A common mistake I’ve seen in manuscripts, letters, blogs, emails and tweets is the incorrect use of the words whose and who’s. There appears to be a fair bit of confusion on which of these terms to use. Whenever an apostrophe is potentially involved, people seem to...
Common Spelling Errors
Over the past several months, I’ve seen certain spelling and grammar errors show up over and over again in tweets, texts, emails, reports and manuscripts. I’m sure some of these are the result of autocorrect or tapping on the wrong word option. But many are clearly...
My Current Peeve: Regime vs Regimen
The words regime and regimen are often confused by writers. In recent months, I’ve seen the word regime used incorrectly more and more often. I’m sure that, on occasion, it’s simply a mistake made by autocorrect or by a careless, quick tap on the wrong word. But I’ve...
Having Fun With English
Some people say that English is one of the most difficult languages to learn. If English is your first language, you probably don’t think so. But those who learned English as a second or third language would likely disagree. My associate Ramona Rea (@RamonaRea), who...
Are You Dissatisfied or Unsatisfied?
Many clinical studies measure patient satisfaction with the outcome of a surgical procedure or other treatment intervention. Typically, 5-point Likert scales are used, ranging from very satisfied to satisfied, neutral (neither satisfied nor dissatisfied), and...
Spelling: American vs British vs Canadian
Have you ever noticed multiple spellings for some words? These differences are largely due to “American” spelling versus “British” spelling of words. We Canadians generally use a mix of both in our correspondence. Some tend to use American spelling more frequently and...
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