mean you are in good health, you can reply “I feel good, thanks.” If you are talking about the efficiency with which you feel something, you can reply “I feel well, thanks.”

(credit to Albert Joseph’s Executive Guide to Grammar 1987).

He sings pretty good.

If the title of this post made you cringe — the Word Nerd is proud of you! In recent years it has become common to use good as an adverb (remember, adverbs modify verbs). This situation has become so common that the Canadian Oxford Dictionary (2000) even has a small notation at the end of the definition on the word to note that the adverb form is a North American phenomenon and is disputed.

When you are looking for an adverb — as in the title of this post — the correct word to use is well. He sings pretty well.

Check out the next post for another good/well tip.

Precipitous vs. Precipitate

The Word Nerd has received a few requests to explain the difference between these two words. They are often used incorrectly by very intelligent people.  A recent op-ed piece by Niall Ferguson (The Fragile Empire) in the Vancouver Sun is one such example. Mr. Ferguson writes, “The most recent and familiar example of precipitous decline is the collapse of the Soviet Union.”  Mr. Ferguson, who is a professor at Harvard, does, of course, mean the “precipitated decline.”

Precipitous is an adjective that  means dangerously steep or like a precipice.

Precipitate is a verb that means to hasten the occurant of or cause to occur prematurely. My Canadian Oxford dictionary also gives this definition: send rapidly into a certain state or condition. This final definition is exactly what Mr. Ferguson means in his op-ed.

One of the Word Nerd’s colleagues e-mailed her with this handy little sentence to help you remember which word to use: “A wee dram might precipitate a fall from a precipitous mountain.”

Confusing Words: Amendment vs Addendum

A colleague asked the Word Nerd about the use of the words amendment and addendum when it comes to changing and updating documents such as official policies, research papers or even text books. She wanted to know if the words were interchangeable because she has seen them used as such.

The answer is no. The words are not interchangeable but they do have similar meanings that can confuse many people.

An addendum is something that is added to a document — usually because it was omitted (mistakenly or not) in the first draft.

An amendment is a minor improvement in a document (my dictionary states that this is most common in a legal or statutory document).  This improvement could be the correcting of an error in the original document. An amendment could also contain supplementary information to the original document.

In the Word Nerd’s experience, an amendment is more common than an addendum in corporate communications. In academia, addendums may be more common.

Spoiled versus Spoilt

The Word Nerd was asked to explain the difference between the spoiled and spoilt (and dreamed/dreamt). Both the “ed” and “t” endings are versions of the passed tense and the words have identical meanings so they can be used interchangably. Using the “t” ending is more popular in Britain which is why those of us in Canada see it more often than our neighbours to the south.  Feel free to use either ending; however, do not mix them in the same sentence or even the same piece you are writing. Pick one ending and stick to it.

They’re over there with their ball.

They’re, there, their… Do these three words confuse you? You are not alone! Lately, the Word Nerd has seen the wrong form of these words used in news articles online and in print as well as on store signs and Facebook status updates.

They’re — This word is actually a contraction of “they are.” It is quite simply to figure out if you need this version… simply say your sentence with “they are” in place of “they’re, their, there” and the correct answer will become clear.

Example:

Have you seen Mark and Bill?

They’re (they are) in the park.

There — This word is an adjective used to indicate a place or position (physical or in time). It can also be used to denote sympathy (There, there). It can also denote the existance of something (there it is).

Example:

Where are Mark and Bill?

Mark and Bill are over there.

Their — this word is a possessive plural pronoun and therefore indicates ownership by more than one person.

Example:

What are Mark and Bill doing in the park?

Mark and Bill are playing with their model airplane.

Am I riding a stationary bike or a stationery one?

That depends, is the bike made out of paper? If so, you may be riding a stationary stationery bike!

Stationary is a word that means not moving. For example: The wolf was stationary while he waited for the rabbit to move within pouncing distance.

Stationery means the paper and supplies you might buy at Staples. Example: I gave my grandma a lovely stationery set for Christmas.

Here’s a simple way to remember the difference. You write on stationery and the most common vowel is “E” therefore you will probably use it several times on your stationEry (get it? Stationery with an E is the paper kind). Let me know if you have a different way of remembering the difference between these two words.

10 Misspelled Words

The Oatmeal recently published a piece on 10 commonly misspelled words. It managed to explain the differences between these words in a funny and irreverent way — with pictures!

Have a read and a laugh: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling

Your Word of the Day/Week

I just received a new iPhone and, being the Word Nerd, downloaded a dictionary app with a Word of the Day feature. I thought I’d share today’s word with you.

Roborant — restoring strength or vigor (adj); or a restorative (n)

ROB-uh-ruhnt

Example: Many people feel the need for a roborant after a rowdy New Year’s Eve party.

Ad Proofreaders Needed

Moments ago I came across this example of pronoun/antecedent agreement on a web ad for Intel.

Your kid’s PC is everything to them. Get the right one.

The corrected version is: Your kids’ PC is everything to them. This version makes sure the antecedent (kids’) is plural (and possessive) to match the pronoun (them). Of course, you could also correct the sentence in this way: Your kid’s PC is everything to her (assuming you know the gender of your own child :-)).