There are subtle yet significant differences in the spelling of certain words in American English, and spelling the same words in British English. The words combating and combatting are examples of this distinct difference. In American English, the correct spelling is “combating.” When writing with the British English spelling, the correct form is “combatting.” Choosing …
Academics
My 16-year-old daughter told me that she receives loving text messages from her boyfriend on a daily basis. I asked her whether this included weekends and national holidays, so she looked at me and rolled her eyes. While she viewed my question as silly, what do we really mean by “on a daily basis”? Daily …
“Species” and “specie,” at first glance, appear to be the same word with one being the plural of the other. However, they have very different meanings. So then, what is the singular form of species? “Species” is not the plural form of “specie”. “Species” is a term that can be used both as a singular …
Since most Americans describe their living area as suburban, you would think we’d have a firmer definition of what distinguishes an urban environment from a suburban one. The United States government has clear definitions of what constitutes a rural area and an urban one, but what about the suburbs? An urban area is the area …
Math has become easier than ever now that we have calculators at our fingertips and as part of our phones. But dealing with numbers that mean something is easy. The number 0, due to its multiple properties, can certainly stump a lot of people. Zero is a rational number because it is an integer. An …
You may think you know what the phrase “humor me” means, but do you really? Although it may sound as if it has something to do with telling a joke, it actually doesn’t. A considerable number of the words and phrases that we use in English may sound like one thing but mean another. The …