This is the third of several lists of the most common misused or misspelled words. The first list has words that begin with A. Words that begin with B are here.
Remember, one of the easiest ways to save money when you publish your book is to make sure you use the correct word for the context.
compared to vs. compared with
- Compared to must be used to liken one thing to another. This is figurative and metaphorical.
- Compared with is to be used when you place items side by side to examine their similarities and differences. This is statistical rather than creative.
- For example:
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? / Thou art more lovely and more temperate”–especially when compared with the twenty days of ninety-plus degree weather during the summer of 1995.
complement vs. compliment
- Complement is defined as that which completes something, supplements it, or brings it to perfection.
- Compliment is an expression of praise or admiration.
- For example:
I really must compliment you on the big shoes, which so complement your big skirt.
compose vs. comprise
- Compose means made up of; it breaks the whole down into the parts.
- Comprise means encompass; it links the parts to the whole.
- For example:
The gourmet meal comprised several courses; it was composed of appetizer, salad, soup, entrée, dessert, and coffee.
continual vs. continuous
- Continual means repeated or intermittent.
- Continuous means unbroken.
- For example:
Your continual interruptions are interfering with my continuous work load.
different from vs. different than
- Use different from and you will never be wrong.
discreet vs. discrete
- Discreet means prudent or careful.
- Discrete means separate or distinct.
- For example:
The discreet mistress considered her married life and her affair to be discrete entities.
disinterested vs. uninterested
- Disinterested means impartial.
- Uninterested means having no interest.
- For example:
Even the disinterested observer could tell that Rikki was completely uninterested in Stephen.
This is good and much needed information. Thanks for sharing it with your readers. Or shall I say, my COMPLIMENTS for COMPLEMENTING our knowledge of the English language.
In the future, I hope you’ll address one of my pet peeves:
“To choose from” seems to have supplanted “from which to choose” in common speech and media advertising. Perhaps when you get to the letter F, you can recommend that we avoid ending our sentences with the F word.