Speaking of remembering how to spell lose and loose, in an email this morning, I wanted to say, “It’s the principle of the thing,” and I had to take a microsecond to be sure I was using the right spelling. I recalled the little trick I was taught in grade school -- the principal is your pal. And since that wasn’t the kind I meant, I knew “principle” was right.
There are plenty of mnemonics for distinguishing between similar words. Capitol is the building because it has a dome, and capital is right for all the other definitions. Stalagmites have to be mighty to push up from the floor, whereas stalactites have to hold tight to the ceiling.
But then there’s stationary (not moving) and stationery (office supplies). I was taught to remember stationery is like paper. Well, that’s fine, but somewhere along the line I got to thinking that maybe it was stationary like paper, and I still get confused sometimes. I think maybe I should go with e for envelopes.
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