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'-ic' and '-al'
By Joanne O'Donnell
EuroLogos.com
www.eurologos.com
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Spelling mistakes, as
we know, are all too common in written English,
a language with few rules and abundant oddities.
Even native speakers often fall into the trap
of mixing their '-ics' with their '-als'. But
you don't want to be misunderstood. This essential
guide highlights the most common areas of confusion.
There are four, or rather eight, very commonly
used words which often get in a muddle. Retain
these and you are on the road to crystal clarity...
- Economic(al)
There is some small overlap between these
two words. However, perfectionists will still
prefer to make the distinction clear. Essentially,
'economic' is the adjective related
to the field of economics, as in the example
"the meeting will concentrate on the economic
issues surrounding the project", whereas
'economical' refers more generally
to an economy, i.e. a saving to be made, e.g.
"travelling by bus is more economical than
taking the car".
- Historic(al)
The difference between these two words is
one of neutrality.
A historic event is one that was of
great importance in history and is most likely
well-known. An historical event is
quite simply an event that took place during
the course of history. The first therefore
places a value judgement on the event being
described. (Note the change in the use of
'a' and 'an' before these two words!).
- Comic(al)
Both of these words fundamentally refer to
something that is humorous and intended to
make you laugh, but you should be careful
when using comical, as it often has
the added meaning of something that is ludicrous
or unintentionally funny. Comic, on
the other hand, retains its direct link with
the idea of comedy, e.g. he "recited a
comic poem". Don't forget that a comic,
the noun, is the same as a comedian and that
"comical behaviour", for example, can
also mean that someone is acting oddly.
- Classic(al)
These two words have many meanings, which
are often very similar. However, there are
two main areas in which their particular connotations
should be observed. Classic is used
to refer to items of the highest quality and
which are outstanding in their category, such
as "a classic children's novel" or
again "classic management styles".
Classical, on the other hand, is used
first and foremost to describe literature,
art etc. in the style of ancient Greece or
Rome, or for the particular style of music
going by this name.
Other cases exist, such as with rhetoric
and rhetorical, where the former does
not exist as an adjective, rather is a noun
used to describe a style of language. Chronical
is another word that does not exist, the correct
form being chronic (although the adverb
is spelled chronically). And just to add to
the confusion, a chronicle, the noun,
is a chronological historical record. Of course,
there are a few examples of complete interchangeability;
the most obvious one that springs to mind is
strategic(al), where both mean the same
thing. The best advice is if in doubt, don't
hesitate to check in a good dictionary.
By way of an extra note, although this doesn't
follow the same thread as the rest of the article,
don't forget always to check your spelling of
principle and principal - do you know which
is the noun?
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