The Wrong Word Entirely, # 38

This week seems to be developing a theme… From Dr Faustus comes another misused word:

Link: Swansea University/Prifysgol Abertawe, DACE/AABO, S.O.S. Student Online Support, ‘Awkward Spellings’

I’ve included the subsequent sentence as it seems to have something wrong with it. Perhaps compiled of should be compiled from or, better, This list is a compilation of…

Of course, since the words are correctly spelt to aid the challenged students, who clearly (but oddly) are assumed to lack access to a spell-checker, the sentence’s basic proposition is problematic… but not as problematic as the source: the acronym DACE/AABO expands to the Department of Adult Continuing Education/Adran Addysg Barhaus Oedolion, for which this page is not a good advertisement.

alludes for eludes

The Wrong Word Entirely, # 37

This notice, found on display in a care home, has several examples of acyrologia:

The misuse of bought for brought featured in The Wrong Word Entirely, # 1. It’s accompanied here by a confusion of insure for ensure and attain for obtain, and some odd phrasing and punctuation overall. Perhaps it’s intended as a test of the inmates’ mental faculties…

bought for brought; insure for ensure; attain for obtain

Problem punctuation, # 3

The phrasing here is awkward and repetitive, and the comma after ‘Lord Dear’ inexplicable:

Link: The Telegraph, ‘“Insulting” words crime which made it illegal to call a police horse “gay” …’