Lightning
Let me be gentle. No, I am not frothing at the mouth. Yes. Let me smile and provide the following guidance with cheery goodwill. After all - in the end - does it really matter? It's only symbols on paper. I am not blowing a gasket. No I am not.
In my defence, I will say this... I was an English teacher for thirty eight years. I marked thousands of books, assignments, exam papers, essays, stories, letters, fake job applications, poems, playscripts, answers to questions. They all passed under my bridge, like autumn leaves upon the surface of a river.
One red pen said hello to a new red pen and another and another. Sometimes there were green pens - lines of them stretching out to the horizon. I was doing my best to help. Never belittling nor being superior. The ability to spell accurately is born into some of us but not into others. I know that very well.
The psychology of spelling is often interwoven with our sense of self.
And now I come to the main meat of this blogpost. Settle down everybody. I would like you to look at the following two words:-
lightning
&
lightening
Can you see how they are different from each other? The second one has an "e" in the middle, Not only do these words look different - they have very different meanings.
lightning - This refers to the natural phenomenon of a bright flash of light in the sky during a storm, caused by a discharge of electricity. It is also widely used figuratively to describe fast movement. Examples:-
During the storm, a bolt of lightning hit the church tower.
The pop fans ran like lightning to the front of the auditorium.
lightening - This is connected with the verb "To lighten". That verb may concern either light or weight.
Light examples:-
The make-up artist was busy lightening the actress's
cheeks with some white powder.
Over in the east, I observed a subtle lightening of the
clouds as night gave way to a new day.
Weight examples:-
At the airport, Pixie tried lightening her suitcase by
removing her bowling ball.
Lightening one's mind may often be achieved by sharing one's troubles.
⦿
So that's that. I thought that my teaching days were over but repeated evidence of lightning/lightening confusion in the blogosphere caused me to dust off my mortarboard and academic gown once more. Class dismissed.
I agree with you. Grammar, spelling and pronunciation have got worse in recent years. What really hacks me off is how American pronunciations seems to have taken over. I watch British dramas and documentaries where for example the word 'privacy' or 'debris' are pronounced in the American way by British people, obviously thinking that is the correct way to pronounce it. I know a language evolves (and has done a lot since, say, Chaucer or Shakespeare) but it's still annoys me. I share your pain.
ReplyDeleteReaders should not have to work to make amends for a writer's carelessness.
DeleteDe Brie is de cheese to choose, best gluttonised in the pry-vacy of your own home Ha Ha.
DeleteI love it, River
DeleteWell, its you're blog, so their.
ReplyDeleteGRRR! Why are you winding me up young lady? IT'S NOT FUNNY! (increase font size to 72).
DeleteI enjoy being apart of your classroom
ReplyDeleteGRRR! It's " a part" of! Are you winding me up?
DeleteMaybe
DeleteAs the storm began to wane the lightning was lightening.
ReplyDeleteLightning flashed over Camden as the dawn's early light was already lightening the eastern sky.
DeleteThat, too!
Deletea lot of unnecessary capitalisation in that "lightening" product advert!!
ReplyDeleteIt's a great lightning photo! I wasn't a teacher but I'm a speller and I notice things, too. We are set for a stormy night here and I will probably see some lightning....along with strong winds, possible hail and possible tornado. We need the rain, wish it would only be rain.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm embarrassed to say I didn't know this. You've presented it well and I will remember.
ReplyDeleteMost of us in the blogosphere have their pet irks when it comes to grammar, spelling and punctuation. Mine are wrongly used apostrophes and a few others. Not that my use of your (or my native) language is flawless, but I like to think that I do have a reasonably good grasp of both.
ReplyDeleteNone of us are perfect when it comes to grammar and spelling and I am happy to hold my hands up when I have erred.
DeleteI am quaking, however I don't think I've written lightning for some time.
ReplyDeleteQuaking? See me in my study laddie!
DeleteI have always known the difference and I used to cringe at the misuse, but I see it so often now I just skim over it, just like so many other mis-uses I see.
ReplyDeleteJoin me in the fight for accuracy. We must not surrender!
DeleteSpelling never came easy to me, my english teacher told me I was hopeless and for years I believed him, now I can work out most words and spell check gets the rest. Spelling and punctuation are now very lax, it does irritate me.
ReplyDeleteWhen humans were cave dwellers and hunter gatherers there was no need for spelling. Our brains have had to adapt and evolve. The internal processes are not fully understood.
DeleteA losing battle Mr P. All is lost.
ReplyDeleteR.I.P English Grammar.
I didn't realise you were a Grammar. What are your grandkids called?
DeleteSee.... a point proved!
DeleteOkay, but this is the kind of English lesson I actually enjoy—like a friendly but slightly exasperated teacher who’s seen one too many spelling mix-ups and just *had* to step in. And honestly, I get it. "Lightning" and "lightening" are sneaky little words, almost identical but living completely different lives.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the mental image of Pixie at the airport yanking out a bowling ball? Pure gold. I bet even after reading this, someone out there will still mix them up, but at least now they have no excuse. Consider this lesson thoroughly appreciated—now off to make sure I haven’t been using "lightening" wrong all my life.
Yes, I knew this, though I can't say I've used lightening for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Addy and Jaycee on their comments about the English language. It's annoying to hear words which are so obviously American, but I suppose that in TV programmes unless the pronunciation is changed, viewers in the U.S. won't understand.
I must congratulate Mieke and Monica on their excellent English.
And by changing the pronunciation, Americans don't get the chance to learn how other countries speak that same language.
DeleteLots of other examples come more readily to mind.
ReplyDeleteI know I have been guilty of this. I strive to do better.
ReplyDeleteThere are a variety of reasons that some people struggle with spelling, dyslexia being one. In the 1960's many of us were taught to read, without learning to spell, leading to a lifelong struggle with spelling. Those who are expert at spelling make excellent editors, a talent far to many professional publishers fail to employ these days (when I find spelling errors in books, it is a true sign of failure by the editors.)
ReplyDelete"far TOO many"?
DeleteThanks for enlightening us... ;-) ... I don't think I've ever had a problem with the difference between those two words, but it strikes me now that it might be a hard one for AutoCorrect to deal with?? (For my own part, I know that for some reason, I tend not to notice typing mistakes until I've already pressed "publish"...)
ReplyDeleteI have noticed this too, but unless it's my own mistake I let such things pass. I was never a teacher so I try to avoid commenting on the grammar of others. (Except Trump voters. :) )
ReplyDelete