CORRECTIONS & EXPLANATIONS - September 16, 2007

Below are the corrections and explanations for last week's entries.

Monday

TORTUOUS/TORTUROUS/TORTURED

“Tortuous” (adj.) means crooked, winding, convoluted or tricky.
“Torturous” (adj.) means agonizing, painful or harrowing.
“Tortured” (adj., past participial form of the verb torture) means receiving physical suffering, extreme mental distress or pained.

Tuesday

TV NEWS ITEMS

There are three errors in the following entries.

"As a first time candidate herself, Robinson admits it'll be a tough campaign but she's confident both her and the PCs will raise issues on the border and education."

There are two errors above: “her” should be changed to “she” because it is the subject of the verb “will raise”; “PCs” should precede “she” because the other person should always be mentioned first.

The corrected version reads:
"As a first time candidate herself, Robinson admits it'll be a tough campaign but she's confident both the PCs and she will raise issues on the border and education."

"Tomorrow, we'll profile the ridings of Windsor West, also Essex."

“Also” cannot be used in place of “and” in this sentence. “Ridings” is plural and demands a coordinate conjunction to complete the sense correctly.

The corrected version reads:
"Tomorrow, we'll profile the ridings of Windsor West and Essex."


Wednesday

PRONUNCIATION/ENUNCIATION

“Pronunciation" is the stress or emphasis put on a syllable when speaking; for example, “finance” should be spoken with the emphasis on the second syllable. (You can argue this if you are from the United States.)

“Enunciation" is the clarity with which words are spoken.
When enunciating correctly, the “t” is clearly not a “d”. “Wadder” is not correct enunciation.

Thursday

COPYWRITE/COPYRIGHT

There is no such word as "copywrite".
“Copyright" refers to the securing of the “right” to use a song or play or some other writing.
There are writers, though, who work with copy, meaning manuscripts.

Friday

PERVERSE/PERVERTED

“Perverse" means deviant behaviour, stubborn or contrary.
The narrator in Poe’s The Black Cat was perverse in his abuse of his pet cat due to alcohol.

“Perverted" means unnatural, abnormal or turned from what is right.
Spanking children, as punishment, is considered by many to be perverted behaviour.

THIS WEEK’S WORDS

“Libidinous" (adj.) means full of lust, lascivious or lewdness.
“Libidinous” (“Libido”) is Latin meaning pleasure or longing.

The libidinous felon was designated as a habitual offender.

“Miscreant" (adj.) means depraved, villainous or base.
“Miscreant” (n.) means a vile, wretched villain.

The miscreant boy was punished severely for his abuse of his pet.

“Obviate" (v.) means to meet and dispose of, to do away with or prevent, to eliminate.
We will obviate any confrontation with the opposition by leaving the building.

“Expiate" (v.) means to make amends, to atone, or to make reparations.
He tried to expiate his guilt by giving more generously to the poor.

“Germane" (adj.) means closely related or relevant.
Al Gore’s movie is considered by many to be the most germane exposure of climate abuse ever made.