The "C" Word
There are several words that I cannot keep straight, even after years and years of looking them up in style guides and dictionaries. The words compliment and complement are perfect examples. I have a distinct memory of laughing with my sister at someone who used "complements of" where "compliments of" was correct - then we stopped laughing abruptly and stared at each other, suddenly unsure of ourselves. For me, "compli/ement" is the c-word.

The difference between that and which is always a stumper. I've found that it's best explained by The American Psychological Association's Publication Guide: "Consistent use of that for restrictive clauses and which for nonrestrictive clauses, which are set off with commas, will help you make your writing clear and precise." Cute, eh? It even gives you a working example.

Bored yet? I've got more c-words. I always mis-type "Canadian." Is Vancouver in British Columbia or British Colombia? One has whales and the other has drug lords. And, should Census be capitalized? Sometimes we do and sometimes we don't. There's another one... capitol and capital. Say it enough and they both become meaningless.

I love my job.