The Rite? Word: Part 1

Susan Pierotti, Creative Text Solutions Oh no, not another blog on spelling! Why do bloggers feel the need to rave on about the placement of letters? Read on to find out. Having a common language is precious As humans we are given that marvellous gift – language. No other species on earth has it. Unlike organised grunts and squeals, language allows us to trade, build, record and create culture. There are blogs written by people who feel impelled to warn us of the alarming trend towards complete illiteracy. Sometimes they just want to show off. But for language – and its end product, communication – to work, there must be common ways of using and understanding words. Spelling is one of them, which is why there are so many blogposts about it. One spelling mistake won’t matter, will it? Spelling mistakes can mean your resume is tossed out on the reject pile. It can damage the professional look of your website. It can even damage your company’s reputation. Is it fair that people judge so harshly because of one or two spelling errors? No. We often can’t change people’s attitudes but we can do our best to try. This is a four-part blog on common words that are either used incorrectly because they are misheard, misspelled or misremembered. I have mentioned a few in previous blogs. Here are some more. Adverse and averse Adverse: harmful or unfavourable. It is an adjective, and describes nouns, meaning that it describes “things”. Adverse weather conditions meant that our picnic was cancelled. [caption id="attachment_193" align="alignright" width="150"] Adverse weather conditions[/caption] Averse: dislike or oppose. It is a verb, a word that describes actions or feelings. I was averse to paying $100 for a ticket to the opera when I don’t even like Classical music. You can be averse to adverse conditions! Compliment and complement Compliment: to flatter, to praise. Complement: to add to, enhance, improve, complete, or bring close to perfection. He complimented her by saying that her choice of shoes complemented her outfit. The salad dressing he made really complemented the chicken, for which she complimented him.  If, however, you are confused about which word to use, or how to spell it, the services of a professional proofreading and copyediting service will assist you with accurate and comprehensible spelling. Contact www.creativetext.com.au for further assistance.