Patrick's Place

Picture a business email that reads: “We’re happy to wave the late fee.” And yes, when I type that, spell check is already showing me the little red line. It knows, better than some writers, the different meanings of waive or wave. In this example, the sender probably means something generous and official. But one silent letter separates a legal concession from a hand gesture. So in this example, mixing them up in a contract, invoice, or press release undercuts the writer’s credibility fast.

Sure, your basic spell check can easily catch typos. But sometimes even it struggles to detect a wrong word that happens to be spelled correctly. That’s why it’s important to make sure you’re paying attention to spelling with homophones. This week’s example focuses on the confusion that can accompany choosing among cite, site or sight. Homophones are words that sound similar but that we spell differently. Each has a different meaning despite the fact that they sound the same. Cite is a verb.

It is not difficult to find conspiracy theories on virtually any topic these days. Some seem like they fell right out of outer space. But others seem, at least on the surface, as if they might make sense. I found one recently suggesting that big artificial intelligence companies are quietly planning to dumb down their products. The reason? It comes down to economics: Some believe consumers who hit a brick wall because of dumber AI models will finally open their wallets.

Every few years, a politician’s name becomes shorthand for a rumor nobody can prove. It happened again this week with the death of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham. The Republican was South Carolina’s senior senator. Despite decades of denials, rumors about his sexual orientation were almost immediately back in circulation. It wasn’t because anyone established anything new, just that his sudden death gave people an excuse to bring it up again.

I’ll admit it: For years, I’ve committed brand loyalty with a handful of brands over the years. I use the same laundry detergent, the same fabric softener, and a search of my pantry shows several brands I’ve bought from for years. When it comes to soup, if it’s the main course, I’m almost always going to choose Campbell’s. If the soup is an ingredient in something bigger, I might go with a store brand, if there’s a sale. If it’s quick and easy mac and cheese, for me, it has to be Kraft.

Late Spring is when the Associated Press releases its Associated Press Stylebook, the style guide newsrooms across the globe rely on. But that style guide is far from an annual event. Granted, I write several posts every spring about changes since the latest edition’s release. This year, for example, I told you that AP editors finally allowed “health care” to become healthcare. But AP editors dutifully track the calendar all year round.

Over the years, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen an urgent post asking everyone to copy and paste some advisory about their public photos. The gist is always the same: The message posters encourage others to share attempts to remove permission to share photos they post. Usually, there’s some conspiracy theory involving unnamed government agencies that might use your content. The thing is, almost every time that happens, the post is meaningless.

The month of July conjurs pictures of picnics and outings of all types. We stay inside with the air conditioners to beat the heat. Yet we get outside to enjoy the sunshine and summer weather. And intermingled into all of the gatherings and sports events, there are plenty of organizations hoping you’ll show them and their missions some love this month. Here’s a list of just 10 of the July causes worth considering this month: Disability Pride Month falls in July, which carries a special significance.

A colleague told me of an interview he heard with someone about rate hikes at the post office. The person complained about having to “throw away” his Forever Stamps every time postage prices went up. At first, I thought he was joking. But he said the person actually said that. I hope — for your budget’s sake — that you already know the problem. The United States Postal Service submitted a formal proposal in 2006 to the U.S. Postal Rate Commission to create a Forever stamp.

The “farther or further” debate has been around long enough to have some people questioning its necessity these days. It’s one of those rules that English teachers drill into students with total confidence, even though the language itself has never been quite that tidy about it. But for true grammar enthusiasts, the two words have distinct use cases and you should never confuse them. I’m sure you have your own take on the confusion over the two.