Sunday, December 28, 2008

Commonly misused/misspelled words and phrases (Part 76)

Here are some more words to watch out for:

Ordnance vs. Ordinance

Wrong: The city ordnance forbids double-parking.

Right: The city ordinance forbids double-parking.


Ordnance refers to munitions, while an ordinance is a local law. Confusing ordnance with an ordinance can be an explosive error.


Eek vs. Eke

Wrong: She’s just trying to eek out a living.

Right: She’s just trying to eke out a living.


I chuckle every time I come across this one. Eek may be a simple misspelling of eke (to obtain with great difficulty), but I always picture someone seeing a mouse and shrieking.


More next time.


Mark.


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