Judy Vorfeld's OFFICE SUPPORT SERVICES

Writing, editing, photography, technology, and Web development for small businesspeople

  • Home
  • About
  • Newsletter
  • Articles
    • Snazzy Presentations
    • Homonym Heaven
    • Lists: capitalization and punctuation
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Grammar / Discreet or discrete?

Discreet or discrete?

May 4, 2014 By Administrator

Judy Vorfeld

Sometimes life gets complicated. Especially if you’re writing something and you choose the wrong spelling and the book isn’t edited and it is published for millions of people to see.

On the other hand, it proves you are human. But there is so much help available that you can find answers to almost anything regarding writing or spelling. I recently read a good novel that used “discrete” instead of “discreet,” and promised myself I’d blog about it to help others.

Discreet

You are discreet when you show self-control in your behavior. You don’t call attention to the situation. If you need to leave the room to visit the bathroom, you make a discreet exit. At least I hope so, because probably no one is interested in where you’re going.

If you watch Downton Abbey, you’ll understand what it’s like to be discreet. Almost all the gossip is done discreetly, except when the screenwriter wants to create tension.

Discrete

When you think “discrete,” try to think “separate,” “distinct.” If you think of society, you think of it as a discrete “whole” or “entity” created of individual agents. You could think of a birthday cake created with discrete items: M&Ms, chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, candied fruit, etc. On the other hand, you might say the cake had lots of goodies in it.

There’s also something mathematical about “discrete,” but I either got low grades or flunked mathematics, so I’ll just say that in math, discrete has to do with finite or countable sets of value. Or something.

Filed Under: Grammar, Writing Tagged With: discreet vs discrete, Judy Vorfeld

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe To My Newsletter

Categories

Latest Posts

6 Creative Tips for Designing the Perfect Home Office

By Andrew Chu   Following the COVID-19 outbreak, big companies encouraged their employees … [Read More...]

Tidy Office Desk

How to Organize Office Supplies to Boost Workplace Productivity

By Jacky Xu This might be your first time to hear it, but we will repeat it: A cluttered … [Read More...]

Ways Photography Helps You To Manage Stress And Anxiety 

By Lucy Wyndham 3 Ways Photography Helps You To Manage Stress And Anxiety  Over 70% of … [Read More...]

Tags

4 Paws for Ability Add new tag Arizona Arizona Bridge to Independent Living Arizona Center for Disability Law Autism autism service dog Becky Blanton BL Ochman calamity jan Chancer Christmas Hills Tree Farm Dale Chihuly David Crook Desert Botanical Garden Disabilities Disability Empowerment Center Donnie Kanter Winokur Facebook FASD Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Grammar hawaii holualoa Iyal Winokur Janet Crook jan pierson Judy Vorfeld Kerrie Simpson Litchfield Park AZ Martha Retallick Morasha Winokur Mossyrock Peoria Peoria AZ Phoenix Photography Ron Simpson Seth Godin Social Networking Sue C Boynton Poetry Contest TED Twitter Wildlife World Zoo Aquarium Writing

Judy Vorfeld's
OFFICE SUPPORT SERVICES

10439 W Royal Palm Rd.
Peoria AZ 85345

Editing and Writing Services

  • Home
  • Newsletter
  • About
  • Articles
  • Contact

Copyright © 1998 ‐ 2019 — Judy Vorfeld's OFFICE SUPPORT SERVICES • All rights reserved.