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generosity (not -ous-)
generous
get they get, have got, are getting
ghastly (not gastly)
gipsy/gypsy Both spellings are correct.
gipsies or gypsies (plural)
See PLURALS (iii).
glamorous (not -our-)
glamour
good will or goodwill? Always write as one word when referring
to the prestige and trading value of a
business.
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GORGEOUS
He bought the GOODWILL for five
thousand pounds.
Use either two words or one word when
referring to general feelings of kindness
and support.
As a gesture of GOOD WILL, she
cancelled the fine.
gorgeous (not -gous)
See SOFT C AND SOFT G.
gorilla or guerilla? A GORILLA is an animal.
A GUERILLA is a revolutionary fighter.
gossip gossiped, gossiping (not -pp)
See ADDING ENDINGS (iv).
gourmand or gourmet? A GOURMAND is greedy and over-
indulges where fine food is concerned.
A GOURMET is a connoisseur of fine
food.
government (not goverment as it is often
mispronounced)
governor (not -er)
gradual
gradually gradual + ly (not gradully)
graffiti This is increasingly used in a general sense
(like the word  writing ) and its plural
force is forgotten when it comes to
matching it with a verb:
There was GRAFFITI all over the wall.
A few conservative writers would like a
plural verb (There were GRAFFITI all
over the wall).
graffito (singular) graffiti (plural)
See FOREIGN PLURALS.
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GUTTURAL
grammar (not -er)
gramophone (not grama-)
grandad/granddad Both spellings are correct.
grandchild
granddaughter
grandfather
grandma
grandmother
grandparent
grandson
grate or great? Use these exemplar sentences as a guide:
The fire was burning brightly in the
GRATE.
GRATE the potato coarsely.
Christopher Wren was a GREAT architect.
grateful (not greatful)
grief (not -ei-)
grievance (not -ence)
grievous (not -ious)
grotto (singular) grottoes or grottos (plural)
guage Wrong spelling. See GAUGE.
guarantee
guardian
guess
guest
guttural (not -er-)
85
H
hadn t (not had nt)
haemorrhage (not -rh-)
half (singular) halves (plural)
See PLURALS (v).
halo (singular) haloes or halos (plural)
See PLURALS (iv).
handkerchief (singular) handkerchiefs (plural) (not -nk-)
See PLURALS (v).
hanged or hung? People are HANGED.
Things like clothes and pictures are
HUNG.
happen happened, happening (not -nn-)
harass (not -rr-)
hardly See DOUBLE NEGATIVES.
hasn t (not has nt)
haven t (not have nt)
headquarters (not headquaters)
hear or here? You HEAR with your ear.
Use HERE to indicate place:
Come over HERE.
heard or herd? We HEARD their voices outside.
We photographed the HERD of deer.
heifer See EI/IE SPELLING RULE.
height See EI/IE SPELLING RULE.
heinous See EI/IE SPELLING RULE.
herd See HEARD OR HERD?.
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HISTORIC OR HISTORICAL?
here See HEAR OR HERE?.
hero (singular) heroes (plural)
See PLURALS (iv).
heroin or heroine? HEROIN is a drug.
A HEROINE is a female hero.
hers No apostrophe is needed.
This is mine; this is HERS.
HERS has a yellow handle.
hiccough or hiccup? Both words are pronounced  hiccup and
either spelling can be used. The second
spelling (hiccup) is more usual.
hiccup hiccuped, hiccuping (not -pp-)
hieroglyphics
high-tech or hi-tec? Both spellings are correct for the adjective
derived from high technology:
A HI-TEC factory
A HIGH-TECH computer system
Without the hyphen, each word can be
used as a noun replacing  high
technology :
A generation familiar with HIGH TECH
The latest development in HI TEC
hindrance (not hinderance)
hippopotamus (singular) hippopotami or hippopotamuses (plural)
See FOREIGN PLURALS.
historic or historical? HISTORIC means famous in history,
memorable, or likely to go down in
recorded history:
a HISTORIC meeting
HISTORICAL means existing in the past
or representing something that could have
happened in the past:
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HOARD OR HORDE?
a HISTORICAL novel
a HISTORICAL fact
Note It would not be wrong to say or
write an historic meeting, an historical
novel, an historical fact. However, this
usage of an before words like hotel,
historic and historical is becoming much
less common, now that the h beginning
these words is usually voiced.
hoard or horde? To HOARD is to save something in a
secret place.
A HOARD is a secret store.
A HORDE is a large group of people,
insects or animals.
hoarse or horse? HOARSE means croaky, sore or rough (a
HOARSE whisper).
HORSE is an animal.
hole or whole? Use these exemplar sentences as a guide:
She ate the WHOLE cake by herself.
You have a HOLE in your sock.
homeoepathy/ Both spellings are correct.
homeopathy
honest (not onnist or honist)
honorary (Note: this word has four syllables not
three.)
An HONORARY secretary of an
association is one who works voluntarily
and receives no payment.
honour honourable
hoof (singular) hoofs or hooves (plural)
See PLURALS (v).
hoping or hopping? hope + ing = hoping
hop + ing = hopping
See ADDING ENDINGS (i) and (ii).
horde See HOARD OR HORDE?.
88
HYPERTHERMIA OR HYPOTHERMIA?
horrible (not -able)
horse See HOARSE OR HORSE?.
human or humane? HUMAN beings are naturally competitive.
There must be a more HUMANE way of
slaughtering animals.
humour humorous (not humourous)
humourless
hundred (not hundered)
hung See HANGED OR HUNG?.
hygiene (not -ei-)
See EI/IE SPELLING RULE.
hyper- or hypo-? The prefix  hyper comes from a Greek
word meaning  over ,  beyond . Hence we
have words like these:
hyperactive (= abnormally active)
hypermarket (= a very large self-service
store)
hypersensitive (= unusually sensitive)
The prefix  hypo comes from a Greek
word meaning  under . Hence we have
words like these:
hypochondria (the melancholy associated
with obsession with one s health was
originally believed to originate in the
organs beneath the ribs)
hypodermic (= under the skin)
hypercritical or HYPERCRITICAL = excessively critical
hypocritical? HYPOCRITICAL = disguising one s true
nature under a pretence of being better
than you really are
See HYPER- OR HYPO-?.
hyperthermia or HYPERTHERMIA = having an
hypothermia? abnormally high body temperature
HYPOTHERMIA = having an abnormally
low body temperature
See HYPER- OR HYPO-?.
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HYPERVENTILATE OR HYPOVENTILATE
hyperventilate or HYPERVENTILATE = to breathe at an
hypoventilate abnormally rapid rate
HYPOVENTILATE = to breathe at an
abnormally slow rate
See HYPER- OR HYPO-?.
hyphens (i) Hyphens are used to indicate word-
breaks where there is not space to
complete a word at the end of a line.
Take care to divide the word at an
appropriate point between syllables so
that your reader is not confused and
can continue smoothly from the first
part of the word to the second part.
There are dictionaries of
hyphenation available that will
indicate sensible places to break
words. They don t always agree with
each other! You will also notice a
difference in practice between British
English and American English.
Increasingly, however, the trend is
towards American English practice, i.e.
being guided by the way the word is
pronounced. Break the word in such a
way as to preserve the overall
pronunciation as far as possible. It is
really a matter of common sense. For
this reason you will avoid breaking:
father into fat-her
legend into leg-end
therapist into the-rapist
manslaughter into mans-laughter
notable into not-able
and so on!
Note: that the hyphen should be
placed at the end of the first line (to
indicate that the word is to be
continued). It is not repeated at the
beginning of the next.
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HYPHENS
The children shouted enthusias-
tically as they raced towards the sea.
If you are breaking a word that is
already hyphenated, break it at the
existing hyphen:
Both my parents are extremely absent-
minded.
Breaking a word always makes it look
temporarily unfamiliar. You will
notice that in printed books for very
young readers word-breaks are always
carefully avoided. Ideally, you also
will try to avoid them. Anticipate how
much space a word requires at the
end of a line and start a new line if
necessary. Whatever happens, avoid
breaking a word very close to its [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]