🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <2067@aegis.or.jp> davidg@aegis.or.jp (Dave McLane) writes:

   Yeah. And this stuff has been edited! If you've ever been in a
   real-time chat ... ohhh, very terrible! 

At least in a spoken conversation you don't have to try to remember
whether the word ends in -ce or -se. (one of my favorite opportunities
for creative spelling)

   But speaking of confusing, a English friend of mine was over the
   other day talking about whether it was 'enquiry' or 'inquiry'. My
   Random House College Dictionary says 'equire' is the same as
   'inquire' but what they don't say is the while in the U.S. you see
   many signboards for 'Information' in England you see signboards for
   'Enquiry' (Osaka station says 'Information').

   On the other hand, there *are* differences between 'assure' 'ensure'
   and 'insure'. Here I use Longman's Dictionary of Contemporary
   English as there are differences between U.S. and British usage: 1.
   You usually *insure* against future disaster by paying money to an
   *insurance* company: fire *insurance*. But it is possible to
   *insure/assure* against death (BrE): life *assurance*. 2. *Ensure*
   meant "to make sure that something happens": Please *ensure* that
   the lights are switched off before leaving the building. 3. If you
   *assure* a person of something, then you promise them or tell them
   something that will happen: The doctor *assured* me that I would get
   better. 

Except and Accept always used to give me fits, but I've finally got that
one down!

   Hope that wasn't too boring, it's a subject which interests me
   greatly.... 

Not boring at all. In fact it's probably an area of intrest (or is that
interest? :-) ) to many people reading here.

Mark Dyer		English: markd@tdd.sj.nec.com
NEC America, Inc.	 $BF|K\8l(B: markd@csl.sj.nec.com
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