Guest Watt?

PR PRATFALL -- The memo from the agency offered the exec's service as a "guess speaker." Presumably, there would be no advance notice of what the exec would have to say.


DOUBLING DOWN -- The same memo noted that the exec would be "travelling," making him available as a "guess speaker." Single L, please. The guideline is this: When the stress is on the last syllable, double the consonant before adding -ed or -ing. Examples: refer, referred; travel, traveling. Thanks to the Sichelman.


FROM THE K MAN ISLAND -- "We're having a debate about the use of a versus an when followed by a vowel or consonant." Why should this even be a question? Use an before a vowel sound, and a  before a consonant. Examples: An apple, a pear. And when the noun begins with an h, the usage will vary according to whether the h is silent. Examples: A hospital, a history, or an hour, an honorable deed. Note that the guideline is on vowel sound, not whether the letter is designated a consonant. Remember Diana Hacker's Writer's Reference manuals, the guidebooks you had to buy for Freshman Comp but never read? Get one, or Will Strunk's little book.


ACTIVE VS PASSIVE -- Avoid the phrase "is comprised of" for two reasons. One, it's the passive voice, which is not as powerful in writing as the active; and two, it's poor usage. "Comprise" is similar to "include," so you are in effect saying the group "is included of" several items.