Editing – Page 2

When is a Principal a Principle?

February 3, 2008 By Administrator

Principal means first in authority; main participant, or amount of a debt minus the interest. It can be a noun or an adjective.

Examples: He is the principal stockholder….She is the principal speaker….The amount of principal is $200,000.

Principle means a basic truth or assumption. A lot of people think of principles in relation to ethics, rules, standards, morals, guidelines, etc. It is a noun.

Examples: The book revealed 20 principles for success in writing ….The country was founded upon those principles….She told her friend she wouldn’t cheat, since it was against her principles.

Perhaps the only time you can say, “I have my principals,” is if you are the parent of two or more school principals. Sorry. Couldn’t resist.

Sentence Spacing Quandary

January 6, 2008 By Administrator

The subject of using one space or two between sentences, especially for people used to typing exclusively on typewriters or in following a style guide that is sometimes required, often creates colorful conflict.

Here’s the history: when monospace (fixed-pitch) fonts, like Courier, were in wide use, it was traditional to leave two spaces between the period and the start of the next sentence. There were definite rules for people who typed documents, but the rules have changed..

Compliment or Complement?

July 26, 2007 By Administrator

COMPLIMENT

“Compliment” is more commonly used. It means saying something nice about someone.

Examples: Mari Bontrager complimented Bob McElwain on his latest book…Jackie McCutcheon complimented Terence Kierans on his technical support tips…My compliments to the chef.

COMPLEMENT
“Complement,” much less common than “compliment,” has a number of meanings associated with matching, completing, or perfecting. If you’re not giving someone praise, the word is usually “complement.”

Examples: My new yellow socks complement my orange shoes…His purple hair complements his green eyes…The Air Force base has a full complement of pilots.

Homonym Heaven

June 1, 2007 By Administrator

Have you ever visited a visually attractive site and then spotted phrases such as, “If your interested in learning more about our Websight, e-mail us,” or “This product comes with an unconditional guarantee. It’s high quality will make you’re life better!”? How about, “Body fat problems? We can help. Of coarse you need patients when it comes to reducing the access around you’re waste.”

You have just entered the puzzling world of homonyms (same: homo – name: nym). A homonym is a word with the same pronunciation as another but with a different meaning and origin and usually, different spelling as well. These little critters run rampant through cyberspace, especially on Websites, often turning away potential clients/customers.