It's "grate" to know these things!

We often we see these three verbs used interchangeably ... and they shouldn't be because there are nuances in their meanings that make one of them the "grate" choice every time!

MIGRATE *** 

IMMIGRATE *** EMIGRATE

So let's look at this more closely.

Migrate 

to GO from one country, region or place to another

(it's all about the going!)

Immigrate

to COME to a country of which one is not a native

(it's all about the coming)

Emigrate

to LEAVE a country or region and settle in another

(it's all about the leaving)

There, there ... not to worry!

Even though today's highlighted error is far too often seen in professional and business communication, we know this quick reminder will stick with you and YOU won't be caught misusing these homophones.


Here are some real examples of incorrect use of these words below (names withheld to protect THEIR reputations):

Craig was right in the middle of a rampage, but he stopped THEIR to make sure we were all scared.
"He said THERE so pressed for time that they did not get to any proof-reading today"
"I was going to call you this afternoon, but THEY'RE meeting was called early..."

LET'S GET IT STRAIGHT!

THERE is an adverb describing a PLACE or a POINT IN ACTION:
Craig was right in the middle of a rampage, but he stopped THERE to make sure we were all scared. 

THEY'RE  is a contraction for they are:

He said THEY'RE so pressed for time that they did not get to any proof-reading today.

THEIR is a possessive pronoun for "they", used before a noun:
I was going to call you this afternoon, but THEIR meeting was called early.


So THERE you have it!

Very in-ter-es-ting!

Disinterested or Uninterested? That is the question.

Although it appears that historically, the meanings of these 2 words may have switched, the correct usage today is as follows:

Disinterested - neutral, unbiased, impartial, unprejudiced

Uninterested - indifferent, having no interest, of no personal consequence

Although they may seem quite similar, they really are not. A disinterested observer would probably make a good judge where as an uninterested person would not.

As writers of a blog, we accept that a reader might be disinterested in the subject matter, but hope that no one is ever uninterested!

At A Loss.....

CYA Writing Tips specializes in bringing to light, words that are commonly misused or misspelled. A good friend and follower of our blog, brought a good one to our attention yesterday, and in his honor (spelled correctly for us and other Americans - we don't do "ou") we are going to share it with you today.

Loss Leader is the term used to refer to goods or services offered at deep discounts (often below cost) in order to attract customers. The strategy behind the loss leader is that the discounted product or service will attract customers to the business to "get the deal", and then they will continue to buy/use other products or services that are more profitable.

Lost Leader, is the term used in error. Not to say that there are no "lost leaders" (world politics can boast quite a few!), but it is incorrect when used to describe this particular marketing strategy.