Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words - Bill Bryson [16]
Colombia is the name of the South American country, and it is misspelled shamefully often, as here: “Next is a piece about rebels in Columbia” (Boston Globe). The problem arises because the man known in his native Italy as Cristoforo Colombo became in English Christopher Columbus. Thus words derived from his name in English—Columbia University, the District of Columbia, British Columbia—carry a u, but those originated by speakers of Romance languages are spelled with an o in the second syllable. In all events, misspelling a country’s name is about as inexcusable a mistake as a journalist can make.
comic, comical. “There was a comic side to the tragedy” (Times). Something that is comic is intended to be funny. Something that is comical is funny whether or not that was the intention. Since tragedies are never intentionally amusing, the word wanted here was comical.
commence. “Work on the project is scheduled to commence in June” (Financial Times). An unnecessary genteelism. What’s wrong with begin?
comparatively. “Comparatively little progress was made in the talks yesterday” (Guardian). Compared with what? Comparatively should be reserved for occasions when a comparison is being expressed or at least clearly implied. If all you mean is fairly or only a little, choose another word. See also RELATIVELY.
compare to, compare with. These two can be usefully distinguished. Compare to should be used to liken things, compare with to consider their similarities or differences. “She compared London to New York” means that she felt London to be similar to New York. “She compared London with New York” means that she assessed the two cities’ relative merits. Compare to most often appears in figurative senses, as in “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” So unless you are writing poetry or love letters, compare with is usually the expression you want.
A separate problem sometimes arises when writers try to compare incomparables. Fowler cites this example: “Dryden’s prose . . . loses nothing of its value by being compared with his contemporaries.” The writer has inadvertently compared prose with people when he meant to compare prose with prose. It should be “with that of his contemporaries.”
compatriot for a fellow countryman. Not to be confused, in meaning or spelling, with expatriate, for someone who has taken up residence in a new land.
compel, impel. Both words imply the application of a force leading to some form of action, but they are not quite synonymous. Compel is the stronger of the two and, like its cousin compulsion, suggests action undertaken as a result of coercion or irresistible pressure: “The man’s bullying tactics compelled us to flee.” Impel is closer in meaning to encourage and means to urge forward: “The audience’s ovation impelled me to speak at greater length than I had intended.” If you are compelled to do something, you have no choice. If you are impelled, an element of willingness is possible.
compendium. No doubt because of the similarity in sound to comprehensive, the word is often taken to mean vast and all-embracing. In fact, a compendium is a succinct summary or abridgment. Size has nothing to do with it. It can be as large as The Oxford English Dictionary or as small as a memorandum. The important thing is that it provides a complete summary in a brief way. The plural can be either compendia or compendiums. The OED prefers the former, most other dictionaries the latter.
complacent, complaisant. The first means self-satisfied, contented to the point of smugness. The second means affable and cheerfully obliging. If you are complacent, you are pleased with yourself. If you are complaisant, you wish to please others. Both words come from the Latin complacere