Elusive v Illusive

Elusive and illusive sound very much alike in spoken speech.  As with most sound-alikes, they mean quite different things.  Both are adjectives.

Elusive (adj.) describes something that is fleeting, hard to pin down, vague, mysterious, as an elusive feeling one might have, obscure.  The root verb is elude, which means to escape, disappear or evade.  Ex. The interpretation of the dream was elusive. 

Illusive (adj.) relates to the word illusion, fantasy, something that is not real, magic, false and unreal. Although illusive is correct, a better use of this adjective would be illusory. No matter: It still means deceptive, as an illusion.  Ex. The so-called shortage and hence value of diamonds is an illusory phenomenon, created by those companies that wish to maintain their monopoly on the supply.

Conjugation of Verbs

No, this is not Back to School - rather, it is a rap on the knuckles to all those who have eschewed whatever was learned in school in favor of a more casual approach, to wit: "...the lecture was began with an announcement ..."

To be sure, English is a difficult language.  Embrace it.  Be proud of it.  It is, after all, the accepted international language of the United Nations.  But, truth be told, all languages are "difficult," if one wants to speak them correctly, and there is quite a bit of merit in doing so.  Conjugating verbs is one aspect of speaking correctly.

Take the verb to begin.  It is an irregular verb, in that it does not conform to the "usual" conjugations for such verbs as to dance or to walk.  The present tense of to begin is fairly straightforward: I begin, you begin, he/she/it begins, etc., but the past tenses are more onerous, especially when getting into subjunctives and conditionals (what?), or, worse, the past perfect (huh?) or pluperfect (!).  Are your eyes crossed yet?  Not to worry - contact lenses to the rescue.

In the sample phrase above, there are two problems, one of which is much more egregious than the other.  First, the phrase is stated in the passive voice (the lecture was began).  To reframe the phrase for more impact, one might write "...we began the lecture by announcing ..."  But a much more troublesome error above is the conjugation of began, which in this case should be the pluperfect, was begun (the sequence is begin, began, begun).

I don't believe it is essential to know the nomenclature for the various conjugation iterations; what is important is to know how to apply the tenses, in which context, and what the appropriate tense should be.  Please refer to http://www.verbix.com/webverbix/English/begin.html, a website that provides all the permutations of correct conjugations.  Input your desired verb, and voila!

The Podium and the Lectern

Our society has morphed into casualness: casual attire, casual manners, casual lingo.  This being a blog about syntax and its vicissitudes, let's explore the differences between podium and lectern, two terms that are consistently used interchangeably.  In fact, they are neither the same, nor even synonyms.

Podium (n.) is a small platform where someone or something stands on.  A soapbox or stage.  The origin of the word is Latin for an elevated area or balcony, and from the Greek podion, meaning little foot. Also used in zoology to describe the foot-like part of a vertebrate limb.

Note, also, that the medical specialty for problems with the feet is called Podiatry. I'm sure you will recognize the root, "pod." Several terms are connected to this root, including dorsalis pedis, tinea pedis, pedicure, and more. The French word for foot is pied.

Lectern (n.) is a structure upon which to place one's reading material or notes or musical libreto.  From Latin derivative, legere or lectura (to read), or modern French, lecture (reading).  Indeed, the work lecture has been adopted into modern English, and means to speak, orate, instruct, or deliver a reprimand.

Is It Children's Books or Childrens Books?

Children is plural.  If you are using the possessive form, you must use the apostrophe, as in children's.  Any spelling other than this indicts you as a fundamental illiterate.

There are several possessive forms which can be confusing; indeed, which have changed over time.  For example, I was taught that if a word ends in ss, there is no need to add another s after the apostrophe, as in, "The business' accounting records had to be revised."  Nowadays, my understanding is that an s is needed after the apostrophe to denote the possessive form.  I welcome comments about this.

Likewise, "The Thomases' Pontiac was damaged in the crash," the apostrophe is clearly denoting the possessive form for the Thomases.  To my understanding, it's superfluous to add yet another s to clarify its meaning.

English can be tricky.  But so can life.  Embrace both.

Perfusion/Profusion

This is the age of txtng.  Y'know, LOL, TGIF, WOF (I don't know that one), and a lot of others, some alluding to profanity thinly veiled in a few letters, others just an extension of laziness.  Texting has become so popular, in fact, that a movement is under foot to allow school children the option of "creative spelling." What an egregious loss of the spirit of education, and the value of proper spelling imparts on the overall ability to read, to study, and progress in life.

The above sound-alikes are so easily mistaken one for the other.  In speech, they are hardly distinguishable.  In writing, their meanings are entirely distinct.

Perfusion (n) is the passage/seepage of fluid through tissue, through earth (as in rain), through an overcoat that is not waterproof.  In medicine, it is the process of delivering fluid to tissue or capillaries.  From French, perfuser, which means to pour over or through.

Profusion (n) means abundance.  "There was a profusion of poppies across the fields after the first rains."

Rein v. Reign

I love these sound-alikes! They can create such mischief.

"Would you like to reign in your comments, please?"  Folks, reign (n) refers to kingly ruling, of kingdoms and queens (TV show called "Reign"). Royal authority. Sovereign.  Ex. The reign of Queen Elizabeth of England is in its sixth decade." Or "Victoria's reign marked the turning point in the history of England."

Rein (n) by contrast refers to the reins of a horse, a fastening strap designed to control or guide the animal.  The word is also used metaphorically to hold back something, such as angry outbursts, for example.  A restraining influence.  From Latin retinere, to restrain.

Combining both words, "During his reign, the weak monarch had difficulty reining in his ambitious aides."