Grammar Giggle – Restaurant Costumers

This was in a local news story. It is even more concerning to me because they got it right in one place, but wrong the first time it is used. Just for clarification:

  • Costumer – a person or company that makes or supplies theatrical or fancy-dress costumes
  • Customer – a person or organization that buys goods or services from a store or business

Grammar Giggle – Advise On Giving Advice

A friend shared this with me from a webinar she attended. This word is confused a lot. Here are the definitions:

  • Advice – information; recommendation. The advice of the lawyer was to pay the fine.
  • Advise – to recommend; to give counsel. The lawyer advised her to gather all her documentation.

Confusing Words

It’s time for “Confusing Words of the Month” 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 the Ask PTB tab on the website or send an email to [email protected] and they may appear here soon!

This month’s words are:

  • flaunt – to display showily
    • He was trying to flaunt his new sportscar to his friends.
  • flout – to treat with contempt
    • Because she didn’t like the school principal, she decided to flout his rules.

Memory tips:

  • flaunt – Think of laun as launch because they want to launch their possessions out as far and as high as possible so everyone can see them flaunt it.
  • flout – Use the out piece of the word to remember they are treating the thing like they want it out of their life.

Confusing Words

It’s time for “PTB Confusing Words” 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 the Ask PTB tab on the website or send an email to [email protected] and they may appear here soon!

This week’s words are:

  • pedal – (adj.) pertaining to the foot; (n.) a treadle (as in to step on the pedal)
    • She almost got in an accident until she slammed on her brake pedal.
  • peddle – to hawk; to sell
    • The woman on the corner looked like it was her job to peddle all the roses and giant teddy bears for Mother’s Day.

Memory tips:

  • pedal – “PED” is foot and a pedal takes you A Long way to all the places
  • peddle – think of the double letter and the definition–“sell” has two “l’s” and “peddle” has two “d’s”

Grammar Giggle – It’s A Set Up!

I captured this on one of my websites. It just didn’t look right. Research shows that according to Merriam-Webster online dictionary, “set up” is a verb meaning “to put (a machine) in readiness or adjustment for an operation.” The noun “setup” means “the preparation and adjustment of machines for an assigned task.”

In this example, “Website Analytics is not setup” is incorrect. You are talking about the action (verb) of putting your machine in readiness for an operation.

The second example “Setup Website Analytics” is also incorrect because it is also a verb showing the action of putting your machine in readiness for an operation–in this case Website Analytics. I think the only case where “setup” would be correct with the subject Website Analytics is if you were to say “Website Analytics Setup” (the preparation and adjustment of machines for an assigned task–in this case, Website Analytics) with instructions for the actual set up process.

It is definitely confusing, but if you are actually setting something up–like a computer program or app–it is “set up.”

Confusing Words Of The Week

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 the Ask PTB tab on the website or send an email to [email protected] and they may appear here soon!

This week’s words are:

  • moot – debatable; disputed (as in a moot point)
    • John’s position on office vacations was a moot point.
  • mute – unable to speak
    • Laryngitis left Susie mute.

Memory tips:

  • mOot – Open to debate; Open to discussion
  • mUte – Unable to speak

Confusing Words Of The Week

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 the Ask PTB tab on the website or send an email to [email protected] and they may appear here soon!

This week’s words are:

  • therefor – for that thing
    • He insisted on buying the Chopard watch and paid an exorbitant price therefor.
  • therefore – consequently
    • He insisted on buying the Chopard watch; therefore, he didn’t have enough money to go on vacation.

Memory tips:

  • thereFOR – FOR that thing
  • thereforE – consEquEntly