Tip 636: Troublesome Words Two

From the Writing Workshops: Troublesome Words Two 

Last week, we began exploring troublesome words: words that can get you in trouble if you use them incorrectly. “Hey! You! Inside the house! This is the Word Police! Come out with your keyboard in the air!” 

Compliment and complement

A compliment is praise: “You did a good job.” Think of the I in compliment as “I want to pay you a compliment.”  

A complement is something that completes. Fills out. Makes whole. (The two words share the same first six letters.) You have a full complement if your staff is complete. (Last week, you were two people short. You hired Sarah and Leah as the complement.)  

Criteria and criterion

Forget these. They’re Latin gobbledygook. Use reason or factor. 

“One criterion made the difference.” Baloney. Try “One reason made the difference.” Clearer. Simpler. Fewer syllables.  

(Just in case you’re asked on a test: criterion is singular, criteria is plural. Think of criterion as the beginning of criteri-one.) 

Discreet and discrete

Discreet means careful or quiet: “Let’s be discreet about this.”

Discrete means separate: “The company has three discrete divisions.” But ask yourself, “Do I need the extra word?” Doesn’t “The company has three divisions” mean the same thing?  

Concrete is what driveways are made of. We threw that in for laughs. 

Let us know your thoughts. We love this stuff.

More words next week.