Monthly Archives: August 2017

Ask PTB – Capitalization

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Question: Is it his case number 30-100 or his Case Number 30-100?

Answer: First, thanks for asking the question. According to Gregg, a noun followed by a number or letter that indicates sequence is capitalized. I think since you are describing a specific case with the sequenced number, it is capitalized. If it just said “his case,” then it wouldn’t be capitalized, but it is like saying “his Mercedes Benz” rather than “his car.”

I hope that helps! And if any readers have questions, check out the Ask PTB page on the website proofthatblog.com.

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Confusing Words of the Week

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It’s time for “Confusing Words of the Week” where I take a set of two or three words that get confused and give you definitions and try to give you a memory trick to help you remember when to use which word. If you have words that confuse you, use Ask PTB or send an email to proofthatblog@gmail.com and they may appear here soon!

This week’s words:

Loose: not bound; to release

  • The pants were loose after she lost 10 pounds.

Lose: to suffer the loss of; to part with unintentionally

 

  • She had 10 more pounds to lose.

Loss: something lost

  • She will end up with a 20 pound loss.
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Grammar Giggle – Underling

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This was in a document received in my office. The worst part is that they were attempting to bring attention to the fact that important language was underlined and instead they brought attention to the fact that they can’t spell underlining. An underling would be the lowly associate who probably drafted the document. This is a great example of your brain thinking it knows what it is supposed to say so you see that, even though that’s not what it actually says.

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Confusing Words of the Week

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It’s time for our new feature called “Confusing Words of the Week” where I take a set of two or three words that get confused and give you definitions and try to give you a memory trick to help you remember when to use which word. If you have words that confuse you, use Ask PTB or send an email to proofthatblog@gmail.com and they may appear here soon!

This week’s words:

Ensure – to make certain

  • He wanted to ensure that the staff was all trained on Microsoft Word.

Insure – To protect against loss

  • She wanted to insure her car before she drove it anywhere.

Assure – to give confidence to someone

  • Jack assured Jane that she could handle the job.

A tip to help remember the difference is that insurance is a policy you buy to protect against loss, so if it is something you are protecting, it is insure.

 

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