April Newsletter

A sprinkle of assorted subjects: 'Pronunciation Pitfalls' and 'The Work-Life Balance Myth'

Hello everyone

Hope April is unfolding well for you.

I'm happy to welcome new subscribers to my Better Communication newsletter.

Lift Your Language has a focus on spoken language this month; I have prepared several articles on avoiding pronunciation errors and tips for successful public speaking; I'll feature these in newsletters throughout the year.

As usual, please share the subscription link or this newsletter with anyone you think might be interested in reading it.

Best regards

Janette

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Appraise Or Apprise?

‘Appraise’ or ‘apprise’? Are you confident about which you should use?

As an editor, I frequently correct errors in the use of these similar sounding words. Sometimes, predictive text is to blame; the tools don’t always know the difference and often seem to prefer ‘appraise’…

‘Appraise’ or ‘apprise’? What’s the difference?

‘Appraise' is a verb. It means ‘to estimate or determine the price, value or worth of something, as in:

The agent appraised the house before the sale process began.

The expert arrived to appraise the damage to the vehicle.

Its noun form is ‘appraisal‘, meaning a determined value, as in:

Each employee went through a formal process of appraisal after the probationary period.

He examined the jewellery, before giving the client an honest appraisal of its value.

‘Apprise' is also a verb. It means ‘to inform, or report the facts’ and is used as follows:

I was apprised of all the relevant details.

Their duty was to apprise the authorities of the spread of the disease.

The noun is ‘apprisal‘, which means a factual report:

The committee gave a full apprisal of the current conditions.

She received a notice of apprisal, which contained all the necessary facts of the case.

There’s no real trick to help you remember the difference between ‘appraise’ and ‘apprise’. Just make sure you know it, and always double-check what your predictive text tool tells you.

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Pronunciation Pitfalls

If you want to Lift Your Language, obviously it will involve spoken language as well as written.

Have you ever fallen into the pit of poor pronunciation?

This month's feature starts with what is possibly the worst word to mispronounce (a horrible irony) and goes on to related and similar sounding words that are often mispronounced (and misspelled). Read on to find out more.

First, though, a couple of questions:
Are there any words you have mispronounced (with embarrassing or hilarious results)? 
Do you have any 'pet hates' related to the way people pronounce words wrongly?

Please share them. I'd love to use some examples next time I focus on pronunciation. And don't worry, you'll remain anonymous.

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The Work-Life Balance Myth

You might have your doubts about the ‘work-life balance’ so many people talk about. Not working for you?

The thing is, it's a myth – true for those who believe in it. And we'd probably like to believe we can find that perfect balance between home life and career.

The human factor, though, means there is no ‘work-life balance’ template to suit everyone. 

There's another way to look at the nexus between work and all the other great things we have to do, and love to do.

Clink on the link below to see if it makes sense to you.

Do you have any thoughts on the delicate interplay between your home and your work life. Please share them.

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