Gleanings

GLEANINGS of an Itinerant Speller -- "Inconvenient" seems to be a problem word for many writers, with letters dropped and entire syllables shifted. The two most common misspellings are "inconvient" and "inconvienent," both of which can be easily avoided by using spellcheck. For most computer users, that's built into the F7 key. Run the spellcheck program, which is simply a lexicon, or list of words, that is stored and to which the text is compared. When a word is flagged, the user then chooses from the suggested alternative spellings. This assumes that the user recognizes the correct word and selects it. Another heroic assumption.
   Spellcheck does no more than a person can do; it examines each word individually and compares it with a previously stored list. Spellcheck cannot, however, deal with context; it cannot determine whether a given word is appropriately used. And until computers can be taught meaning and semantics, it will be up to humans to keep things straight. One way to do that is to consider the elements of a word, especially polysyllabic words of Latin and Greek derivation. For example, the word "convene" can be broken up into the two elements con-vene.The Latin roots are together - come.
   Linguistically, English is classified as a Germanic language because of its grammatical structure, but because of extensive borrowing through the early years when it developed by combining Anglo-Saxon with Norman French as well as by the extensive use of Latin by scholars and clerics, some 80 percent of the English language vocabulary has Classical roots -- Latin and Greek.
  
HERE'S A TRICK -- For those whose first language is Spanish, if you don't know the English word, try the Spanish word and give it an English pronunciation. You'll be surprised at how often it works. It may not be exact, but it will be close.

CAUGHT -- Trapped in a vise is very different from being caught in a vice. The first is a gadget used by carpenters; the second is what gets politicians in moral trouble.

MORE ALLEGATIONS -- There is no such thing as an "alleged victim." The allegation applies to the accused perpetrator. Or as Pug Mahoney said while in the dock, "Your honor, I deny the allegation, and I resent the allegator."

DIZZY MATH -- A promotion for a "Disney on Ice" show in Dublin claimed "100 years of magic" for its tradition. Walt Disney was born in December, 1901, and began his career as an animator in 1920. The publicity mavens are at least ten years off. Some magic.

LAZY WRITING -- English is a  great language for short, punchy, active verbs. Use them whenever you can, and eschew obfuscatory polysyllabic derivations. At the same time, don't get stuck with a few verbs that you use so often that they lose their punch. There are plenty available, so use them and mix 'em up.