Let’s bring some order to these two similar terms. The juridical process relates to the administration of the law. The judicial process is the series of steps a legal dispute goes through in the court system. It deals with procedural issues, and it determines the roles of the judge and the jury in a courtroom. The judicial process also deals with the role and jurisdiction …
Okay, this one might make you feel a little itchy. An itch is a skin irritation that causes the desire to scratch. Scratch describes the action used to relieve an itch. The grammatically correct construction is “to scratch an itch.” People often use itch and scratch in place of each other in everyday speech. For example, you may hear people saying they need to “itch …
The word software is a mass noun because it can be used to refer to a mass (or nonspecific number) of computing programs or products. Mass nouns function as both singular and plural nouns. They can describe either one item, multiple items of the same type, or an entire category of items. Some examples include bread, rice, hair, garbage, and ice. It isn’t necessary to add …
The words irreparable and unrepairable are synonyms that mean unable to be fixed. Both irreparable and unrepairable are adjectives (words that modify nouns by describing an aspect of them). Irreparable was first used between the late 1300s to early 1400s. It’s a Middle English word derived from the Latin term, irreparabilis, meaning not able to be recovered. Unrepairable is a related form of the verb …
Insidious and invidious both describe the way someone does something bad. Insidious implies secrecy, while invidious is more open. An insidious action is sneaky and harmful. An invidious action is also negative, but it happens out in the open. Insidious Insidious actions are covert. Those who carry them out hope to accomplish some act of evil. For example, lies are insidious. Secret meetings and intrigue …
And just what, may we ask, is the difference between these? While inquire means “to seek information in a formal way,” enquire means “to ask in a general way.” They can be used interchangeably. Inquire and enquire both originate from the same Latin word, meaning to seek. Both words mean to request information or examine facts. Ask As verbs, both words mean to ask for …
Inhibit and prohibit are both verbs that mean to prevent or to forbid. Both verbs require a direct object to make sense, and they always involve two parties. Though both words have similar definitions, inhibit and prohibit aren’t interchangeable. In general, someone is inhibited by internal feelings or prohibited by an external source. Inhibit Inhibit is a verb with several meanings, including “to restrain, hinder, …
Are you ready, Grammar Genius? Both ingenious and ingenuous are adjectives. Ingenious indicates cleverness or intelligence, while ingenuous refers to sincerity or a naive nature. How To Use Ingenious When you say ingenious out loud, it sounds like a combination of the words in and genius. Since a genius is an intelligent person, you can use that part of the word to associate ingenious with …
Do you break the glass in case of emergency or in the event of emergency? The phrases in case of and in the event of are both prepositions. The first one means if it should occur. The second means if or when something happens. A preposition is a word or phrase that shows a relationship between two elements in a clause. Some common prepositions are …
On February 22, 2017, news of the discovery of seven new exoplanets was announced by NASA. This may be a new word for you non-NASA geeks out there. Let’s examine the difference between planets and exoplanets. A planet is sometimes also called a major planet. It’s any of the eight large heavenly bodies revolving about the sun and shining by reflected light. In the order …
Let’s say you have a bit of extra information that’s too long for parentheses. What do you do? That’s where footnotes and endnotes come in. What are they exactly? Footnotes appear at the bottom of each page they refer to, while endnotes appear at the very end of a text. They usually show up in academic writing. Read on if you want to know more …
Do you know if you’re an alumnus or an alumni? Alumni actually is the plural form of alumnus, a Latin word that means a graduate or former student of an educational institution. Although alumnus usually refers to academics, it can also mean a former employee, associate, or member of any organized group. Alumni refers to more than one alumnus (think of a graduating class). The …
