Now I may be biased because I’ve been in the word business for 40+ years. But I maintain that people who are sloppy with word usage will be equally sloppy in discharging managerial duties or being good team players.Bliss makes a valid point. Correct word usage is important for the point he's making and, more importantly, because it aids readers and listeners.
He goes on to list and explain a few of his "pet bugaboos." They're capitalized in his list, though the only one that should be is Realtor. It's a trademarked term (in the United States) for some people working in the real estate industry. His bugaboos:
- compliment vs. complement:
- Realtor vs. Relator (mispronounced)
- nuclear vs. nuculer (mispronounced)
- fiefdom vs. fifedom (mispronounced)
- utilize vs. use
- cheap vs. inexpensive
For more advice on word usage as well as spelling, punctuation, capitalization and other style questions, check out Garbl's Editorial Style Manual. Also check out Garbl's Word Links. It has sections on vocabulary and spelling.
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