History or historycal corres 6 doc

memento (singular) mementoes or mementos (plural) See PLURALS (iv). memorandum (singular) memoranda or memorandums (plural) See FOREIGN PLURALS. memory (singular) memories (plural) See PLURALS (iii). ment Wrong spelling. See MEANT. mention mentioned, mentioning. Mesdames (i) Plural of French Madame. (ii) Used as a plural title before a number of ladies’ names: Mesdames Smith, Green, Brown and Kelly won prizes. Always used with an initial capital letter. message messenger (not messanger) metaphor (not metaphore) A metaphor is a compressed comparison: He wolfed his food. (note the apparent identification with a wolf’s eating habits) Compare SIMILE. meteorology (six syllables) meter or metre? Use these exemplar sentences as a guide: Put these coins in the parking METER. You’ll need a METRE of material to make a skirt. Sonnets are always written in iambic METRE. might See MAY OR MIGHT?. might of This is an incorrect construction. See COULD OF. MIGHT OF 117 milage/mileage Both spellings are correct. milieu (singular) milieus or milieux (plural) See FOREIGN PLURALS. militate or mitigate? To MILITATE (against) comes from the Latin verb meaning ‘to serve as a soldier’ and it has the combative sense of having a powerful influence on something. Despite his excellent qualifications, his youthful criminal record MILITATED against his appointment as school bursar. To MITIGATE comes from the Latin adjective meaning ‘mild’ and it means to moderate, to make less severe. Don’t condemn the young man too harshly. There are MITIGATING circumstances. millennium (singular) millennia or millenniums (plural) (not -n-) See FOREIGN PLURALS. millepede/millipede Both spellings are correct. mimic mimicked, mimicking See SOFT C AND SOFT G. miniature minuscule (not miniscule) minute (not minuit) miracle miscellaneous miscellany mischief See EI/IE SPELLING RULE. mischievous (not mischievious, as it is often mispronounced) misplace See DISPLACE OR MISPLACE?. misrelated participles See PARTICIPLES. 118 MILAGE/MILEA GE misspell mis + spell misspelled/misspelt Both spellings are correct. mistletoe moccasin modern (not modren) moment (not momment) momentary or MOMENTARY =lastingforonlya momentous? very short time MOMENTOUS = of great significance monastery (singular) monasteries (plural) (not monastry/monastries) See PLURALS (iii). mongoose (singular) mongooses (plural) (not mongeese) monotonous moping or mopping? mope + ing = moping mop + ing = mopping See ADDING ENDINGS (i) + (ii). moral or morale? Use these exemplar sentences as a guide: Denise is guided by strong MORAL principles. My MORALE suffered badly when I failed my exams and I lost all faith in myself for years. Morocco mortgage (not morgage as it is pronounced) mosquito (singular) mosquitoes (plural) See PLURALS (iv). motto (singular) mottoes or mottos (plural) See PLURALS (iv). mould mouldy MOULDY 119 moustache mucous or mucus? MUCOUS is an adjective, as in MUCOUS membrane. The name of the thick secretion of the mucous membrane is called MUCUS. murmur murmured, murmuring (not murmer-) mustn’t This is the contracted form of ‘must not’. Take care to place the apostrophe carefully. must of This is an incorrect construction. See COULD OF. mute -e Also known as magic -e and silent -e. See ADDING ENDINGS (ii). mutual reciprocal Our dislike was MUTUAL. Their marriage is based on MUTUAL respect. Some would avoid the use of ‘mutual’ in expressions such as ‘our mutual friend’ because a third person is then introduced and the feelings of each person for the other two are not necessarily identical. It might be best here to describe the friend as one ‘we have in common’. myself See I/ME/MYSELF. myth See LEGEND OR MYTH?. 120 MOUSTACHE N naive/naı ¨ ve Both forms are correct. naivete ´ /naı ¨ vete ´ / All these forms are correct. naivety/naı ¨ vety nationalise or to NATIONALISE =totransfer naturalise? ownership from the private sector to the state to NATURALISE = to confer full citizenship on a foreigner nebula (singular) nebulae or nebulas (plural) See FOREIGN PLURALS. necessary necessity negatives See DOUBLE NEGATIVES. neighbour See EI/IE SPELLING RULE. neither See EI/IE SPELLING RULE. neither . . .nor Compare EITHER . . .OR. nephew -ness Take care when adding this suffix to a word already ending in -n. You will have double n: cleanness openness suddenness neumonia Wrong spelling. See PNEUMONIA. new See KNEW OR NEW?. niece Se e EI/IE SPELLING RULE. nine ninth 121 nineteen nineteenth ninety ninetieth no See KNOW OR NO?. no body or nobody? Use these exemplar sentences as a guide: It was believed that he had been murdered but NO BODY was ever found, and so nothing could be proved. (= no corpse) NOBODY likes going to the dentist. (= no one) none The problem with ‘none’ is deciding whether to use with it a singular or a plural verb. Strictly speaking, a singular verb should accompany ‘none’: NONE of the passengers WAS hurt. (= not one) NONE of the milk WAS spilt. (= not any) Colloquially, a singular verb is always used with expressions of quantity but a plural verb is often used when plural nouns follow the ‘none of . . .’ construction: NONE of the passengers WERE hurt. NONE of my friends LIKE pop music. NONE of the children WANT an ice- cream. Some would reserve plural verbs in these cases for informal occasions; others would see them as perfectly acceptable formally as well. no one ‘No one’ is singular and requires a singular verb: NO ONE likes meanness. ‘No one’ should be written as two words and not hyphenated. 122 NINETEEN . memento (singular) mementoes or mementos (plural) See PLURALS (iv). memorandum (singular) memoranda or memorandums (plural) See FOREIGN PLURALS. memory (singular) memories (plural) See PLURALS. or mopping? mope + ing = moping mop + ing = mopping See ADDING ENDINGS (i) + (ii). moral or morale? Use these exemplar sentences as a guide: Denise is guided by strong MORAL principles. My MORALE. MYTH?. 120 MOUSTACHE N naive/naı ¨ ve Both forms are correct. naivete ´ /naı ¨ vete ´ / All these forms are correct. naivety/naı ¨ vety nationalise or to NATIONALISE =totransfer naturalise? ownership from the private sector to the state to