by Structured Settlement Watchdog
Paul Brian's "Common Errors in English Usage: 2d- William James Co." has been decscribed as "the most cheerfully useful book since the Kama Sutra" by Scott Simon of NPR Radio. I'm not sure I'd go THAT far, but with financial literacy month about to begin why not highlight this incredibly useful resource?
In my opinion it would be particularly useful for some members of an industry whose marketing teams have regaled the legal world with such ditties as:
- Plaintiff versus Plantiff
- Structured versus Structered
- Complementary versus Complimentary
- The pigeonholing of "Quailed" versus qualified
- and let's not forget…
Settlement Professionals Inc- Oregon's one page settlement planning "trifecta" of Judgement, Judgment and Judegements**
Here's the scoop from the book for Meligan and Co.as well as the rest of you lot:
"In Great Britain and many of its former colonies, “judgement” is still the correct spelling; but ever since Noah Webster decreed the first E superfluous, Americans have omitted it. Many of Webster’s crotchets have faded away (each year fewer people use the spelling “theater,” for instance); but even the producers of Terminator 2: Judgment Day chose the traditional American spelling. If you write “judgement” you should also write “colour.”
Help is at hand for $18. If you wish, here is a Link to the helpful online resource.
Paul Brians is an Emeritus Professor of English at Washington State University.
** as of March 27, 2010 1:45pm EST
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