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each other
A common conundrum is: is it each others' country, each others' countries, each other's country or each other's countries? Each, as a word, implies singularity. Each other, a phrase, is treated as a plural because there are two, which makes countries the right usage. Therefore the possesives of each of the individual's counrtries makes it each other's, not each others'. So: each other's countries is the only correct option.
Also, only use each other for interactions between two people, and one another when there are more than two. The two men spoke to each other while the group consulted one another.
earned or earnt?
In modern-day usage the only accepted spelling is earned in all forms of English, even if you say it as "earnt". For Americans, accustomed to learned, smelled and dreamed as their only options, this little conumdrum is never a problem.
There is conflicting advice on the origin of 'earnt'. Some internet sources state that it is an archaic (out of date/use) form of earned. They will point out that Charles Dickens used it in 1884, yet unlike learnt, dreamt and smelt, 'earnt' does not feature in the OED as a variant. A google search (March 2009) reveals 14,100,000 instances of earnt, but the British National Corpus (1980--1993), which has 100 million words, contains only eight instances of earnt.
earth or Earth?
The word earth, with a small e, is another word for soil. The planet Earth is spelt with a big E because it's a name.
eastern Europe or Eastern Europe?
eastern Europe: Always use a small e because with a capital E it would have to be the name of an official region.
E. coli or E Coli?
Use italics.
edgeways or edgewise?
The British use edgeways and the American variant is edgewise.
eg. or eg?
eg: No need for a full point.
either
Is it said "ee" or "eye"? A good majority of people opt for "eye-ther" most of the time when saying either and a minority choose "ee-ther". A good proportion of the "eye-ther" people will occasionally use "ee-ther". Almost no one will notice either way.
elderly or the elderly?
elderly: The word elderly is just an adverb. It is often considered impolite to speak of 'the elderly' as if they are creatures from another planet. Instead, just use 'elderly person' or 'elderly people'. And while on the subject, as a general rule it is not considered appropriate to call people elderly until they are over the age of 70.
electrocuted or electric shocks?
depends: The proper meaning of electrocute is to kill by electric shock. Therefore it is wrong to say you were electrocuted -- unless you are a ghost -- or that surviving victims of torture "suffered electrocution". Better to say electric shocks.
elephant in the room
A cliche that should be avoided. There must be a better way if expressing yourself without this phrase, surely?
e-mail or email?
Though the formal spelling is e-mail, many people do write it as email. Most publications and publishers prefer the more formal hyphenated version e-mail.
emigrate, migrate or immigrate?
depends: When you permanently move out of another country you 'emigrate' from it. When you move to another country permanently to 'immigrate' into it, but if you only move there temporarily -- and then onwards -- you only 'migrate', which makes you a 'migrant'.
eminent or imminent?
Eminent (one m) means esteemed, noteworthy; imminent (two) means occurring soon or (sometimes) threatening. Neither word is ever spelt with an -ant.
empathic or empathetic
Empathic is the only spelling.
employment tribunal or industrial tribunal?
In the UK, it's employment tribunal.
enamelling or enameling?
It is enamelling in British English and enameling in the US.
enamoured or enamored?
Enamoured in the UK and enamored in the US.
enamoured of or enamored with?
It is enamoured of and not 'enamoured with' or 'enamoured by'.
enclose or inclose?
enclose: You 'enclose' something inside an envelope, not inclose.
encyclopedia or encyclopaedia?
encyclopedia: The days when it was encyclopaedia (or even older still, with an ae ligature) are, sadly, gone. Today the correct modern British spelling now matches that of the US spelling -- with just an e. Only the Times still insists on using encyclopaedia.
ended or ending?
...for the week ending/ended Thursday the 27th. Both are used and both are acceptable, though some will grumble and indicate a preference for one or the other. Having said that, ended appears more complete if it's used in referencing the past tense and ending seems more appropriate if it's a period in the future.
endorse or indorse?
endorse: Never 'indorse', please.
enforceable or enforcable?
enforceable:.
England and English
It is not uncommon for non-Brits to confuse England, one country, with Britain, a united nation. This problem also afflicts many English. Abroad, it is not uncommon to hear or read about "England's" or "English" Prime Minister. In the UK, it is not uncommon for the national press, based in London, to write a feature about England's best schools and give it the inevitable headline "Britain's best schools". This assumes that schools in England are superior to those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
It is not incorrect for a tourist to London to say that they visited England, but a tourist who visited Edinburgh and London say either England and Scotland, or the UK or Britain. Make sure that you know which one you mean. See Scotland, under S.
enquiry or inquiry?
depends: To go to a reception desk and ask a question to need an answer to is called an 'enquiry' in British English. To launch an investigation (eg into alleged wrongdoing) is called an 'inquiry'. In American English it is 'inquiry' in both instances.
enrol or enroll?
It's -l and -ll- in British English and -ll and -l- in American English. (enrol, enrolled, enrolling UK and enroll, enroled, enroling US).
escapers or escapees?
This is a funny one because the American 'escapees' has become familiar to our ears, even though it should be escapers.
en suite or ensuite?
Always two words.
ensure or insure?
depends: To 'ensure' is to make sure or be certain of; to 'insure' is when you pay money to guard against risk.
enthral or enthrall?
enthral: Here too it's -l- in British English and two in American English.
enthralling or enthraling?
enthralling: Actually, it's -ll- in both British and American English. The same is true for 'enthralled'.
epilepsy and epileptic
Be careful not to call someone epileptic. This is not for politically correct reasons, but because people can't be described using a medical condition. A person can have epilepsy, but not be epileptic. Only fits and seizures are epileptic.
equalling or equaling?
It is equalling in British English and equaling in US, also equalled in British English and equaled in US.
erstwhile
This adjective, meaning former, is an archaic word that should remain solely in works of literature. If you are going to insist on dropping it in casual conversation, make sure you use it correctly. Don't confuse it to mean 'would be', as in My erstwhile colleague. If someone is your erstwhile colleague, they no longer work with you... This word should remain an erstwhile one.
escapees or escapers?
A quick way to win a bet or perhaps a free drink: ask someone if a person who escapes from jail is called an escapee or an escaper. Nine times out of ten you'll hear the former. Show them a dictionary and order your drink.
espresso or expresso?
espresso: Easily done. Most people even say it with an -x-.
establishment or Establishment?
establishment:.
ethnic
The word ethnic does always get its proper treatment. An ethnic minority is an ethnic community, and ethnic is not s synonym for foreign food. Be careful how you use the word foreign too.
euro or Euro?
You can change your money into dollars or euros. There is no need to use a capital E unless you are describing the Euro(pean) area. The plural of euro is euros. And last, despite what is done in some countries, in English the euro symbol goes in front of the sum, just like every other currency symbol: €100, £100 and $100, not 100€, 100£ and 100$.
Europe and European
Britain is a part of Europe, and is therefore also in Europe. Airlines often advertise "flights to Europe" (sic) as if it is a different place. It is common to hear or read comparisons between Britain and "Europe", which is wrong. Use mainland Europe or the rest of Europe instead. Cynical Europeans from the mainland might be inclined to call it "real" Europe.
event
This word is spreading like a virus across the retailing scene. It has become fashionable to announce retail 'events' (sic) when all that takes place is that a number of items are sold at a reduced price: in the real world this is called a sale. I realise that when every store has the word 'SALE' emblazoned on every window, it's hard to stand out from the crowd. That does not justify eroding the true meaning of the word event.
Today I saw an ad for a company announcing a 'triple points event' (sic), and they didn't even bother to hyphenate it. What they wrote in the fine print was that you had to spend £100 or more in one purchase using their loyalty card to receive three times the usual points. No invitation was needed and there was no free Champagne anywhere.
everyday or every day?
depends: Something either occurs 'every day' (the sun comes up) or it's unimportant enough to be an 'everyday' thing (like a pair of socks). Every day means, every day. Everyday means commonplace.
every parent's nightmare
And you thought that the world was running out of cliches. Best avoided, no need to state the obvious.
everyplace
never: This informal word comes from America -- where it is not liked in formal circles either -- and will, with any luck, stay there. The same goes for 'anyplace'.
eyeing or eying?
eyeing:.
eye level or eye-level?
eye level:.
eyewitness or witness?
either: But ask yourself this: what is the difference between an 'eyewitness' and a normal 'witness'? It is enough to just refer to a witness.
exclamation marks
I for one feel that the poor old exclamation mark is the victim of systematic bullying and ostracism. Banished from the publishing world and therefore the printed page, this quite legitimate punctuation mark lives on in text messaging and the Internet! Good!
execution
Lazy journalists with a degree of literary bloodlust love using the phrase execution style. This is because they know that their editor won't let them getting away with execution on its own. The correct use of execution is to describe a death sentence by lawful authority. Even a person murdered in a bloody gang feud is hardly going to be killed execution style, there is bound to be less ceremony and little paperwork, for a start.
existing homes
The couple were only interested in viewing existing homes. Yes, you could argue that they don't want to buy off-plan (based on drawings and a brochure before a building is built), but nothing else in this world comes in the existing variety, so why should houses? Old may not always sound enticing, but in the case of houses, there really only are new and old ones. We don't talk about 'existing hotel rooms' -- no matter how many people have stayed there before us. They are just rooms. What's wrong with just home?
expat or ex-pat?
The correct use is expat and expatriate, not expatriot.
extol or extoll?
extol: This time it's -l- in both British and American English, however, 'extoll' is sometimes used in the US even if the first is correct.