by
D. Michelle Adkerson
past;
passed
Past is never a verb. Passed is always a verb (the past
tense of to pass).
penultimate
This word means "next to last"; avoid the common error of
using this word for last.
December 30 is the penultimate day of the year.
percent;
percentage
See numerals.
perpetuate;
perpetrate
Perpetuate means "to prolong"; Perpetrate means
"to commit or carry out."
place;
put
Place connotes care and exactness; put connotes unconscious
or automatic placement.
plus
Do not use plus as a conjunction.
Not: She looks fine, plus she drives fast.
But:
She looks exceptional, and she drives a Porsche.
podium;
lectern; dais
Podium and dais both mean "an elevated platform."
Lectern refers to the stand that supports a speaker's notes.
practical;
practicable
Practical means "capable of being put to good use."
Practicable means "feasible."
This is a practical employee manual.
Our
plan seems practicable.
preceding;
previous
Preceding refers to something that comes or that occurred immediately
before; previous refers to something that comes or that occurred
at any earlier time.
precipitate;
precipitous
Precipitate, an adjective, means "headlong" or "rash."
Precipitous means "steep."
Yuri's
decision was precipitate, but once made it could not be revoked.
The
journey up Rapunzel's tresses was a precipitous one.
predominate;
predominant
The first is the verb; the second, the adjective. Predominant
denotes a superlative degree. Using it with more or most
is redundant.
prescribe;
proscribe
To prescribe is to lay down a rule. To proscribe is to
prohibit.
presently
Use this word only to denote something that will happen, not something
that is happening.
Not: Damien is presently away from his desk.
But:
Damien is away from his desk.
"I
would have loved you presently, my dear, and given in earnest words
I flung in jest." (Millay)
preventative
Write preventive.
principal;
principle
When you mean "main," "a chief figure," or "the
capital sum on which interest is paid," use principal. When
you mean "a fundamental truth," use principle.
My
principal objection to your customized Porsche is the teal lace upholstery.
My
decision not to purchase the car is based on principle: no sportscar
should bear lace upholstery, least of all this one.
proposal;
proposition
The first is a plan, scheme, or offer that requires no long deliberation.
The second requires study and evaluation.
purposely;
purposefully
What is done purposely is done on purpose. What is done
purposefully is done for a particular purpose.
She purposely set the meeting for 7 a.m.
The
interviewer purposefully avoided asking whether the candidate had
children.
pursuant
to
Avoid this ambiguous bit of legalese. Use under or in accordance
with.
put
See place.
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