dictionarykiwi, created by the community

The English language is one of the most expressive languages on the planet. For this reason, there are multiple ways of saying the same thing. However, sometimes just changing one word in a sentence or phrase can slightly alter its meaning. One example is the term “sorry to bother you” as opposed to the term “sorry for bothering you.”

Both terms are very similar and convey the idea that you want to apologize for interrupting or for inconveniencing another individual. However, these terms are different.

“Sorry for bothering you” refers to an action that took place in the past. For example, you ask a favor from a friend. In doing so, you made them stop what they were doing. So after interrupting them, saying “Sorry for bothering you” is the right way to respond for the interruption that took place.

“Sorry to bother you” on the other hand is something that you would say before interrupting a person or as a way of introducing the interruption. For example, you may knock on a neighbor’s door looking for a cup of sugar. When they come to the door, the first thing you say to them is “Sorry to bother you” and then you proceed with your request for a favor. This term is essentially putting your listener on notice to the fact that you are going to ask something of them.

Either way, saying sorry for bothering you or sorry to bother you is a polite way to acknowledge that you are interrupting someone’s activities.

“Hypothetically speaking” and “theoretically speaking” are two different phrases with similar meanings. They descend from the worlds of science and philosophy, and refer to the distinct but similar concepts of “hypothesis” and “theory.” In common conversation they are utilized almost interchangeably. It is only in more careful and measured speech, or when referring to precise scientific concepts, that the difference between them becomes in any way important.

A hypothesis and a theory are both proposed explanations for an existing condition. They are synonymous. A hypothesis is a type of theory and a theory can be a hypothesis. In these phrases, to say “hypothetically speaking” is to imply, “Speaking of a hypothetical situation that has been proposed.” A hypothesis is, in this exact sense, an imaginary situation that is to be considered in the conversation. The speaker is speculating about a world where conditions are a certain way, considering what might follow from those conditions, and possibly advancing a vision of proposed behavior if these things were to be. “Theoretically speaking” implies that there is a proposed underlying principle of some kind being discussed. This can be as vague as discussing the nature of life itself or as completely concrete as the speaker chooses. The distance between these two phrases is very slight, and it is only important when the conversation revolves around a specific hypothesis or a specific theory. For most conversations either phrase will do fine, and the speaker or writer should select between them based on their characteristics of sentence flow, euphony and other aesthetic considerations.

When inquiring about the day, both of these phrases are correct grammatically speaking. In the case of the first phrase, the word “today” is acting as an adverb modifying the entire sentence. In the second phrase, the word “today” is acting as a predicative nominative and renaming the noun “day.”

A rewording of the sentences into declarative sentences can bring this into sharp focus. In the case of the declarative sentence, the word “what” has been excluded because we are no longer asking a question.

“What day is it today?” – “It is _____day today.”

“What day is today?” – “Today is ______day.”

Filling in the blanks of the two declarative sentences is easy.

“It is Monday today, not Tuesday.”

“Today is Monday, not Tuesday.”

Simply put, when you make the statement “It is Monday today.” or ask the question “What day is it today?”, you are using the word “today” as an adverb of time to describe when the action of the sentence occurs.

On the other hand, when you make the statement “Today is Monday.” or ask the question “What day is today?”, you are using the word “today” as a noun that renames the noun day.

So, as we’ve said, both are grammatically correct. Given that, which one should you use?

The answer to that is fairly simple. Whichever one you prefer! If you wish to know which one Americans would choose, the best answer we can give whichever is shorter. Americans are renowned for their efficiency!

Way back in the Stone Age when I was taught how to sign off on a business letter, the word “Sincerely” was presented as the standard closing of a proper letter. I used that closing word for many, many years with much success.

Upon taking a new job in the early 2000s, I discovered that my new company preferred to use the closing terms of “Regards, Best regards and Kind regards” instead. I asked for some clarification of when to use each one to make sure I did not use one incorrectly.

Let me share what I learned with you.

First, the word “Sincerely” is considered very formal nowadays. Save this closing word for situations in which you must be extremely formal. An example of this might be when writing to the President of the United States.

The other terms all denote a familiarity of some type. In other words, you have an established connection with the person you are writing to.

“Regards” is a general closing that denotes friendliness and politeness. It can be used in almost any business situation.

“Best regards” might be used when you have a closer connection with the person and wish to augment the level of regards you are sending.

“Kind regards” conveys the deepest connection of the three. It show the reader of your letter that you feel a strong and positive connection to them.

None of the four closing phrases could ever really be considered impolite, but you should use them selectively.

Circa is a term that means ‘approximately.’ The word comes from Latin and literally means ‘around’ or ‘about.’ It comes from the same Latin root word as the English word ‘circle.’

It is often used in reference to a time period when the exact date is not known. For instance, when looking at a family photo album, if you see a picture of you as a baby, and you know you were born in 1978, but you aren’t sure of the exact date the picture was taken, you might say, “This is a picture of me, circa 1978.” Another way of using the term in this case would be to say, “Me, circa late 1970’s.”

The term circa is often used in historical and genealogical writing. It is regularly found in history textbooks and biographies when referencing events of which the exact date is not known, but there is evidence to suggest a general time period for those events. For example, in a book about ancient Egypt, one might read, “King Tut was born circa 1341 BCE.”

Circa, as with many other English words that came from Latin, is used in everyday modern English too. It is a word that you might hear in casual conversation as well as in more formal settings. Some common synonyms for the word include: approximately, roughly, and around. A few casual, informal synonyms are the phrases: thereabouts and give or take.

The term can be abbreviated as any of the following: circ., c., or ca.

Adjectives in the English language can be tricky enough to get correct, especially with the various transformations they undergo and their ensuing irregularities. There are, however, certain rules of thumb that help keep various grammatical patterns straight. These rules can be applied to adjectives – specially comparatives – as well.

A comparative adjective is one that states someone as being more of one thing than another. An example of this is of course “clear”. Yet, in using this adjective, the question might arise: “clearer”? Or… “more clear”? Which is the correct comparative adjective or expression to use. Fortunately, the answer is that either of these variations are considered grammatically correct. It predominantly comes down to personal preference and especially ease of speech.

One useful tip to use when recalling whether or not an adjective requires “more” or can take a different comparative form is to consider how many syllables it has. Words with a single syllable are often readily transformable into an “-er” comparative. “Clear” is just one example of this. It’s not necessary to define something as “more clear” as its single syllable form can easily adapt to an “-er” ending to form “clearer”. Other examples adjectives that easily transform like that would include “new” and “newer”, “hard” and “harder”, “slow” and “slower”, “short” and “shorter”. On the other hand, one would make “dangerous” into “more dangerous”, “handsome” into “more handsome”, and “beautiful” into “more beautiful”. Again, this rule of thumb merely serves as a guide for comparative adjectives.

Generally speaking, “proverbial” can be defined as something that is a word or phrases which references a proverb or an idiom. Some of the things described as “proverbial”, especially as used to define an entire group of people, can therefore become borderline stereotypical in nature. In more cases than none, however, “proverbial” is used amongst Biblical backgrounds, serving under the more generic term of “proverbs”. Its synonyms include that which is famed or famous, renowned, and well-known.

One common use of the word “proverbial” is to describe something that is reiterated enough times to make it viewed as essentially an adage of sorts. In this context, the word takes a particularly Biblical form, describing pieces of wisdom that are reiterated as truth. For example, the Proverbs section of the Bible could literally be considered the “proverbial” word of God.

“Proverbial” is also often used to define something that may not physically exist but the symbolism of which is important to make a point. The common example for this usage of “proverbial” would be sinking a proverbial ship. The use of “proverbial” in this expression reaffirms that the ship mentioned is not in fact a real ship while still conveying the overall message.

Most crucially, however, “proverbial” is used as a way to describe something commonly known and spoken about. For example, the expression about a “smoking gun” is one that is used commonly enough to be understood. By calling this the “proverbial smoking gun”, its cultural prevalence is also emphasized.

The English language can be difficult to understand. There are so many different rules that need to be followed in order to speak and write properly that sometimes we forget what the correct way to say a word is or the correct way to spell it.

This is not any different when it comes to words such as ‘every time’ and ‘everytime’. Since the only thing that is different between these two words is a space, we may begin to wonder what truly is the difference between these words. Well, the difference is that ‘every time’ is an acceptable word and ‘everytime’ is not.

There are compound words that are acceptable in the English language, such as everyone and everywhere. There is also a difference in meanings when considering the words ‘everyday’ and ‘every day’, but the same is not true with everytime.

The meaning for the properly spelled word ‘every time’ is on every occasion or all occurrences. As an example, “Every time I go to the lake, I end up getting a sunburn.”

The word ‘everytime’ is used by so many people on a regular basis. This may be because they are unaware that this is not the proper way of spelling it or it could be that they know it is incorrect, but feel that it has a different meaning from ‘every time’. Those that use the word ‘everytime’ use it as a synonym to the word whenever, such as “Everytime I am thirsty, I get a glass of water.”

Although ‘everytime’ is not an acceptable word now, maybe that will change someday.

Homophones are a bane to authors, journalists and students. Should a perceptive editor or teacher catch an incorrect word, consequences can range from slight embarrassment to financial loss. Among the most nettlesome homophones are “peek,” “peak” and “pique.” Faulty usage will, of course, completely change the meaning of a sentence. Remembering the difference is crucial.

The word “peek” can be either a noun or verb. It refers to a quick and discreet look, often from an unobtrusive vantage point. For example, a noun may be used as “I will take a peek at the audience from behind the curtain.” In the same manner, a verb will be used like this: “She peeks at the audience from behind the curtain.”

“Peak,” on the other hand, is used as a noun exclusively. It refers to the highest point of a mountain or the pointed cap of a ridge. It can also signify the maximal level of other phenomena, as well. A reporter might tell readers that a re-elected politician reached the peak of popularity. Likewise, it can be said that a TV program is at its peak when it achieves its highest ratings.

Also both a noun and verb, “pique” is a word that stands for annoyance, irritation or resentment. “After the insult, he stormed out of the meeting in a fit of pique.” This represents the word as a noun. Used in action, it appears like this: “Sally piqued Martha with rudeness and ingratitude.” The verb here means to cause irritation.

In the English language, the expressions “a.m.” and “p.m.” are both commonly used to differentiate morning versus evening times of the day. This distinction is not necessary in many parts of the world where a 24-hour clock is used, or when “in the morning’ or “in the afternoon” are specified as such. Instead, “a.m.” and “p.m.” are incredibly useful for the 12-hour clock, helping differentiate vastly different hours of the day, such as 4 a.m. versus 4 p.m. Yet the question remains: What do “a.m.” and “p.m.” actually stand for?

As with a lot of the English language, Latin can be credited with the use of these expressions in modern speech. “A.m.” actually stands for “ante meridiem” and “post meridiem”. “Meridiem” refers to the middle of the “diem”, or “day”, which is of course viewed as noon. Even on a sundial, as used by the ancient Romans, the midpoint of the dial can be found at this time. “Ante”, therefore means “before”, and “post” means “after”. When someone defines a time as being “ante meridiem”, he or she is literally stating that the time falls earlier in the day than when the sun is at its highest and casts a noon shadow on a sundial clock. Likewise, a time labeled as “post meridiem” is an hour that falls after the sun has held the noon position on the sundial.

There are many expressions in the English language that are embedded with Latin. The “a.m.”-“p.m.” phrase origin is just one example.