Ensure Vs. Insure: Can You Interchange The Words?

May 3, 2014 By Lisa Angelettie Leave a Comment

I was working on my edits for my book How To Select Best Selling Non Fiction Ebook Ideas To Publish On Amazon’s Kindle and since my brain was muddled with “edits”, I started to second guess myself about the usage for ensure and insure. When I thought about, I wasn’t sure if I really knew the grammatical rules around the usage of both words. So I looked it up and was satisfied with this answer over at Writer’s Digest:

Q: Are “ensure” and “insure” interchangeable?—AnonymousA: Some stylebooks say yes, and some say no. Are you any less confused? These two words are often used in place of each other, but WD’s style separates them.WD—and many other publications—uses “insure” only when referring to financial insurance policies. After signing a contract with a professional baseball team, Jack decided to insure his pitching arm for $1 million.

When the meaning is “to make certain,” WD sticks with “ensure.” It’s my job to ensure that you don’t misuse terms like these.

There are some newspapers and magazines, such as The New York Times and The New Yorker, that still use “insure” in both instances, but it’s fairly archaic to do so. Most publications differentiate the two.

I use to edit over on the news desk at The New York Times in Washington D.C., and their usage of the word is probably what tripped me up:)

Route Vs Root

November 21, 2011 By Lisa Angelettie 4 Comments

Root Or Route – Grammar Tip

I was creating some prep work for one of my client’s private VIP days and needed to use the word root. I actually paused for a second, because I had to review in my “mental dictionary” whether or not I had used the word correctly. So anytime I second guess myself about the use of a word, even for a split second, I like to add it here on my site — because I figure there could be a few other people who need a little clarity around the terms as well.

So here we go…root vs route.

In the U.S., we sometimes get confused with the usage of root and route because we are pronouncing route with the oo sound instead of the ow sound. The two words have totally different meanings. You just have to remember which is which.

ROOT

I typically think of root as the lower part of a plant which is underground. The roots of a tree. Or a carrot is a root vegetable. Yet root has several other definitions and usages:

To dig with your nose or snout – “The pig was rooting for food in the garden.”

To rummage through something – “The dog was rooting through the garbage.”

To cheer or give verbal encouragement for something – “I’m rooting for my alma mater during the game.”

ROUTE

I pretty much think of a map or directions when I hear the term route and that’s because that pretty much is the only definition for the word:

A route indicates a road, course, or way from one place to another, a customary line of travel, a means of reaching a goal, a fixed course for a salesperson or delivery person, or to send on a route.

In Or Into: Grammar Tip

September 24, 2010 By Lisa Angelettie 11 Comments

In Vs. Into: Lisa’s Grammar Tip Of The Week

I’ve got a real thing for supernatural fiction and science fiction, so I read quite my share of books on my Kindle. Yet in many of these fun novels, I’ve seen a lot of writers use the prepositions In or Into interchangeably when writing. That’s actually a big boo-boo. So here I am again, to put the issue at rest for my favorite writers and for you too:)

In Vs. Into Definitions…

IN is a preposition used to denote the place where a person or thing, whether at rest or in motion, is present. It expresses a final position.

INTO is a preposition used to denote entrance. It expresses movement.

Examples of In or Into Usage…

Incorrect: I want to go in the kitchen for a minute to use the sink.
Correct: I want to go into the kitchen for a minute to use the sink.

Any questions? Have any more examples. Leave ’em in the comment section below.

Top 70 Prepositions In English Language

September 18, 2010 By Lisa Angelettie 2 Comments

Lisa’s Latest Grammar Tip…

List of Top 70 Prepositions In The English Language

aboard
about
above
across
after
against
along
amid
among
anti
around
as
at
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
besides
between
beyond
but
by
concerning
considering
despite
down
during
except
excepting
excluding
following
for
from
in
inside
into
like
minus
near
of
off
on
onto
opposite
outside
over
past
per
plus
regarding
round
save
since
than
through
to
toward
towards
under
underneath
unlike
until
up
upon
versus
via
with
within
without

Bring Or Take: Grammar Tip

August 27, 2010 By Lisa Angelettie 6 Comments

Lisa’s Grammar Tip For The Day…

Bring Vs. Take Which one is correct usage?
I have to bring my music to the party. OR I have to take my music to the party?

Here’s a quick explanation so that you get it right every time you sit down to write all your fantastic articles.

BRING
Bring is a verb used to show a motion towards you. What this means is that you use bring when something is coming your way.

Example: Please bring my music to me here at the club.
I am at the club already, so the person doing the action is bringing the music to me. That is a motion towards me.

TAKE
Take is a verb used to show motion away from you. What this means is that you use take when your are moving something away from you.

Example: Please take my music to Betsy at the club.
I am not at the club. I have the music but need it taken somewhere else. This is a motion made away from me.

Now if the content has nothing to do with you – that’s when things get a little tricky. You can choose to use either bring or take and still be grammatically correct.

Example: The waiter will bring menus to the couple.
Example: The waiter will take menus to the couple.

Comma Errors To Avoid: Grammar Tip

August 22, 2010 By Lisa Angelettie 5 Comments

Another Grammar Tip by Lisa…
As I’m on the tail end of doing summer homework with my daughters, one of the writing assignments was a little work on comma usage. Okay, so this was my 3rd grader’s homework assignment yet I see writers, editors, teachers (and myself:) screwing up comma usage everyday. So here we go…5 Comma Errors To Avoid When You Write.

Comma Error One
Forgetting to use a comma after city AND state

It is very common to see people add a comma between a city and state, but forget the comma require after the state.

Incorrect Usage: I left home to fly to San Diego, California today.
Correct: I left home to fly to San Diego, California, today.

Comma Error Two
Forgetting to use a comma after city AND country
Some people think this looks a little funny, but nevertheless, you need to add a comma after a city and a country when used in a sentence.

Incorrect Usage: I am going to Paris, France for a much needed sabbatical.
Correct: I am going to Paris, France, for a much needed sabbatical.

Comma Error Three
Forgetting to use a comma after the day AND year in a sentence with the complete date.

I think I have made this boo-boo on many occasions! I always forget that little comma after the year. Probably because I don’t want to overdo my comma usage. (Writers tend to do that!)

Incorrect Usage: My friend’s new baby was born on May 1, 2009 at 4:00 am.
Correct: My friend’s new baby was born on May 1, 2009, at 4:00 am.

Comma Error Four
Adding an unnecessary comma between a month AND year.

If you aren’t writing the full date (September 1, 2008,) then you do not need the comma between a month and year.

Incorrect Usage: My business made the most income in September, 2008 from ebook sales.
Correct: My business made the most income in September 2008 from ebook sales.

Comma Error Five
Placing a comma outside of quotation marks.

All your punctuation including commas, periods, etc. need to stay inside of the quotation marks.

Incorrect Usage: I am going to watch “True Blood”, on demand this weekend.
Correct: I am going to watch “True Blood,”on demand this weekend.

Who makes up these rules?
LOL:) Not me. In fact, some of these “grammar rules” differ from country to country. For example the last common comma error (quotation marks) is based on U.S. usage. Yet the rules are pretty universal and you can take a look at all of them in the Chicago Manual of Style. A writer’s Bible.

The original source of this list of comma errors and many more fantastic grammar tips can be found on TerriblyWrite.com

Then Vs. Than: Grammar Tip

July 22, 2010 By Lisa Angelettie 8 Comments

I think we’ve all been a little guilty of this one. You are writing a great article, a letter, or something and you misuse the words then or than. It’s pretty easy to do. So let me explain the difference, so you don’t flub again.

THEN
Then is an adverb. It is used for TIME. It can be used several ways to describe:

1 at that time, at the time in question
Example: I was living in New Jersey then.

2 after that, next, afterward
Example: She played the first then the second game.

3 in that case, therefore
Example: If you save your money, then you won’t have to worry about how you will pay your bills.

THAN
Than is typically used as a conjunction. It is used for comparisons.

1 introducing the second element in a comparison
Example: He was much bigger than his dad at that age.

2 used in expressions introducing an exception or contrast
Example: She claims not to own expensive jewelry other than her wedding ring.

*BIG TIP
When making a decision between than or then, than is used for comparisons. If it’s not a comparison, use then.

Resource I like: English Grammar For Dummies

Top Ten Most Misspelled Words

June 30, 2010 By Lisa Angelettie 11 Comments

Here’s a list of the top ten most often misspelled words. Pay attention though, because these are words that spellcheck can miss based on the context in which we use the word, or because a few of the words are homophones (words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings) and we use them incorrectly in the sentence.

Their
Too
There
They
Then
Until
Our
Ask
Off
Through

Here’s a one-page PDF of this list in case you want to tape it up in front of your desk, computer, etc. area. Click To Download ===> Top 10 Misspelled Words

Can you share some words that you commonly misspell? I’ll go first. I always misspell SEPERATE. In the US anyway, we only acknowledge this spelling: SEPARATE.