Connie's list of commonly confused words

[conuly]

Memorise this list OR DIE.

Libel: Printed. Something about you in a newspaper that is false and damaging to your reputation is libel.
Slander: Spoken. Something about you on a TV show that is false and damaging to your reputation is slander.

Flotsam: Floating wreckage of a ship or cargo.
Jetsam: Cargo jettisoned off a ship in times of distress.

Your: The second person possessive pronoun.
Ur: An ancient Sumerian city.

Islam: A religion/religious group.
Muslim: A member of the Islamic religion.

More will come next time I get annoyed. Djusk' a.

Comments

[codeman38.livejournal.com]

Is there a nice mnemonic device for libel and slander? I know that one is written and one is spoken, but I can never...

Oh, wait. Slander starts with an S. So does spoken. That works. :-)

[conuly]

Libel comes from the same root as library? Libel = literary, slander = speech?

[codeman38.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes, I never even thought of the 'liber'-'libel' connection, but that makes perfect sense as well.

Gotta love the way my mind keeps things straight. Sometimes I'll mention a mnemonic I came up with, and people just stare at me strangely as if I said something in Martian...

[conuly]

Poor you. Libel actually comes from libellas, a small book, but that, of course, comes from liber.

[minkhollow]

Also.
You're: A faster way to say 'you are.'

[rpeate.livejournal.com]

Slander: key word: "false", especially "known to be false when spoken". To tell the truth is not to slander. Not you, but many confuse this.

Example: Bush is a God-damned evil bastard is not slander. It is my true opinion, honestly expressed. If it were not true, and if I knew it not to be true, it would be slander. Otherwise, it is not. It is my opinion, honestly expressed, even if I am mistaken.

[conuly]

Although it *is* you speaking for God. For all we know, God doesn't really damn people, he just gives them a stern frown and asks them to try harder next time. Hm. It's probable that he's not a bastard either, I mean, his parents *were* married when he was born...

God I love being a snot sometimes. And it's not gonna be slander anyway. It's libel.

[conuly]

Well, no, it's not libel. But if it weren't true, it would be, so....

[codeman38.livejournal.com]

Is there a nice mnemonic device for libel and slander? I know that one is written and one is spoken, but I can never...

Oh, wait. Slander starts with an S. So does spoken. That works. :-)

[conuly]

Libel comes from the same root as library? Libel = literary, slander = speech?

[codeman38.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes, I never even thought of the 'liber'-'libel' connection, but that makes perfect sense as well.

Gotta love the way my mind keeps things straight. Sometimes I'll mention a mnemonic I came up with, and people just stare at me strangely as if I said something in Martian...

[conuly]

Poor you. Libel actually comes from libellas, a small book, but that, of course, comes from liber.

[minkhollow]

Also.
You're: A faster way to say 'you are.'

[rpeate.livejournal.com]

Slander: key word: "false", especially "known to be false when spoken". To tell the truth is not to slander. Not you, but many confuse this.

Example: Bush is a God-damned evil bastard is not slander. It is my true opinion, honestly expressed. If it were not true, and if I knew it not to be true, it would be slander. Otherwise, it is not. It is my opinion, honestly expressed, even if I am mistaken.

[conuly]

Although it *is* you speaking for God. For all we know, God doesn't really damn people, he just gives them a stern frown and asks them to try harder next time. Hm. It's probable that he's not a bastard either, I mean, his parents *were* married when he was born...

God I love being a snot sometimes. And it's not gonna be slander anyway. It's libel.

[conuly]

Well, no, it's not libel. But if it weren't true, it would be, so....