Those of you who do a lot of writing might want to sign up to receive
Deb Seltzer's weekly language usage tips (see example below). Deb is
Director of Research Development of the Center for Research on Health
Care and Associate Director of the RAND-University of Pittsburgh Health
Institute. More importantly, she is a terrific writer. The topics
generally cover examples of incorrect word usage she has uncovered while
editing proposals so they are highly relevant, and she is happy to take
suggestions for future subjects to address. If you want to be added to
the distribution list, email Deb at seltzer+ at pitt.edu.
Best,
Ora
-----Original Message-----
From: Deborah Seltzer [mailto:seltzer+ at pitt.edu]
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 4:24 PM
Subject: Weekly Language Usage tips
A number of us have been working on a grant proposal the last few weeks
(going to the Office of Research for electronic submission this
afternoon), and, in many ways, the grant proposal was inspiring. After
all, that proposal inspired me to write today's tips. (And the grant
proposal is the reason for this email being sent so late in the day>)
Tip 1 What word to use: assure, ensure, or insure:
Assure: you can assure a person--not a thing
Example: I assure you, I will come to Point Brugge tonight.CORRECT
I will assure that a table is available. WRONG (although
it IS true that there are hardly ever tables readily available there)
Ensure: use in sense of 'make sure' something or someone
Example: I will ensure that all the ducks are in a row.
Insure: pretty much interchangeable with ensure but not preferred in
formal writing; usually used when talking about insurance (life, car,
health, etc.)
Example: I will insure that we get this project done in time. (JUST
DOESN'T FEEL GOOD BUT IT'S OKAY IN A PINCH)
Tip 2 What is the difference between affect and effect?
These two words are often confused. Affect is USUALLY a verb. Effect is
USUALLY a noun. Since using affect as a verb and effect as a noun is the
most common usage, that's what I think of first when deciding which word
to use.
Affect: Influencing or changing something or someone
Example: The original finding affected the way I want to
approach this problem. CORRECT
I can't believe the affect those words had on me.
WRONG
Effect: Something brought about by a cause; a result: a change.
Example: The effect of the blizzard was a huge traffic jam.
CORRECT
Talking to him effected the way I viewed life. WRONG
We can go through the other meanings another day but these are the most
common definitions.
And finally, Tip 3 (I told you the proposal was inspiring--and I have
even more for another day.) Utilize
Utilize is over-utilized.
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